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Pitch Bending with a Kalimba

Here's a guy on YouTube with an interesting idea -- run the tines between three rollers so the tuning can be easily changed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcuAk5UY5g8&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gtMlygJfT0

Jamoflague has put magnetic humbucker pickups on the second one.

Interesting idea. I have two quibbles, though. He has to turn the knob with one hand while playing with the other --playing one-handed is a serious challenge. I would want the instrument to RETURN to its original tuning without my help. Both can be addressed by putting a whammy bar (tremolo arm, vibrato unit) on the knob and have a spring return. If the knob were a clock face, the the long hand whammy would stick out at about 3 o'clock, while a shorter hand would stick out at 9 o'clock with a spring attached. The whammy could be moved by the index fingers alone, while the thumbs would be free to play.

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Permalink Reply by HENRY LOWMAN on May 11, 2010 at 2:16am

AWESOME idea!

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