Kalimba: Difference between revisions

{{Wikipedia|Mbira}}

The '''kalimba''', a modern version of the [[African]] '''mbira''', is an instrument that is small, cheap and easy to retune, and hence another good candidate as a gateway to microtonal music. Retuning is apparently common practice among the traditional mbira masters in Africa - see e.g. [https://yahootuninggroupsultimatebackup.github.io/makemicromusic/topicId_11002.html#11005 this article] by [[Joseph Monzo]] on the MakeMicroMusic yahoo forum.

Several members of the Yahoo tuning forums have used kalimbas for microtonal music:

* [https://yahootuninggroupsultimatebackup.github.io/tuning/topicId_78054.html#78060 http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/tuning/message/78060] (Kalimba tuned to [[OverToneSeries|harmonic series]], [[George_Secor|George D. Secor]])

* [https://yahootuninggroupsultimatebackup.github.io/tuning/topicId_78106.html#78106 http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/tuning/message/78106] (Kalimba tuned to [[Mavila#Mavila|Mavila]] pentatonic, <span style="">[[Petr_Pařízek|Petr Pařízek]]</span>)

There are YouTube videos of microtonal kalimba music:

 

* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRnAHx-7Ef4 ([[Jacob_Barton|Jacob Barton]] playing kalimba at the [http://www.untwelve.org UnTwelve] event on the 31.07.2008)

* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJd5DLtbtgk ([[Aaron_Krister_Johnson|Aaron Krister Johnson]] of [http://www.untwelve.org UnTwelve] playing his composition "Queen of Hearts")

 

[[Sevish]] has produced several tracks with microtonal kalimba:

* [https://sevish.bandcamp.com/track/kalimba-practice-2012 Kalimba Practice 2012]

 

Other microtonal kalimba/mbira references:

 

* http://bp.b0b.com/2016/01/tuning-a-kalimba-to-bp/ (Tuning a kalimba to the [[Bohlen–Pierce scale]])

* A kalimba in Bohlen–Pierce tuning is also used in [http://georghajdu.de/compositions/just-her-jester-gesture/ Just Her – Jester – Gesture] and [http://georghajdu.de/burning-petrol/ Burning Petrol], compositions by [[Georg_Hajdu|Georg Hajdu]].

* [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YcuAk5UY5g8 Kalimba with pitch bends]

 

=== Array mbira ===

The [http://www.arraymbira.com array mbira] is a xenharmonic instrument designed and built by [[Bill Wesley]]. Wesley's description:

 

''The 1 - 29 harmonics are tuned into the 15 five octave courses on the players right, and  the 1 - 29 subharmonics are tuned into the 15 octave courses on the players left.''

 

''C1 is the harmonic "1" and D#6 the subharmonic "1". The 12 octave courses in the center, 6 harmonic and 6 subharmonic, form a rough chromatic series of 12 notes or "pitch classes" with this capacity being unique to choosing the minor third difference between the harmonic 1 and subharmonic 1. The exact ratio used for the minor third difference between the harmonic 1 and subharmonic 1 pitch classes is 13/11.''

 

''Pitch shifting effects pedals are controlled by a stereo-out foot-actuated expression pedal for added pitch shift effects which pedals also provide unique tones for the tines.''

 

BillWesleyKeyboardLeft.jpg|The left half of the instrument.

BillWesleyKeyboardRight.jpg|The right half of the instrument.

</gallery>

 

== Reference material on Mbira ==

* Paul F. Berliner, [http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo3644709.html The Soul of Mbira], University of Chicago Press, 1993.

* L. E. McNeil, S. Mitran, [https://www.academia.edu/2847668/Vibrational_frequencies_and_tuning_of_the_African_mbira Vibrational Frequencies and Tunings of the African Mbira], Journal of the Acoustical Society of America<span style="">, 2008.</span>