Mid-East Thumb Piano Large

by Mid-East

Product Features

• Handcrafted Quality, Value Priced
• Satisfaction Guaranteed! 30-Day Return Policy!

Product Details

• Item Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B0009V9XBC
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,788 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
  • #1 in Musical Instruments > Keyboards > World Instruments > Thumb Pianos
  • #2 in Musical Instruments > Folk & World Instruments > Stringed Instruments > Dulcimers

Product Description

Kalimba. Origin Country: Pakistan. 2.1 lbs. Made by Mid-East.

Rosewood thumb piano, 5" x 7", 17 steel keys and two vibrato holes on the back. The thumb piano originates in Africa. It is also known as the mbira or likembe. The metal keys are mounted on a wooden box that acts as the resonating chamber. To play, rest the thumb piano on the fingers of both hands and hold it between your palms. Cover the vibrato holes with your fingers. Then pluck the keys with your thumbs. As you play you can un-cover and cover the vibrato holes as you like. Many different tunings are acceptable, according to personal preference. Specific tuning of a thumb piano is only an issue when two instruments are played together; then they should generally agree in tuning. Otherwise, the tuning is subjective and should only be pleasing to the player. The longer keys have lower pitches and shorter keys have higher pitches. The keys can be adjusted by tapping them in or out to adjust their length, and therefore their pitch.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars African Instrument - Made in Pakistan, March 20, 2007

By 

Carl Willoughby (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mid-East Thumb Piano Large

I've been playing the Hugh Tracey Kalimba for many years.

I bought a Mid East Kalimba from eBay.

It was advertised as a Hugh Tracey Kalimba and came

in an old Hugh Tracey box. I thought I had gotten a good deal.

In the picture it looks exactly the same.

The first thing I noticed different was the paint on the tines.

It was a more of a translucent color. I thought it had been

repainted (and kind of a sloppy job at that).

The next thing I noticed, as soon as I took it out the box

was that it was a much heavier wood. It did not have the light

feel of the Hugh Tracey models which are made from an exotic,

resonant Kiaat wood. This thing was thick.

It looked very pretty though.

The big disappointment came when I started to play the instrument.

First off, it was out of tune. I had a rough time trying to tune

this beast. With the Hugh Tracey models, I just wiggle the tines

side to side or use a coin to push the tines.

The tines don't move easily on this Mid East Beast... Damn!

Unless you know what you are doing, you won't be

able to get this thing in tune. It's very difficult.

After fighting with it for almost an hour, I finally got it tuned.

The sound is OK but kind of tinny (if that's a word).

It doesn't have the full, deeper sound of the Hugh Tracey.

It's probably because the tines are thicker.

It doesn't have the mellow tamber nor maintain the sustain.

I also notice the edges of the tines are not smooth.

It's a little rough on your thumbnails.

You probably should sand them down some to smooth it out.

All in all, it looks pretty but not much fun to play.

I would never buy another one

(and wish I could get my money back).

You'd be much better off with a Hugh Tracey Model.

They come tuned, don't scratch your thumbnails

and give you a much fuller, more mellow sound.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not For Beginners, September 7, 2006

By 

T. R. Volk (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mid-East Thumb Piano Large

At $30, this kalimba is an excellent value and I plan to buy a couple more for various tunings. However, the MidEast Music kalimba is not an instrument for beginning musicians. As noted in the negative reviews below, it is very difficult to tune due to the thicker tines. However, once tuned the added mass provides a much warmer tone than the Hugh Tracy kalimba. That added thickness also makes the instrument a bit more difficult to play, but more difficult like a guitar set up for jazz or the heavier action of a concert piano.

Also, the MidEast Music kalimba comes with no manual or tuning instructions and finding that information on the web was not an easy Google search. To tune this instrument, I had to buy a small punch and a tack hammer; pliers didn't cut it and I doubt anyone could tune this instrument without these tools. That said, once this kalimba IS tuned, it stays in tune!

Finally, the tines arrived rough and unpolished, and they would tear up someone's nails within minutes. However, a file and some metal polish took care of the rough edges.

Beginning musicians or anyone afraid of handtools should consider paying double or triple the price for the hand-holding service of Hugh Tracy kalimba models. The HTK's are quieter, brighter sounding and require constant tuning due to the thinner tines, but more suited to beginning musicians who have not yet built up the strength in their hands.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Relaxing fun!, March 4, 2006

By 

E. Harris (VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mid-East Thumb Piano Large

When I was in college, a friend of mine owned a kalimba and allowed me to borrow it for a few days. I found that picking out tunes on it was fun and relaxing, and that I enjoyed the sound. When I saw this item on line, I decided to see if that would still be true. It is! The instrument was delivered promptly, and was well packaged. It is sturdy, and the wood grain is pleasing to the eye. The only reason I didn't give this five stars was that it was shipped badly out of tune, but that was corrected after a brief search on the Internet. It sounds wonderful now! Another thing to watch for is that tiny amounts of the chrome plating on the keys might flake off a bit at first, so you might want to give them a good wiping down to avoid getting any metal splinters. Overall, I'm glad I have it.