Contest: Make Your Own Kalimba

Two months ago, we ran an article about making kalimba tines from spring steel. At that time we put out a challenge to the world: show us the kalimbas you've been making and we will share your work with the kalimba community.

Actually, we were running two contests: one for the best-looking kalimba, and one for the best-sounding kalimba. Based on the submissions we got, I decided to change the categories: we've split it into non-commercial (hobbyist) and commercial kalimbas. Some people are clearly making kalimbas for their children, their sweethearts or themselves, while other people are making kalimbas for the world, i.e., for sale.

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Non-commercial (Hobbyist) Kalimba Makers

I made kalimbas for about a year. I turned my garage into a kalimba and marimba-building workshop, and several people came over to make their own kalimbas with the tools and materials I had. What a wonderful community-building exercise!

People ask me if I make the Hugh Tracey or Goshen kalimbas that I sell. I reply "Oh, I've made about a dozen kalimbas, but I wouldn't sell any of them." No, I wouldn't - they aren't the best kalimbas around, and what would I pay myself, $5 an hour? No, it was a labor of love. But there are people in the world who are called to make beautiful kalimbas.

 

ALAN ROBERTS: A Kalimba with Beautiful Wood

My kalimba is 5x8 (approx. the "golden mean") and is made of black walnut with a curly maple top. Note the walnut purfling around the sound hole. The back photo shows off the "bear claw" wood grain with a nice eye-shaped knot. Note a whitish tinge on the ends of the painted keys. A couple drops of hardened super glue on each allows one to identify by touch the painted tines.

The side photo shows off my box (or finger) joints. The keys, well... to be honest, this is what comes from cannibalism. I pulled them off an earlier alto kalimba just to have something to send you in time. Ah... Were it not for deadlines, I'd probably never finish anything. I'll cut and grind thin keys tomorrow and make a treble.

 

BERNARD KANOWSKY: Life Changing Kalimbas

I have a special place in my heart for Bernard and the kalimbas he makes. I know that playing the kalimba and making kalimbas has changed Bernard's life deeply, so I kind of resonate with him.

I am playing every night to relax and meditate. Now I will add a little structure to my playing and build a small repertoire of my favorite Christmas music. God bless.	I am setting up a place just for learning and playing. I am going to practice no less than an hour a day and am sure I will make some real progress.

Commercial Kalimba Makers

If you are looking to make and sell kalimbas professionally, you have a tough road ahead of you. There are a few people like Lucinda Elison who have made art-grade kalimbas which sell for quite a bit - hundreds of dollars. These kalimbas tend to be strikingly beautiful and pretty good instruments as well. There are also people like Steve Catania and Peter S. (he doesn't like publicity) who have been able to systematize their instrument building and come out with a consistently beautiful and playable product which is also affordable.

On the other hand, somebody has to make the kalimbas that people are going to be playing. You may be just the person who has the eye and the touch and the feel and the intuition to make the instruments that catch someone's imagination and heart.

 

JOHN IKA WALTON: Chromatic 3-Octave Kalimba

John Ike Walton of Luckenbach Texas has been touting his 3-octave chromatic kalimba. It sounds absolutely beautiful, and the notes are laid out just like a piano. Keyboard players don't even need to learn how to play this instrument. Kalimba players, on the other hand, have a learning curve!

 

 

 

DANIEL AMADOR: Making Kalimbas in Portugal

We featured Daniel Amador in the Kalimba Community a few months ago.

Here are some photos and a video of a gourd kalimba i've made. This is the first ialimba I present to the kalimba construction contest. This kalimba is tuned in a relatively high pitch to its ideal one (is tuned to the Bm scale).

Here you have the photos of the second kalimba I'm presenting to the contest. It has the sansula scale and uses 3mm tines. It has a very sweet sound (in my opinion...;-) ).

 

GABE TUROW: Stoneware Creations

Gabe Turow is making all sorts of ceramic musical instruments. Crazy as it sounds, Gabe tells me that these instruments are fairly lightweight and very strong: If you dropped it on the sidewalk, it would probably dent the sidewalk - that's what STONEWARE is all about.

He has made several impressive-looking stoneware kalimbas. I will be holding one of them in my hands shortly, and I will let you know what I think.

The Winners?

I have to admit that our judging of this contest is a bit of a cop out. There are aspects of each maker's kalimbas that are unique, innovative, and beautiful, so I am splitting the prize pot among all five makers. That would be $20 of Kalimba Credit at the Kalimba Magic Shop, or in most of these cases, it would probably translate into $20 of free spring steel for kalimba tines.

Hey everyone, thanks for playing!

Next Contest?

If you've been following the newsletter for a while, you know that I have difficulty sustaining the contests. Lots of good ideas, a few entries, and lots of organizational issues on my part. I would very much like to do a contest that many people can get behind and enter. Are you afraid to enter? Are you afraid of failure? Yes, but you never know, I might pull a fast one and give everyone a WIN.

So, let's try again. What sort of contest do you think people would really get behind? This kalimba making contest has actually had a fair bit of interest beyond the five submissions - people have been going to that web page in droves, but everyone is sort of sitting on the sidelines. What will it take to get you to jump in with your clothes on?

Send me your suggestions for the next contest!