More Tunings for the
More "2B/14" Kalimba Tunings

2B Kalimbas
The 2B/14 Kalimba

By the way, my friend Betty Edwards told me that her favorite part of the newsletters is to go through articles just like this one and listen to the sound recordings. So, even if you have no interest in purchasing a 2B kalimba, I hope you enjoy the various sound samples of these different 2B kalimba tunings.

We first got the 2B/14 Kalimbas last summer, and they sold out in less than a week. We got some more in a few months ago, and they have been dribbling out slowly. But before they went on sale, my son Tim went through the whole bunch and documented and refined their tunings, and I recorded what each tuning sounds like.

I have realized that not every Thomas Bothe 2B kalimba has a unique tuning. Several tunings end up being very similar to each other. But I also realized that there will be some true gems in each shipment of kalimbas I purchase from Thomas. I have removed redundant tunings from the list below.

Some of the tunings are marked as good or great. Of course, this is totally subjective. When my webmaster Susan asked what makes some tunings better than others, I replied that some tunings are really expansive - they give you a great sense of freedom when you play them. A good tuning will make the music itself - just wiggle your thumbs around, and the kalimba seems to do all the work.

Here is what I have done - I've renamed the old 2B/14 tunings with a method more sensible than "tuning 1" and "tuning 2", and I've included all of those tunings here alongside the new and unique tunings. Enjoy these!

The "2B/14" Tunings

There is some key flexibility in these tunings - for example, an F# tuning could be scootched in (a technical kalimba tuning term) to make the same sounding tuning, but in G - or pulled out to make an F natural. If a particular tuning is out of stock, it may be the case that the kalimba I use to create a replacement for that tuning will favor the mirror image of the tuning as presented in the PDF.

You can purchase the Thomas Bothe 2B/14 Note Kalimba or the 2B/9 Note Kalimba or the 2B/14L Large Kalimba with or without the resonator, and with or without the stylish protective bag, at special prices for a limited time. Base price for the 2B/14 is $170, base price for the 2B/9 is $99, and the base price for the 2B/14L is $289. The frame resonator and bag are extra (sorry, my skills are lacking and it may not be perfectly clear how to add the frame or bag to your order - if you have trouble, please contact me.) These prices include any retuning you might want.

Learn more about Thomas Bothe in the interview I did with him back in June. I can't help but play him up as a mythical character, but he is a man just like me - at the peak of his game doing wonderful work in the field of making magic with the kalimba.

Click to go to Kalimba Magic
Top of page

To sign up to receive the monthly Kalimba Magic newsletter by email,
enter your email address below:

The Kalimba Magic Newsletter Archives


Discover the world of kalimbas at http://www.kalimbamagic.com


Shop for kalimbas and accessories at
the KALIMBA MAGIC SHOP