Newlam Kalimba Thumb Piano 17 Keys, Portable Mbira Finger Piano Gifts for Kids and Adults Beginners Musical Instruments

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 I absolutely love this little instrument! I have been wanting one for a while. I finally decided to treat myself and am so happy I did! I read the instruction manual that came with it and played around with it for about 20 minutes before I learned one of the first songs that they recommend- twinkle twinkle little star. Super easy to use and great quality. I can’t wait to learn more songs and have my kids use it too. 🙂

This is a portable musical instrument with solid construction. It is small in size and super lightweight. The price is very affordable and it has many features you’re going to enjoy. This thumb piano produces a clean, clear, and peaceful sound. It comes with a songbook and the seller is very nice they shared me another digital songbook via the email.

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 I’ve seen some videos about Kalimba on YouTube and just wanted to try it out. This is a beautifully crafted instrument made of wood. It’s very light, and convenient to take with you, fitting easily into any carrying bag. It has a delightful tone reminiscent of a giant music box. The keys are easy to read and though it came tuned out of the box, it seems clear how to adjust the pitch if necessary. I think it sounds calming and it’s easy to pick up quickly. My husband just practiced for a few minutes and was able to play Jingle Bells!

My Kalimba arrived with everything you see in the pictue, the Kalimba, a box, a velvet protective bag to store it in, a carrying bag with shoulder strap, tuning hammer, a small 2 song book that also has instructions how to get the free app for tuning the instrument, two colors of stickers for the keys to learn playing easier (I already put the green ones on in this picture), some stickers for key names/numbers in case you have a hard time seeing the ones etched on the keys already, a cleaning cloth, and two thumb guards (I have not used).I have never seen one of these instruments before I saw a YouTube recommendation video that had one of them. I ordered this on impulse.It’s surprisingly well made and very pretty. Even if you don’t know how to play a single song, it sounds awesome just strumming random keys!! No kidding! Sounds like a music box. It’s designed to be held without blocking the two sound holes in the back. If those are blocked or it’s setting on a table or lap, it does not sound nearly as pretty.I do recommend a free app called Kalimba Connect that helped me to learn to play it and read the music. It has either a virtual Kalimba to learn on or (as I did) you can set the app to detect your actual Kalimba’s notes as you play them, if it’s tuned correctly.I did have to tune mine some, but it’s easy. Lightly tap a few times down to lower the pitch, tap up to raise the pitch. The tuning app from Google Play will show you what note it’s playing, and the key shows you what it should be. The book helps with this process. My understanding is how often you have to tune depends on how much you play it.With the free Kalimba Connect app from Google Play I was able to learn a whole single note at a time song by the end of the evening from memory!! Remember, I have never even seen or heard of one of these things until the day before I ordered it!! I’m not particulary inclined to musical instruments either.It should be fairy easy for most adults and older children to learn a few basic songs. Younger children will problably still enjoy making some very lovely but random sounds on it.It is made of hollow wood and reasonaly sturdy, however it probably wouldn’t hold up to very young children who are still very rough with things yet. Meaning it probably wouldn’t take being tossed around or dropped frequently very well.With care, I’d expect this to last a long time. It requires no batteries, no charging, it’s portable for easy travel, sounds awesome even if you don’t know what you’re doing, is very beautiful, and a great conversation starter because it’s rather unique.To be fair, this review is supposed to be compensated somewhat. Even if it isn’t, I would have left this exact review even if it wasn’t. I still purchased the item and do not regret doing so! I highly recommend this item! Really!

I purchased this musical instrument as a gift for my sister, who is really coming into her own as a percussionist. Within minutes of opening the box, she began finding her comfortable playing positions, and picking out notes by ear. Within a couple of hours, she was able to laboriously pick out a few basic tunes like “Silent Night” and “Happy Birthday.” Within a few days, she was playing several songs, perhaps not at a professional level yet, but with a remarkable degree of competence and confidence.Some of that, of course, comes from her. She’s already a talented player of glockenspiel or English handbells, so there was a pretty good level of crossover. But some of that was also the clear design, labeled notes, and resonant tone. Yes, she took to playing this instrument quickly because of her prior experience, but also because this instrument is designed for easy, comfortable playing without a long learning arc. This is definitely an instrument which rewards curious, ambitious beginners for their efforts.I like this instrument’s design. It’s well sized for average hands, allowing somebody with ordinary reach to hold it in both hands and reach both thumbs more than halfway across the body. It has indentations in the sound box that make it easy to hold, without having to fish around for one’s optimum playing position. The ends of the keys are also laminated to ensure that beginners don’t destroy their hands on the metal edges. My sister was able to hold it comfortably and reach all the notes, and get a good tone on the first try.Speaking of good tone, this instrument has a bold, resonant timbre that carries well. Though my sister’s first couple of tries produced a wimpy, anemic tone, it took only a matter of minutes for her to start playing confidently enough for the instrument to ring out. The tone is a mixture of the metal keys and the wooden sound box, much like a steel-string guitar. The sound comes mainly out the back of the sound box, so if you ever play in concert (as my sister hopes to), put the mike behind the box, not in front of the sound hole.And it comes with digital books for beginner’s study. The manufacturer emailed me a beginner’s instruction manual, and a handful of short songs for beginners to find their way. These digital books will come to the purchaser, so if, like me, you buy this instrument as a gift, you’ll need to either print them out or forward them to the intended recipient. That shouldn’t be too hard, though. But even if you don’t have these books, as I said, my sister began finding her notes within minutes, just playing by ear.This is, in short, a good instrument for ambitious beginners and curious amateurs. Prior experience with simple hand percussion might be helpful, but isn’t really necessary. Its rich, resonant sound combines well with several different musical genres, and it can play as a solo instrument, though my sister hopes to join an ensemble. With a little concerted effort, anybody with their thumbs attached can start playing, straight from the box. I look forward to hearing what it does as she becomes more experienced.