The kalimba

Another kit from Musicmakers, the first one I did, got completed along with the banjo by virtue of my finally putting a finish on it. The kalimba (thumb piano) is now ready to go, finished in the same clear lacquer that went on the banjo and fretless guitar.

This is the kit that showed me that I enjoyed the woodworking and detail work enough, to inspire me to go with the more challenging projects. Learned about my Dremel tool and accessories, a little about sanding, and certainly about patience. I was pleased with this one.

And of course, the kalimba has a bit of extra meaning to a Crimhead by virtue of its being featured on Larks' Tongues in Aspic.

For those who know me, don't worry, I did manage to do something different with it. The thumb piano is commonly tuned to a major scale, but I decided I'd try tuning it to the augmented scale for grins. This piano comes with 12 keys, and since the augmented scale is a six-tone scale (C-Eb-Fb-G-Ab-B) I can cover two octaves, although I'd like to have a thirteenth key for another root at the second octave). One thing that's kinda cool about this tuning, with the keys arranged with the bass keys at the center, alternating outward as they rise in pitch, is that you can swipe the keys one way from the center and get stacked major thirds (augmented chord), and then swipe the other way and get stacked major thirds a semitone higher. Playing either side sounds just like whole-tone, because, well, it kinda is whole-tone!

Anyway, I do envision this being a novelty instrument, but who knows? If the right use for it flies in my face, I'll be loath to ignore it. And it may have created a monster, judging from how much I like my "big" project...