During the colonial period, the traditional Kalimba of the African peoples was also called a thumb piano because the lamellae are plucked primarily with the thumb. Depending on the region and ethnic group, there are still many different names for the lamellophones in Africa today. The word Kalimba is used by the Chewa and Tumbuka in Malawi, while the Shona in Zimbabwe call the instrument Mbira. The lamellophone is now played all over the world because it can be made in any tuning and is easy to learn. No previous knowledge or even musical training is required to coax beautiful sounds from the kalimba.

Kalimbas from Hokema: a traditional instrument from a traditional company

We have been producing and developing kalimbas at Hokema in Walsrode, Lower Saxony, since 1985. Each individual kalimba is made by hand with care and passion, and only leaves our family business after a strict quality check by our music experts. Our instruments are not only beautiful and easy to play - we also place great value on sustainability in our factory. We make the sound bodies from solid American cherry. We obtain all raw materials exclusively from German suppliers and completely avoid tropical wood. You can buy a kalimba from us in various designs with different numbers of slats.

Experience the unique sound of the Kalimba

The Kalimba B5 is perfect for beginners. The small, robust instrument has five metal tongues that you can play on the go and when travelling. You can choose the desired tuning from F minor to C major to a special tuning choose individually. In addition to other models, we also carry the Twin Kalimba that you can play with two people . Let yourself be enchanted by the gentle tones of the Kalimba, browse through our online shop and discover the high-quality and cleanly tuned musical instruments from Hokema!