Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Chromatic Kalimba

This is a three-octave chromatic kalimba that I am working on- the good news is that it sounds great. The bad news is that, with the grain running horizontally, all of the bridge bar screws are in the same grain line- and with the tension the top has begun to crack! It sounds great, and I am glad this happened now, before it arrive in the hands of its new owner. I also think that I will make the new soundboard graduated in thickness, with a little more thickness towards the bridge bar.

It was a little strange at first to play with the circle-of-fifths layout, but it suggests melodies and harmonies, a lot of dyads (two-note chords) that you might not pluck out on a piano. After only a few minutes I was playing a few really interesting melodies and riffs that I would like to develop.

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