Sunday, December 8, 2013

Pterocarpus Erinaceus

Pterocarpus erinaceus: wood used to make musical instruments in West and Central Africa. Used for, among other things, djembe and mbira. The native Shona word for this tree is mukambira.




I had noticed that the wood on many mbiras I saw was similar to many of the djembes I have seen- but did not resemble any hardwoods I am acquainted with. Turns out most are made from this tree.

It also turns out P. Erinaceus is part of the legume family, as are the rosewoods that are so desirable to luthiery as tonewoods. Also in the legume family are acacias (incl. Koa), locusts, bubinga, wenge, and purpleheart, among others.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Kid Kalimba Month!!!

SPECIAL HOLIDAY NEWS!

Blinknow.org and Holiday donations &
Kid Kalimba celebration

A friend posted this video online, which I found incredibly inspiring. Maggie Doyne did something I think we all at some point wish we could do: give our lives over to the betterment of others. But I found her amazing story so refreshing and inspiring:

Maggie Doyne — Why the human family can do better from The Do Lectures on Vimeo.



So I decided to DONATE 10% OF ALL SALES TO BLINKNOW.ORG through January 2014.

At first, I thought, I should move the family somewhere we can devote our lives to helping others. Sure it would be a major disruptive change, but it is the right thing to do.

But then I realized, despite the best intentions, we are not all meant to do service work. I could give you a dozen reasons why that would be a horrible idea, for me personally as well as my family. Is this a copout? Not really. I intend to volunteer (and encourage my kids to) on occasion for any projects that I can find throughout my life, but that is not the main fulfillment of my abilities and passions as a person.

I also realized, that in my own way, I CAN help people directly- by donating money I make doing what I love, and doing what I am good at, I can devote my life's work- making musical instruments- (at least in part) towards helping people.

So to celebrate, this is KID KALIMBA MONTH!
These instruments are made for kids, make great gifts for the holidays, are crafted from local sustainable materials, and part of the proceeds go towards helping children!!
Buy One Now

Buy as many as you can for the kids you know, and tell your friends about them as well!

Happy Holidays,
Josh