For those who haven’t bought it yet, may I heartily endorse Frank Cassidy’s CD “Tin Air”.
It is astoundingly bueno! 
Frank plays Copeland whistles in Hi and Low D and an Abell A.
First-rate stuff.
Anyway…on one of the tracks there’s a kalimba (you know, those African thumb pianos).
Turns out I’ve got to have one! 
Who’d have guessed? :roll:
Anyone know of a good one?
Cheers,
Doc
Well, believe it or not, I’ve been collecting kalimbas longer than tinwhistles. Here is what you need:
http://www.8thstreet.com/Product.asp?ProductCode=11145&Category=Drums/Percussion
I’m not endorsing this vendor. It just came up on google.
The Hugh Tracey kalimbas are the best, IMHO. I own about eight or nine. The alto is, I think, the most pleasing to the ear and the most musically useful. These are almost ALWAYS available on ebay in various conditions and I’ve bought several in GREAT SHAPE from ebay sellers for relatively little money. I got one in mint condition once for $20 which was unusual. New ones retail in the $75-95 range.
Here, for example, is one currently posted on ebay. The price RIGHT NOW is a STEAL.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2562739796&category=308
HMT has a good page on these at http://www.hmtrad.com/catalog/percussion/kalimba.html#other
The kalimba, by the way, is basically a Westernized version of the African mbira. The mbira employs a solid body, hand-forged keys, a different lay-out of keys and a different method of playing the keys. The tunings are African and complex. The kalimba, especially the Hugh Tracey models, uses a hollow body with a sound hole, stainless steel keys, and is typically tuned to a western diatonic scale.
Dale
Here are instructions on how to build a Bass Kalimba. You can make your own! Well, Maybe?!?!?!?
www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/bk.htm
For making a mini “bass” kalimba click here
Have fun!
Cheers,
Kathy 
markv makes quenas, kalimbas, and a host of other oddities, and talks about the weather.
Mention any of the three and he’ll be here.
He also has a couple of talented kids. He’ll talk about them, too.
He just offered to trade one for a whistle.
Not the kid, the kalimba.
Mack
Here I am!
making a good functional Kalimba really isn’t that hard. I could possible post a picture of one of mine tomorrow. The trick is finding good steel to use for the keys and creating a tensioning device that has even tension. I use ringbolts and a forged steel bar that fits between two hardwood bars. The steel bar under tension bends the keys between the two hardwood rests. That configuration makes the tension adjustable so that tuning the keys is very easy.
for keys I either forge them myself from steel rods or more usually use the flat spingsteel “drain snakes” you can get at Menards or Lowes etc. for about $5 per 20’. I would suggest going the snakey route, much easier and your neighbors will appreciate it.
My tuner mic is barely sensitive enough to tune with but if you stick the kalimba on a big cardboard box or bohdran (see they have a use:) it helps. If you want a really cool sound put it on a bombo (giant Andean drum) then it sounds like a cool jazz marimba.
Oh yeah,
The weather is great today, high near 80, the kids are cute and doing fine (and not available for trade) and the most recent oddity is making small Ogham carved jewelry out of corain.
Mark V.
Street sweeper bristles if your city still uses the one that leave those little strips of metal scattered along your street.
They are high carbon spring steel, and you don’t even have to grind and polish the ends–the pavement already did. Rust is your only enemy: you have to get them before that sets in.
Mack
Hacksaw blades and an old wooden cigar box. Of course, these days if you can find a wooden cigar box it’s probably worth more than the kalimba…
John
Speaking of cigar-box kalimbas…
And it’s a “successful instrument” signed and numbered by the maker, too! :roll:
John