Ever since I saw the first one, I had a very strong connection.
I now manage a Kalimba Shop https://kalimbera.com
and a Kalimba Forum - https://KalimbaForum.com
Please come say hello one day! There's plenty of Kalimba wisdom there.
]]>The mbira is often referred to as the "thumb piano". It is my understanding that "kalimba" was at one time a trade name for a company that made mbiras, and today some people still refer to any mbira as a "kalimba".
In the modern ones I have seen in the USA, typically the metal tines are tuned to a diatonic scale.
I know of a company in the USA, Colorado Soundscapes, which has refined the mbira design to a great degree. Their mbiras have precision tuning mechanisms for each key, and a built-in pickup in the body so you can easily amplify the instrument and also run its output through guitar effects pedals and the like.
]]>Instruments made with the cheapest wood available (agglomerated wood)
I understand what you mean by "agglomerated", but that is not a term I have heard used in that context in English.
The correct English term you are looking for is "plywood", which is a term from the construction industry. The fancier term often used in the musical instrument trade is "laminate wood". Sometimes you hear of "high-pressure laminate" or "HPL" for short; that's a material used in some low-end Martin guitars, for example.
]]>The weirdest music machine ever:
From quite complex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3b1bz_9gEo
To compact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jybfYyzIUbo (Pocket "piano" --- as difficult as type in a d... small cell phone ? )
To ultra simple:
But I found something disturbing...
Instruments made with the cheapest wood available (agglomerated wood) They really do exist...
