Hugh Tracey 11-Note Celeste Pentatonic Kalimba

With two octaves of the pentatonic scale from G-1 to G+1 (11 notes), this board kalimba is simple to play. An excellent selection for young children, beginning adults who are uncertain about music, or experienced players who want to jam.

Wild and fun! This is a great instrument for beginners. Playing it is very physical.

The pentatonic scale is also called the “no fault scale”. It starts out like “Do-Re-Mi”, skips “fa”, continues with “So-La”, and skips “Ti”. So, there are 5 notes. You can play in G major or E minor.

This is an excellent kalimba for people with little or no musical experience, but experienced musicians can really fly on this one, as the pentatonic scale lets you apply all your speed and shine almost without you having to think at all (yes, you remember the “blues scale” on guitar — this is it!)

The small sound board is well-suited for small hands or children. The small board also permits using the right index finger up-stroke method typically used in mbira playing. A nice trick to increase the volume is to hold it against a window or a table as a sounding board.