As a kalimba enthusiast, I found the available notes on my 17 key kalimba were severely limiting what songs I could play, so I delved into the world of the chromatic kalimba.
I used my own research to compare kalimbas with between 33 to 42 keys and created two Chromatic kalimbas buyers guides to share with you.
THIS chromatic kalimba buyers guide covers kalimbas with between 37 and 42 keys.
Later, I will publish a buyers guide for chromatic kalimbas with between 33 and 36 keys.
It comes down to song choice and availability. The 17 key kalimba is diatonic, meaning if it were a real piano, it would only have the white keys.
A kalimba with 37 to 41 keys is chromatic, meaning it includes both diatonic notes, as well as the sharp and flat notes you would find on the black keys of a piano.
PLUS a 42 key kalimba would cover more octaves than a 17 or 21 key kalimba, giving it even more range, especially notes in the lower range below C4.
Compare that to a Seeds 41 Key Chromatic Kalimba which covers 2 WHOLE octaves 2 Partial octaves and is chromatic, therefore also includes sharp and flat notes.
Chromatic Kalimbas with 37 to 42 keys usually have more bass notes than Kalimbas with 34 keys or less.
Of course typical full size pianos have 88 keys, so even a 42 key kalimba can not translate every piece of piano music on a kalimba.
But…
A 37 to 42 key kalimba will have the notes available to play most intermediate and even some advanced piano pieces, without needing to rewrite the music.
Let’s take a look at the reviews, key layouts and special features of 5 of the best chromatic kalimbas with between 37 to 42 keys so we can compare.
Keys: 41
Tuning and Key layout: Tuned to C
Note Range: F3 to E6
Pros:
Cons:
Neutral:
Keys: 42
Tuning and Key layout: Tuned to C-tuned lower layer and a #C-tuned upper layer
Note Range: E3 to E6b
Pros:
Cons:
Neutral:
Keys: 38
Tuning and Key layout: Tuned to C
Note Range: A3 to F6
Pros:
Cons:
Neutral:
Sound Sample of Hluru 38 Key Kalimba
Keys: 41
Tuning and Key layout: Tuned to B
Note Range: B3 to E6
Pros:
Cons:
Neutral:
Sound Sample of Chill Angels 41 Key Chromatic Kalimba
Amazon Link coming soon!
Keys: 37
Tuning and Key layout: Currently the only available tuning is B at 440Hz
Note Range for the B tuned kalimba: Chroma+ E3 to E6, FullChroma E3 to F6
When you purchase this Kalimba it has two possible arrangements that are nearly identical. As you can see from the key arrangements below the only difference is the Chroma + has an E6 and C6# on the ends of the top row.
The Full Chroma has an F6 and an E6 on the ends of the top row. They are otherwise identical. The layout is chosen at random based on available stock.
Pros:
Cons:
Neutral:
Poopoopidoo 37 key kalimba sound sample
A 34 key will expand the range of music you can play but not to the extent that chromatic kalimbas in the range of 37 to 42 keys can.
A 34 key kalimba is not quite fully chromatic within the 21 key range because in each octave they cover there are a few missing sharp and flat notes and you will notice that once you pick up a piece of music to play and find the note you want is not there. Frustrating!
With a 41 or 42 Key kalimba the set of 21 diatonic notes on the bottom row have the full set of corresponding flats and sharps in the top row, making them fully chromatic within the range of octaves that kalimba covers.
Generally, most fully chromatic kalimbas with 41 to 42 keys cover note range from E3 to E6. This is a generalization, however so there are some exceptions.
Seeds 41 key Kalimba range: F3 to E6
LingTing 42 key kalimba range: E3 to E6b
Hluru 38 key kalimba range: A3 to F6
Chill Angels 41 key kalimba range: B3 to E6
Poopoopidoo 37 key kalimba range: Chroma+ E3 to E6 FullChroma E3 to F6
You will notice the range of chromatic kalimbas with 37 to 42 keys generally have more bass notes than chromatic kalimbas in the range of 33 to 36 keys, and diatonic kalimbas with 17 to 21 keys.
In this lineup you may notice that the seeds 21 key chromatic kalimba and the Hluru 38 key kalimba have duplicate or redundant notes.
I personally and NOT a fan of duplicate notes because in my experience it confuses things to have the exact same note in two different locations on my kalimba.
But, here is one reason a kalimba might have duplicate, repeated or redundant notes.
Repeated notes may allow a player to access that note more easily or without repositioning their hand.
For example, on the Hluru 38 key kalimba the F5 note is related once on the lower right side and once on the upper left side, so it could be played by either thumb easily.
On the LingTing 42 key kalimba there are repeated notes, but since the bottom row is tuned to C Major and the top row is tuned to C#, you will notice that the duplicate notes have a different number. This kalimba is not very intuitive to play and not a great kalimba for beginners.
I think it depends. I would say anyone who is even moderately familiar with reading notes, playing from sheet music or who has some level of music theory knowledge can play a chromatic kalimba.
What if you have no musical background? I think you can learn. That was me 10 years ago, and I managed.
From my experience, I started with a 17 key kalimba, and it was good kalimba for beginners, however I quickly learned how limited my choice of songs were, particularly the popular songs I wanted to play. And even when I did find those songs I wanted written for the kalimba, they never really sounded as robust as I wanted.
Thats why I decided to learn a little more music theory and try a chromatic kalimba. The amount of songs available to play increased and so did the quality of the sound of songs I played increased because the notes of the original song were now available to me on the chromatic kalimba, where on my 17 key diatonic kalimba they were simply not there.
One caveat is if you are using the kalimba for sound therapy or sound healing, and just want to play it more or less at random and have the music sound good. In this case, the chromatic kalimba is not the right choice. With a chromatic kalimba, if you are playing notes at random is sounds like chaos, of in music terms, unharmonious.
For sound therapy and meditation kalimba play, I recommend a pentatonic scale kalimba. Why? With the pentatonic scales, all notes harmonize with each other so you can not play an inharmonious note, even if you play notes at random. Its hard to find kalimbas with pentatonic scales, but I recommend the Gecko 8 key kalimba for sound therapy and playing for meditation.
If you are interested in sound healing, many Handpans also have pentatonic tuning for the same reason, each note is in harmony with all other notes. I have an article on Handpans for meditation and sound therapy here.
This my chromatic kalimba buyers guide for 37 to 41 keys. I hope you find one that resonates with you.
Be on the lookout because I will soon publish the counterpart for chromatic kalimbas with 33 to 36 keys.
I leave you here, at the end, my fellow travelers.
May your journey be filled with light and love and beautiful music!
Until we meet again!
Katie Lyn
PS. If you love enchanting music as much as I do I think you will fall in love with the siren song of the handpan. Learn more about the captivating handpan here.
Also, another easy to learn, yet enchanting wind instrument is the ocarina. If you are interested in Ocarinas see my hot list here of the best ocarinas for beginners.
“Radio Frequency” is my email list reserved for Fellow Travelers, Matrix Escapees, Psychonauts, Shamanic Journeyers, Alchemists, Interdimensionals, Inquiring Minds, & Mad Hatters; those who dare to join & explore wonderland with me.
Go to the full page to view and submit the form.
Looking for a crystal singing pyramid for your sound healing practice? Find the best quartz…
Come check out my unboxing and review of my Luna concert tattoo ukulele with pictures…
Looking for the best soprano ukuleles on Amazon? Look no furthermore are a list of…
Check out this sitar buying guide to learn more about this enchanting instrument before buying…
Got a musical itch only a ukulele could scratch? But you have big hands or…
Looking for the best beginner lyre harp? If you have fallen in love with this…