Are Chromatic Kalimbas Good for Beginners? Read This First!

Are chromatic kalimbas good for beginners? This may be a controversial opinion, but hear me out. 

YES!, I think Chromatic kalimbas ARE good for beginners. 

This answer may seem counter intuitive and many you ask say NO, but here is why I think a chromatic kalimba is a great choice for beginners, with a few caveats. 

If you are looking for the Top 13 Chromatic Kalimba Reviews, click here. 

A Chromatic Kalimba for Beginners Should Have Full Diatonic Bottom Row

If you are new to the kalimba, and you want to go for a chromatic kalimba, pick a chromatic kalimba with a diatonic bottom row.

Why? 

Most 17 and 21 key kalimbas out there have a full diatonic bottom row. I am going to explain what that means in a minute, but what you want is a chromatic kalimba where the bottom row is THE SAME as those 17 and 21 key kalimbas. 

Let me show you what I mean using this comparison of two very popular kalimbas, one a Newlam 17 key Kalimba and one a Chill Angels 34 key chromatic Kalimba. See how their bottom row is the same?

OK, so how does it help me to have a chromatic kalimba with a bottom row that matches those popular 17 and 21 key diatonic kalimbas?

Why does a beginner need a complete diatonic bottom row?

The bottom diatonic row matches exactly those other kalimbas with 17 or 21 keys so its like getting two instruments in one, kind of. 

Or at least everything you can play with a 17 or 21 key diatonic kalimba, you will be able to play on your chromatic kalimba if that chromatic kalimba has a full diatonic bottom row.  

Many newbies say that having all those keys, like a chromatic kalimba has, is intimidating. But it is actually much simpler than that. 

If your chromatic kalimba has a full diatonic row, you can ignore the upper layer and basically play only the bottom row as you would with a 17 or 21 key.

That is why I say Chromatic Kalimbas Good for Beginners should have a diatonic row on the bottom that matches the most common 17 and 21 key kalimbas.

Then, when you are ready to move on to more complex songs, you can tackle the top row. 

Diatonic vs Chromatic Kalimbas

What does Diatonic mean when it comes to Kalimbas?

Diatonic is a term used in music theory and is used to describe western music scales that are 7 notes each. Most popular 17 and 21 key kalimbas are set to the scale of C major, which has the 7 notes of  C, D, E, F, G, A, B. These notes are repeated on the kalimba tines. 

So what is missing with diatonic scales?

Diatonic scales do not include the sharps and flats that are not included with the scales. 

Lets say for example, you are looking at a piano keyboard. You can play C major on that keyboard by playing notes  C, D, E, F, G, A, B.    Or you could play B major playing notes B, C#,D#,E,F#, G# and A#.

But notice if a diatonic kalimba is tuned to C Major, you could NOT play the B major scale. 

Diatonic kalimbas can only play the 7 notes of the scale, unlike chromatic kalimbas that include the full range, similar to a real piano, including the sharp and flat notes not included in the scale. 

So, in the case of a kalimba tuned to C major, the kalimba would only play the notes on the white keys, and would not be able to play the black keys ( semitones, or sharp and flat keys)

You can see that this would limit the range of songs you are able to play with a diatonic kalimba. 

What does Chromatic Mean When It comes to Kalimbas?

A chromatic kalimba usually has a dual-layer or triple-layer design where one row includes the natural notes and the other row includes the sharps and flats.  The natural notes would be the white keys on a piano keyboard, and the black keys are the sharps and flats on a keyboard. 

This layout makes room for all twelve notes in each octave. It is important to note that while many chromatic kalimbas are laid out with natural notes on top and sharps and flats on the bottom, this is not the case for all chromatic kalimbas where the tine and note placement can vary. Chromatic kalimbas can be quite different from each other in terms of where each note is located in the tuning and layout. 

If you want to see more about chromatic kalimbas and how they are laid out, I reviewed 13 different chromatic kalimbas and included charts of their tuning layouts. 

What are the Downsides to choosing a Chromatic kalimba?

There are a few downsides to getting a chromatic kalimba, but IMO the benefits outweigh them, but you need to decide for yourself. 

A few downsides to the Chromatic kalimba are of course price. These kalimbas are usually twice as expensive as diatonic kalimbas.

Chromatic kalimbas are also more challenging to tune. I know this from experience, its hard to navigate the space between rows and tune and hammer the tine you intend. Plus they have more keys to tune overall. 

I have heard others say the number of keys on a chromatic kalimba can be intimidating and I agree, except if you get a chromatic kalimba with a straightforward diatonic lower row.

 A diatonic lower row will match the tuning of many 17 or 21 key diatonic kalimbas and you can start playing on that row only until you want to expand your horizons. 

Why Not just get a 17 or 21 key diatonic Kalimba if I am a beginner?

There is a lot of kalimba tabs written and designed for 17 key kalimbas, especially for the most common tuning of C major that many of these kalimbas have. 

So you are not likely to run out of tabs to play.

But…

If you want to play more specific songs, and you want those songs to have the depth they have from other chromatic instruments like a piano, you need a chromatic kalimba.

If you want to play songs set to a different scale other than the standard C Major most diatonic kalimbas are set to, you need a chromatic kalimba. 

 Chromatic kalimbas open up a whole new world of available songs. 

Also many new kalimba players eventually outgrow the 17 keys, and some outgrow it quickly. 

Price is also a reason many choose a 17 to 21 key kalimba as they are much less expensive, but not so much if you outgrow it and need to buy a chromatic kalimba. 

Is a diatonic Kalimba easier and less Intimidating?

Yes, but also no. 

Like I said before if the chromatic kalimba has a true diatonic row set to C major, like this Seeds 34 Key Chromatic Kalimba or this LingTing 34 Key Chromatic Kalimba. Then you can just focus on the bottom row, which is identical to any 17-tine kalimba set to the scale of C Major. 

Chromatic Kalimbas Good for Beginners Leave Room for Growth

A chromatic kalimba in C can play tunes in any key, so in a sense it doesn’t really matter what key a chromatic kalimba is tuned to. 

If you play a tune that changes scales, then you won’t need to change kalimbas in the middle of the tune since a chromatic kalimba can play in any key. 

The advantage of having the lower notes tuned to C on the chromatic is that songs made for the 17-key kalimba in C Major can still be played on the the lower tines.

 So, in my estimation, its worth it to get a chromatic kalimba and if you ask me “Are Chromatic Kalimbas Good for Beginners?” I would say YES!

The chromatic kalimba allows you to grow as a musician while starting with the ease of 17 keys on the bottom row, and moving on to play the other keys and scales as you move forward. 

Chromatic Kalimba Recommendations

If you are looking for a chromatic kalimba head on over to my Chromatic Kalimba Reviews where I review 13 different Chromatic Kalimbas from all the best kalimba makers. 

Here is where I leave you, for now, 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.