Thumb Piano, Spruce, Large

• Thumb Piano, Spruce, Large (Product Code: THMP-SBS) Rosewood thumb piano
• Solid spruce soundboard
• There are 17 steel keys and two vibrato holes on the back. 5" x 7"

Thumb Piano, Spruce, Large (Product Code: THMP-SBS) Rosewood thumb piano, together with solid spruce soundboard. There are 17 steel keys and two vibrato holes on the back. 5" x 7"

The thumb piano originates in Africa. It is in addition known as the mbira or likembe. The metal keys are mounted on a wooden box this acts as the resonating chamber. To have fun, rest the thumb piano on the fingers of together hands and hold it between your palms. Cover the vibrato holes together with your fingers. Then pluck the keys together with your thumbs. As you have fun you can un-cover and cover the vibrato holes as you like. Many different tunings are acceptable, according to personal preference. Specific tuning of a thumb piano is only an issue when two instruments are played mutually; then they should generally agree in tuning. Otherwise, the tuning is subjective and should only be pleasing to the player. The longer keys have lower pitches and shorter keys have higher pitches. The keys can be adjusted by tapping them in or out to change their length, and therefore their pitch.