BEST Kalimba for Beginners – Reviews and TOP Picks

If you are looking for the best Kalimba for beginners, you are in the right place.

Today, it’s so easy to pick up your cell phone and get into the habit of checking your social media. There is nothing wrong with that, but what if as an alternative to your phone, you picked up a Kalimba piano instead?

Imagine the peace you find from music combined with the sense of accomplishment you feel from learning something new!

The simplicity and accessibility of a Kalimba also makes it a great gift.

Here I will cover the best Kalimbas for beginners and show you what to look out for before choosing one for yourself or someone you know.

10 Best Kalimba for beginners reviewed

GECKO Kalimba 17 Key Thumb Piano

Number of Keys/rods: 17 Key

Resonator material: Yellowbox or Redwood eucalyptus

Lengths Available: BEAUTIFUL Curly Maple wood

Board or Box Resonator?: Box Resonator

Chromatic Scale/Tone: Standard C scale

Our Review:

You will love the resonance curly maple provides. It has a longer lasting tone than mahogany, and a unique look that makes it stand out from the rest.

The wood is carefully stained on the outside and has a beautiful smooth to the touch finish, however, the inside is not stained as carefully, but it’s hard to notice that without looking for the flaw.

The size is just right, and this mbira feels sturdy.

The sound is excellent for a Kalimba in this price range. It has no dead tines, the notes are clear and resonant, although you need to pluck the shorter tines precisely to get a good ring.

This GECKO Kalimba comes with a sturdy rubberized case, a playbook, tuning hammer and tine markers. Everything you need to start right away.

For the price, this is my top choice for Best Kalimba for beginners.

Reviews on Amazon

HOKEMA Kalimba B9 Thumb Piano

Number of Keys/rods: 9 Tine

Resonator material: American Cherry Wood

Lengths Available: BEAUTIFUL Curly Maple wood

Board or Box Resonator?: Box Resonator

Chromatic Scale/Tone: A Minor

Our Review:

The Hokema Kalimba is of the highest quality from a renowned German brand Kalimba maker.

The Hokema is a little more expensive than other beginner Kalimbas, but the highest quality and sound available.

The tines are thicker than cheap Kalimbas, and the heft of the tines, combined with the solid American cherry wood board produce consistent tones with ample volume no matter the length of the tine.

This Hokema model is small and easily fits in your hands and since the resonator is solid, you get a pleasant tactile sensation of feeling the vibration from the tines.

Overall, an excellent Kalimba for beginners, simple to play and well worth the price.

Reviews on Amazon

MOOZICA 17 Keys Kalimba Thumb Piano

Number of Keys/rods: 17 Key

Resonator material: Solid Koa Wood

Board or Box Resonator?: Box Resonator

Chromatic Scale/Tone: C Major

Our Review:

The MOOZICA Kalimba is a beautiful, resonant Kalimba made from Koa wood. Koa wood is often used in acoustic guitars thanks to its warm, deep pleasing sound.

This Kalimba is a bit more expensive than other beginner Kalimbas, but it is so well made and resonates effortlessly, making it well worth the price.

This Kalimba includes a hard case and tuning hammer, however the hammer does not fit in the case, which is a little annoying.

One feature this Kalimba has, that others may not, is the keys are ETCHED into the metal of the tines. Very handy!

Be sure to tune this Kalimba (and any new Kalimba) as they can fall out of tune during storage and shipping.

Reviews on Amazon

LingTing Kalimba 17 keys Thumb Piano

Number of Keys/rods: 17 Key

Resonator material: Hedgehog Rosewood

Board or Box Resonator?: Board Resonator

Chromatic Scale/Tone: B Tone

Our Review:

This LingTing Kalimba is a great value and one of the best beginner Kalimbas in the budget price range.

The hedgehog rosewood has lasting resonance and sustain, ample volume, and a warm, relaxing sound. This particular Kalimba is tuned to B.

The rosewood is heavy, so this is a larger, heavier model than most others on this list. It also does not have etched tines, but it includes stickers you can place on the tines, instead.

This Kalimba is high quality, a great Kalimba for the money.

Reviews on Amazon

Hugh Tracey Alto Kalimba 15-key Alto Kalimba

Number of Keys/rods: 15 Key

Resonator material: Kiaat Wood

Board or Box Resonator?: Box Resonator

Chromatic Scale/Tone: Tuned to the key of G

Our Review:

Hugh Tracey Kalimbas are handmade thumb pianos from South Africa, known the world over for their beautiful tone. Produced since 1954, Hugh Tracy is one of the Best Kalimba Brands available today.

This model is tuned to the key of G and has a pleasant, uplifting and even nostalgic tone. It is honestly one of the best sounding Kalimbas on this list, and worth the little extra it costs.

This Kalimba is made from Kiaat wood, known to be pest resistant, while also being lightweight. It has a beautiful color pattern, is easy to hold and play for long periods of time, and will last a lifetime.

It’s a great value and would make a treasured gift for the beginner Kalimba player.

Reviews on Amazon

CHILL ANGELS 2 Octave Chromatic Kalimba 24 Key

Number of Keys/rods: 24 Key

Resonator material: Rubberwood

Board or Box Resonator?: Board Resonator

Chromatic Scale/Tone: The range is 2 octaves – A#3, from A3 to A5

Our Review:

The Chill Angels Kalimba is a patented CHROMATIC Kalimba and a unique instrument for any musician to own.

The chromatic Kalimba allows you to expand your range, gives you two octaves and increases your song choice possibilities greatly.

The Rubberwood resonator board is a dense tropical hardwood that absorbs less vibrations and reflects more sound waves, allowing the tines to produce a clear crystal-like sound.

Rubberwood is lighter than other woods which means it is easy to hold and play for extended time.

The Chill angels Kalimba comes in a beautiful package that looks like a piece of luggage with a tag and everything. Classy looking zippered hard case included.

It’s great for gifting.

It also includes all the tools you need to tune top and bottom layer.

I wish it had etched tines, but it has stickers to label the tine notes instead.

Reviews on Amazon

Moozica Kalimba 21 Keys Thumb Piano

Number of Keys/rods: 21 Key

Resonator material: Koa wood

Board or Box Resonator?: Box resonator with a bottom hole for richer resonance

Chromatic Scale/Tone: C Major

Our Review:

This Beautiful Moozica 21 key Kalimba has high quality tines with the note etched right in. Really a touch of class!

It includes a sturdy case and tuning hammer, as most do.

It has 21 keys, which greatly expand this Kalimbas range. However, a 21 key Kalimba is hard to find music that uses its full range as most Kalimba books cover 17 key.

This Kalimba has another unique feature, the resonance hole is on the bottom of the instrument, just like a handpan.

The bottom positioned resonance hole makes it easier to control the sound and allows sound to vibrate more fully inside the box chamber.

This is an excellent Kalimba for beginners, it is unique and has several features others simply don’t have.

Reviews on Amazon

Gecko Mahogany Professional Kalimba 17 keys

Number of Keys/rods: 17 Key

Resonator material: Mahogany

Board or Box Resonator?: Board resonator

Chromatic Scale/Tone: Tuned to C

Our Review:

This Kalimba has Keys that have notes etched in, making it much easier to play and very sharp looking. A nice upgrade from the stickers less expensive Kalimbas have.

It’s louder compared to other Kalimbas on this list, which I appreciate.

This Kalimba sound is fine, but not as bright as higher priced Kalimbas.

Overall, it’s the perfect beginner Kalimba for the price.

Reviews on Amazon

SEEDS C Scale 34 Key Chromatic Kalimba

Number of Keys/rods: 34 Key Chromatic Kalimba

Resonator material: American Walnut

Board or Box Resonator?: Board resonator

Chromatic Scale/Tone: C Scale

Our Review:

The Seeds 34 key chromatic Kalimba is one of a few available in this style, and it is one of the best chromatic Kalimbas available.

Seeds holds a patent on their design which has many unique features.

The double layered tines are staggered, making it easy to see and play the bottom level.

Seed Kalimbas have a trademark Full moon carve out on the resonator board, which makes it easier to handle and the Bridge has an impressive construction thanks to the one piece design.

This is a relatively heavy Kalimba due to the hardwood and double layers of the chromatic Kalimba, so be aware of that. This is not a toy, but a proper musical instrument you can be proud to own or give as a gift.

The sound quality is unparalleled, it has pleasing resonance and prolonged sustain. It really is a true work of art and worth the price.

Reviews on Amazon

DUAL 17 Key Black Walnut Kalimba

Number of Keys/rods: 17 Key

Resonator material: Choice of Walnut, Beech or Speale

Board or Box Resonator?: Board resonator

Chromatic Scale/Tone: C Major

Our Review:

The Dual Kalimba was designed by well-known YouTube Kalimba artist April Yang.

The highlight of this Kalimba is it can be used with speakers or headphones, so if you play in a noisy environment that’s no problem. You will need to charge the battery every so often, but its good to know that this Kalimba produces sound even if you are not using headphones or a speaker, it can be used acoustically, just like any other Kalimba.

This Kalimba is equipped with a headphone jack, ear buds and an optional speaker is also available. It is compatible with most other speakers too.

Be aware, the manual is in mostly Chinese, but there are resources if you search the web on how to use this Kalimba, and there are MANY books available to learn songs for 17 Key Kalimbas. Find Kalimba Song Books Here. There is also a free Google Drive resource here filled with Kalimba Sheet Music.

The resonator board is tapered so it is thicker at the head and tapers down where you hold the board for optimal comfort and resonance.

Overall, I really like this Kalimba, especially if the musician plans to use it for performances, in groups, or will play in loud environments.

Reviews on Amazon

Thumb Piano, Mbira & Kalimba Buyers Guide & FAQs

This concludes the 10 Best Kalimba for beginners, I hope you find one that resonates with you.

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.

If you are looking for a magical way to get in touch with nature, psychedelic mushrooms are one way to break the veil. If you are interested, I can show you a super easy way to grow your own journey making mushrooms here.

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