User Guide

Tips to play Kalimba
A glissando is playing a
series or two or more
adjacent notes by touching
one with your thumbnail
and then dragging the nail
over adjacent tines.
It is the recipe for making a
chord.
Touch one tine and slide it
outward over three or four
times, touching each with
the thumb nail's tip. Three
adjacent tines will make a
triad, four adjacent tines will
make a 7th chord, and five
adjacent tines will make a
9th chord.
There are two sound holes
on the back of the Kalimba.
When you cover and
uncover these sound holes,
you will get a vibrato effect,
changing the tonal
of the notes you
are playing.
Play the tines with the
thumbs, leaves the fingers
free to simultaneously
cover and uncover the
back or side sound holes.
The "wah-wah" effect is
made by covering and
uncovering the front sound
hole on the kalimba.
When you cover the sound
hole, experiment with how
far you put your thumb in,
and experiment with how
much it affects each note.
The wah-wah effect is
increased when you also
close and unclose the back
or side sound holes
simultaneously.
HELESIN KALIMBA USER'S GUIDE