October 20, 2006
The Kalimba is Anharmonic

The Friday Tips of the day are always so hard. It's a little bit like writing a Master's Thesis each week (gee, I hope they aren't that hard to understand). My wonderful web wizard, who recently finished her masters, would probably remind me that it did take her longer than a couple of hours to write her Master's Thesis. But still, when Friday comes around, I try to think of anything I can to get away with an EASY TIP OF THE DAY that requires minimal work, so I can go out walking with my kalimba and make more beauty and fewer equations in the world.

However, TODAY, a TRUE MIRACLE has happened - someone ELSE wrote the Friday Tip of the Day for me! Whoopeee!

David Chapman has written an interesting article explaining why his kalimba sounds the way it does. To view this article, click on the name of the pdf file that appears at the bottom of the page to which this link takes you. His short answer: because the overtones are "anharmonic", i.e., unlike a string or a column of air, which covers most instruments people play, the kalimba's overtones don't harmonize with the fundamental tone.

If you are a Hugh Tracey player, you will notice that David's kalimba doesn't sound at all like yours. So, you can expect to hear from both me, David, and I HOPE my friend G.P., discussing why the Hugh Tracey sounds different and what exactly makes a kalimba sound like a kalimba. THIS, my friends, is one of the moments I've been waiting for! Get ready!