Tuesday, May 1, 2007
How the Hugh Tracey Got Its Stripes

You may wonder why the Hugh Tracey kalimbas have some tines painted.

• Painted tines help you keep your place on the kalimba. A note is either a painted tine, one above a painted tine (i.e., shorter, further out), or one below a painted tine (i.e., longer, more towards the center).
• Painted tines make it easier to relate the left side of the kalimba to the right side. The sides look the same, but the tine on the right is always one note higher in the scale than it's corresponding tine on the left.
• Painted tines make it easier to relate the Treble to the Alto kalimba - the painted tines on one kalimba play the same notes as the similarly painted tines on another.
• Painted tines help you read the tablature where painted tines show up as shaded tines.