Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Paint the Tines on Your Non-Hugh Tracey Kalimba

As mentioned in last week's tip, some of the Hugh Tracey kalimba's tines are painted to help you find your way around the instrument. If the kalimba has 15 tines that all look the same, you may have a hard time remembering which ones to play.

Some of the kalimba knock-offs even copy the Hugh Tracey kalimba's paint scheme. But most styles of kalimba don't paint their tines. So if you have a kalimba with unpainted tines, you may choose to paint some of them so that you can find your way around the kalimba.

I have used nail polish (blue or red, of course!) because it will come off with nail polish remover. Lately I have also been drawing on the tines with Sharpie markers. This wears off after months of use, but can be easily reapplied.

 

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