Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Alto, Celeste Alto, TM Alto?

Someone recently emailed me asking why their kalimba was called the "Celeste Alto."

CELESTE refers to the style of kalimba body which is a flat (ish), rectangular (ish) board.

ALTO refers to 15 notes, G to G.

There is also the Celeste Treble, Celeste Pentatonic, Celeste Diatonic Junior; the standard Karimba can also has a celeste body.

Celeste Alto Kalimba

There is another style similar to the Celeste, called the "TM" (i.e., shaped like the AMI trademark). The TM is similar to Celeste, but the lower corners flare out. There are only TM Altos and TM Karimbas.

TM Alto Kalimba

There is also the standard Alto, mounted on a box. This is my biggest seller. It is a bit louder than the Celeste or TM Alto, but has the same 15 notes.

Alto Kalimba

Why get a celeste? The flat board is more traditional, you can put this one inside a gourd, which acts as an amplifier, and the celeste is the smallest ALTO kalimba we have - so it will fit better in small hands.

Why get the TM? It is flat (i.e., traditional) - and it is actually based on a common traditional kalimba shape. The rounded bottom edge helps you really make good contact with a gourd or a bowl. And it is still fairly easy for small hands to hold.

Why get the standard (box) Alto? The resonating box adds volume, and you can get the great "wah wah" sounds.

All of the ALTO kalimbas have the same notes, so you can go back and forth among them without difficulty. 

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