Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Make Yourself A Gourd to Play Kalimba In

In Africa, the mbira is placed inside a huge calabash gourd which amplifies the sound and adds some buzz to it.

You can purchase a large gourd - perhaps 10-12 inches in diameter, and place your Hugh Tracey kalimba inside. I recommend the celeste or TM kalimbas for best results, though I also put my box kalimbas inside the gourd.

For best results: soak the gourd in water for several hours, then scrub the outside of the gourd with a kitchen scrubber. This will leave a beautiful gourd exterior. Then saw it open (Japanese saws and electric jig saws work well). Then scrape out the seeds and styrofoam-like stuff. You MAY need to smooth the edge of the gourd, especially where the hands rest. I used a file and sand paper.

Of course, you can also decorate your gourd or strap little bottle cap buzzers onto it.

Good luck!

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