Kalimba Thumb Piano 17 Keys, Portable Mbira Finger Piano Gifts for Kids and Adults Beginners, Easy to Learn Finger Piano Music, Ocean Blue

I have been playing kalimba music for my 3 year old niece when she is over, and she has absolutely loved it. She likes to listen and even watch the people who make videos of them playing these little things. I decided to order a cheap one to allow her to mess around with. This kalimba stuck out due to the color and the price. It is an absolutely beautiful blue and the price makes it even better.I also had to deal with the seller for support due to the bottom of the kalimba popping out. I would assume that this was due to rough shipping and handling. They come in a cardboard box that isn't super protective, but shouldn't be an issue if it was dealt with care during shipping. The seller replaced the kalimba due to this issue, which was and is much appreciated. It has turned into a great gift!

Fun to play.

Sounds awesome. Has withstood the abuse of grandchildren.

Wonderful product. Sound quality is very clear and melodic. My only complaint is that it did not come pretuned. As someone who has never tuned any musical instrument, it was a hard learning curve. Quite a long process with a lot of trial an error.

I don't know of any cons. My wife loves hers and my daughter wanted on as well. Birthday gift solved. She was so happy when it arrived. Now my son wants one for Christmas.

SoMuch fun

Love how it plays

I knew I wanted to get this 17 key kalimba the moment I saw it. I love to play the piano, but I’ve never had a kalimba. In fact, I really hadn’t even heard of it before. I can’t compare this to another kalimba, unfortunately, but I’ll try to describe it the best I can.-It is visually appealing-smaller width at the top and gets wider toward the bottom-The color on the website looks very blue. The color I received is more of a blue/green- which I prefer to the color advertised honestly. You can see the wood grain through the stain.-The keys are a fairly thick metal and curve down toward the end. Corresponding numbers and letters are engraved on each one which is nice.-There is a cute little flower wreath around the sound hole in the front. It is nice, though I admit, it could have been made nicer and more detailed.-Also included in the box is a small carrying case, tuning hammer, booklet, some little stickers and a laminated paper with letters and numbers. I found some banal broken black plastic pieces in the box. Turns out it was one of the plastic pieces from the drawstring of the bag- not a big deal.The Important Part-The Sound:I think it sounds lovely. Again, I can’t personally compare to any other kalimba. Just YouTube some kalimba videos if you are curious. Of course, the highest notes don’t sound as nice or drawn out, but I kind of expected that. Still sounds fine if you play correctly. This instrument arrived mostly tuned. It took me less than two minutes to tune the off key notes with the hammer. You can using a tuning app, but I did it by ear since I am familiar with the notes.If you are used to playing the piano, it might throw you off since a scale isn’t just played from left to right first. You go back and forth starting in the middle and then alternating left and right following the numbers to play a regular c major scale. Strange, but cool. Also strange to me that there are no flat or sharp keys or “the black keys” like on the piano. I might try retuning some notes to see if I can get a flat or sharp key if I need it occasionally.I don’t think it hurts to play the kalimba, but I honestly use my thumb nails since they are long enough and that is what I would recommend to you as well. It sounds great that way. I saw one reviewer state that the hammer is included to use instead of your fingers if you want. No. It’s not. Don’t. It would sound terrible if you tried anyway. The hammer is for tuning.I look forward to practicing this and maybe using it in my music from time to time. My 5 year old was immediately interested and enjoys messing around with this too. Even if no one is playing it, it does look pretty on display.I think it would be nicer if the weight was more balanced so that it could easily sit up to put on display. It can sit up if you are careful, but it is wobbly and it fell off my TV stand one time after I placed it that way. Fortunately, there was only a mild, barely noticeable dent, so it seems pretty durable.There seems to be a lot of similar options on Amazon around the same price range. I would say if you like this particular design, then you will be happy with your order.I’ll be sure to update my review if any issues arise. I hope my review was helpful in some way, and if so, I would love to know- thanks!