The Kalimbatone - Chromatic Kalimba
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ค. 2018
- Chromatic kalimbas exist, but they are awfully expensive. Let's just build one!
For those that want to skip forward to a demo: 20:08
This is actually the Kalimbatone Mark II, I had a working prototype that I made a year or two ago, mostly as an exercise in tuning the kalimba tines. And that's really the standout feature of this instrument: Compared to a traditional kalimba which has pretty enharmonic overtones, this has overtones that are tuned to be 2 octaves above the fundamental. In the lower register, this makes all the difference, it gives the instrument such a buttery smooth tone!
A huge reference for this project was Bart Hopkin's "Musical Instrument Design: Practical Information for Instrument Making". He goes into great detail on how to tune the overtones of the kalimba tine (SPOILER: you actually tune the fundamental DOWN to meet what the overtone's note is). He has a TH-cam channel featuring some of his musical instrument inventions, you have to check them out:
/ bhpkn
Another excellent resource for overtone modification is this video by TongInstruments. He makes beautiful instruments himself and I highly recommend checking out his work:
• Kalimba tines: Modifyi...
I could definitely use some advice from a luthier, I really didn't know the best materials for the soundboard/bridge, the dimensions of the body, the type of bracing I needed to shape the sound, etc. I got lucky, it sounds BEAUTIFUL in person, but I'm sure with some acoustics expertise, it could sound even better.
I used hard maple for the sides and "back", wenge for the sound board, katalox for the bridges, and chechen for the kalimba bodies. (Also katalox and hard maple for the tine support blocks).
As far as playing it, there's a little bit of a learning curve. It's set up to be played like a keyboard instrument, but since the tines are considerably thinner than a piano key, you have to be much, much more precise. It just takes some muscle memory, after an hour or so of messing around, it became second nature.
I'll set up some nice condenser mics once I get set up in my new house in Texas and get a proper recording of how the instrument sounds, hopefully the samples at the end of the video aren't discouraging (only using my camera's mic makes the thing sound boomy).
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awesome touch with the black and white keys positioned like that
Wow! small world, I wasn't expecting to see you here.
@@ciandally4558 Yeah, same! The MMX video this week was awesome!
Pleasantly surprised to see you here haha
let's be real: of course Martin's gonna be watching videos of well-constructed homemade instruments
well, this explains why this video is in my recommendation :)
After watching the video advert i was still skeptical. But when i finally downloaded the plans th-cam.com/users/postUgkxZF0EMnrujZvqHhGkxiz559uIABJWR9TG i was very impressed. The whole plan was just as you said in the video. Thank you very much. I now have a large and valuable collection for my woodworks. This is great!
If there was any song in the world that I wanted to see played on that, it was dire dire docks. I have an emotional attachment to it for many reasons and it's by far the song I've practiced the most. It actually brought me to tears when you started playing it.
So yeah, thank you. I needed that today.
OMG thank you for naming the song. It was killing me. So much nostalgia so quickly.
@@silverelk
It's also called "Water" (what it's called on the official soundtrack released in Japan) since it also plays on a couple levels before Dire Dire Docks.
Даййре дайре докс
Dudeee me too it gave me my 7 year old memories i got so sad when i lost the game and dire dire docks bgm was my favorite one
I heard the first 8 notes and was like "is that ?..."
-builds sophisticated instrument
-plays seven nation army
I thought that was pretty funny. I was expecting some Bach.
I knowww
That song is so overused
= dislike
20:08
He was playing Super Mario 64 - Dire, Dire Docks, thats the REAL treat here
I love you for playing Dire Dire Docks at the end.
Ah so THATS why youtube brought me here. Aside from an interest in instrument builds
Yes, I wondered why YT recommended this. Because I watch the matchbox car makeovers? And - I never heard of Dire Dire Docks, is it a song? I haven't made it through the vid yet. Is it like Duck Duck Go?
@@geezermann7865 Its the water level theme from the Mario game for the N64.
For just passing on the knowledge of the template for those corner joints you deserve a medal! Beautiful work!
Man I'm really impressed ! It's normally very hard to give a good rhythm to a video, especially when you don't talk, but this one is very dynamic ! I didn't get bored any second ! Great job !
The editing and camerawork of creating this piece is stunning and trance like. Beautifully done.
I had no idea I could recognize Dire Dire Docks just three notes in. Damn
That's exactly how I was
PaintingJo n
i wanna to sream bro wowowowwoooow
i played so much of mario 64 that my ds cartridge shorted
The music sounds so familiar in a "I've heard music like it but I have no idea where it's from" but all that I could think of is how it sounds like it'd be great Mario music. Further comments confirmed that it actually is Mario music. Wow
Wow, fantastic cinematography, your use of camera angles and lighting should be a lesson to all You Tubers, and your craftsmanship is great to watch. The instruments that you create are beautiful in looks and sound. Loved the playing, especially the duet; nicely done.
Well said!
I’m your 100th like
Yeah. It's cool!
SanAndFe agreed re camera work and digital storytelling. I liked the occasional sound effects too. Great projects, both instrument build & documentation!
No wonder these instruments are so expensive 😳
JustAMessenger it was a 20 min build though
@@stonemuzza8311 yes he did that all in 20 minutes and he didnt cut out anything at all
@@gl1zzy999 whoosh
@@gl1zzy999 did you edit your comment to not look stupid because you got wooshed?
@@ferretforrent1144 What'd his comment say before?
It has a very African sounding tone to my ears. When I lived in South Africa, I bought a large gourd that had been hollowed out and had keys/prongs just like this and sounded very similar.
Coz it's originated from Africa like Zimbabwe and other African countries
That's called an mbira
That's called a mbira.
American Patriot, This instrument originated in Africa and has been called by many names such Thembe, Kalimba and more.
I really like the little key you build into your cross-cut sled that allows you to make a box joint. That was swell.
I was surprised no one else caught that!! I thought I was the only one, so neat!
th-cam.com/video/pgzvXGic-LA/w-d-xo.html
Welcome Back! That was well worth the wait. Awesome! So satisfying seeing your final product.
Dear god when you started playing the Mario song I actually had a feels trip holy carp
@cgwworldministries he did at the end, he played Dire Dire Docks from Super Mario 64
@cgwworldministries he did
cgwworldministries
It’s a song from the first 3-D Mario Game, Super Mario 64. The Song’s name is Dire Dire Docks.
He did.
this is definitely one of the coolest videos i've ever seen, i think videos like these should be more popular. it shows some serious talent. also, i never realized how relaxing this was to watch ya build something from scratch like that. hmm. for some reason i really wanna play mario 64 right now...
I clicked on what I thought was a Kalimba playing tutorial but quickly became fascinated watching the construction process. You have some serious woodworking skills!
Such a perfect video!! Amazing build and a beautiful video documenting the process. Thanks a bunch for sharing and congratulations on your superb skills as a builder and film-maker!
What a pleasure it is to watch superb craftsmanship in action. Such a gift you have.
Beautiful craftsmanship, and perfectly shot and edited. That was truly impressive. Well done sir!
My ears thank you for returning to the tonic in all of your scales.
Absolutely beautiful instrument. Also what an amazing display of craftsmanship. You can tell how careful but deliberate he is while building. From the larger pieces to the most intricate and delicate ones, there's always patience of diligence.
It's also sounds really good. I particularly love the beefy sound and resonance of the bass notes.
Well done on this piece, you can see a lot of hard work went into this. And it sounds great too .
Great attention to detail all around. Recording, editing, and building. You captured the process in an artistic way that made your video very pleasant. I’m thankful to have found your channel.
This is straight up bad ass! What a cool project.
This is so beautiful, I'm just absolutely speechless! Your work is amazing in every way and watching it was so relaxing to me, I love it so much, oh my gosh! Keep up the amazing work, that instrument is amazing, I'm a musician and I wish I could get my hands on one of those so bad, they look so nice!
That version of chopsticks is the EXACT one my keyboard taught me when I was a beginning musician! Why am I so emotional at this video!
The talent, craftsmanship, and detail is off the charts. You're an artist in every sense of the word.
What a great video to start my morning to. Excellent job!
Love the Jolly Roger Bay rendition at the end. Your work is absolutely lovely!
Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous. I'm a little late to see this, but I'm glad I have! Not only does it sound so unique but it looks very nice. Grew up playing and practicing chromatic instruments, and this just brings such warmth to my heart, eyes and ears. Thank you for the video!
Stunning. You are a true artist with wood, it was a pleasure to see your work
That was absolutely beautiful!!! I'm going to have to crib a few of your techniques there, those tiny bridges looked awesome! I'm disappointed those supports aren't visible though, that grain was beautiful!!!
Them supports were gorgeous.
I always forget to turn on the subtitles
wait what oh fuck
I never expected that.
Nooooo now I have to watch it again
THANK YOU❤ JT
LOL
BRAVO, excellent, tremendous. I could watch your first class edited video all night, about a skill filled labour of love. No short cuts, top notch materials. Well done, thank you.
I am always amazed at what I can find by surfing TH-cam. I watched the Ragtime Piano Pedal Mod. I never cease to be amazed at the technical and artistic abilities found. Here is a site that combines both artistry and technicallity. Thank you so much for sharing your gifts and abilities with us.
Completely brilliant! Love how the wire can be tuned to a specific pitch, especially being that thick. I have studied music for over twenty years and still always impressed by people who bring these instruments, that may seem other worldly to some, into the limelight show casing their unique flare to the music scene. If some of us took the time to broaden our horizons and open our minds a bit, they will find amazing music in other things. Not limiting themselves to just the piano, drums or guitar. Imagine what we could do with a combination of pitch sounds then. What kind of music would we be listening to?
Love all the hard work that went into making this instrument. Absolutely beautiful.
Why does everything this man creates end up being beautiful?
Beautiful instrument, masterfully made. I'm very impressed. Thank you for posting.
I agree...lovely editing and camerawork. But the sound(s)! That was the treat for me, as well as watching the masterful build. Thank you.
Caught me off guard with the Dire Dire Docks. Terrific craftsmanship, and sounds great.
Awesome
knew you'd be here somewhere
Dude. You got a like and subscription from me for that last song. My absolute favorite game song from my childhood, and it sounds especially excellent on a Kalimba. Thank you for making this a reality.
I love love LOVE your editing!
That Super Mario Underwater theme made me so verry happy. GREAT build.
Dire Dire Docks.
@@1r587
"Water" on the official soundtrack released in Japan. You also hear it in Jolly Roger Bay after all.
@@Schwarzorn I know, I just didn't think anyone cares about the official name considering it's a common word.
i love that there's no music at all, and the subtitles tip is excellent! great video
I am so pleased for you both, at long last you are HOME, late but still a wonderful Christmas present. We wish you all the best & happiness in your new home.
Beautifully crafted, shot and played.
Awesome build and excellent playing! I have been working on building tongue drums (similar but the wood acts as the tine) and would love to see your take on making one of those! I will be watching for it.
I’m curious about what sort of tuning app you use. It would be really useful for tuning harmonics with. Also for the sound board, theres a few approaches. In many other tine instuments they’ll use a solid block of brass as a “tone block” to increase sustain. A solid mass will keep vibration in the tine, and works best for instruments amplified electronically. The other side, is using very thin tone wood that vibrates with the bridge readily, pushing against air and amplifying acoustically. I always thought cigar boxes made for nice instruments, since the wood is often spanish cedar, which makes for a warm sound. Its used on some classical guitars. Soft woods usually work best if you look into soundboard tone woods. Bodies and bracing tend to be hard woods. Dimensions might play a part also, you could get unwanted resonance or standing waves in box shapes, so looking into the design of speaker enclosures is helpful. Anways this is great, I really enjoyed watching and it sounds lovely.
James it literally says it on the bottom of the app itself precision strobe tuner app, you are welcome.
I looked in the comments specifically to try and figure out why the instrument doesn't sound very good, thanks for this answer! Not to knock his build, it's beautiful and took great skill, it just doesn't sound great for a kalimba.
Sounds like there's a luthier, or some such, in the house. Or maybe an engineer, craftsman with interest, or "just" an aficionado. ;-) I've also seen that thickness shaping, in the case of box instruments, violins and such, is often done, sometimes using some vibrational amplitude indicators on the "activated" instrument. I don't know if any of that is applicable here, and I am "just" a guy with interest in musical instruments, but just a thought.
@@Svetty00 Interesting points and observations. Building many instruments they STRIVE for harmonics, LOTS of them (why they rib the sound boards on guitars, etc., and use 'dancing' particle indicators to 'work them up' sometimes), but I certainly agree there are 'good ones' and 'bad ones'.
I know with design of amps/speakers/etc. even harmonics are MUCH less harmful than odd harmonics (I don't remember my infinite series addition stuff too well from college, but I think they add to a sign to create a square wave, and when that upper frequency, high bandwidth stuff starts becoming audible, it is HORRENDOUS. You can also damage tweeters easily with that sometimes inaudible energy, even if the amp is underrated for the driver, power wise.
Different thing, I realize, THD, but just an aside, speaking to good and bad harmonics, in another realm.
I'll have to listen to this vid again to see what you are saying about the harmonics maintaining pitch with pitch change on the tines...agreed...that would be BAD. In this kind of instrument, like any other actually, you get induced vibrations in (usually) higher pitches, that may be what you are hearing. If you damp the strings just above and for a ways up the piano, then strike a note hard, then do the same thing with that damper removed, you will hear a very different sound. If you are still hearing those bad harmonics when the sound board is removed, I think that might mean that might be the even MORE likely mode of inducement, as decreased mass and stiffness of the removed mount will cause that phenomena to occur to a greater extent.
Again, I haven't built any instruments, so I'm guessing here. As for round vs. flat, or hollow vs. solid, I have no idea how those would change harmonics, though I have no doubt it could, probably even would, but how is beyond me, without thinking about it (probably even then, any more, the old brain's not what it used to be, stuff that used to come RELATIVELY easy, doesn't anymore). Sorry for the tome. Cheers.
woah dire dire docks!! Played a lot in this level when i was a kid!! Loved that tune and still loving that song today... I have goosebumps now!!! Awesome job as usual
I don't know why but the creation process was extremely pleasing to watch, it was enjoyable, somehow not boring and I watched every second of the video without skipping or thinking about it. Good job!
Ha I was wondering what the eye bolt on top of your sled was for, very ingenious! Great build great video
estupendo, eres genial, felicitaciones maestro carpintero y músico.
I didn’t think I’d like ASMR, but this is the closest thing to that and I love it. Satisfying to see the work put into these, and the sounds accompanied with making it; feels as though I’m there watching this being made.
Watching you make this was AMAZING ! Very beautiful . I WISH I had the skills and the tools to do that . 🎉👍
20:09 omg i'm feeling nostalgic
Absolutely incredible. What a beautiful instrument! It was inspiring to watch you build it and play it as well. Was that the water stage from Mario 64 at the end? So tasteful!
Nice job, nice shooting, and I appreciate the fact that you use the sounds of you craft as music.
I cannot imagine what it would be like to have the amazing talent and skill that you have. Loved the video and love the beautiful kalimba. Awesome.
A family that plays on their home made chromatic kalimba together stays together.
First, this is wonderful! What a beautiful piece!
Second, I have a couple of questions as an interested fellow builder:
On the tines, would the resonance change, or even improve, if they were flattened rather than left cylindrical?
Also, I love the use of the katalox (pretty sure it was katalox) for the mounting blocks. Is there a particular reason you made them so thick? (Please know that this is not a criticism at all!) Would the overall instrument benefit from having the tines closer to the resonator box? Katalox is extremely strong and rigid, so I'm sure it communicates the vibrations effectively, but intuitively, it seems to me that thinner might be better???
Again, this is spectacular. Thank you for sharing it! (And for putting up with a whole bunch of probably annoying questions.)
Cheers!
Thank you so much for reaching out! I’m always interested in seeing what more capable hands can do with things I manage to bumble through!
As far as the tines, the idea was to use the cylindrical steel to give some more heft & weight to those bass tines so they would be bassier. Definitely worked, but using wider steel would have also achieved the same result. I’d definitely say to flatten out the steel tines like you suggest if you make this. For playability alone, having really narrow targets to pluck takes some real getting used to, a wider tine tip would make playing it easier. Do some experimenting with the overtones AFTER you flatten it out though, I’m sure altering the shape of the tine will mess with the natural overtones of the raw steel.
As far as the katalox bridge, YES! Make them thinner! I really don’t know what I was thinking making them THAT thick. It was too late by the time I shaped them to really shave off any additional thickness so I just had to live with it. Being katalox, it’s pretty hard so it doesn’t matter much in this case, but I’d do it thinner if I was making this again. They need to be thick enough so that the bottom of the eyebolts & nuts are off the sound board but other than that, they shouldn’t have to be very thick at all. Exactly right saying the thinner the better, it would absorb less of the vibration energy if it were thinner.
Excellent questions and if I can help in any way when you attempt this, email me and I’ll be glad to help!
Man, you're awesome! Thanks for getting back to me. I made a small kalimba about a year ago for my daughter (and for me to try out making one), and it worked out okay, but you're construction ideas here are really great. Particularly, I like the eye-bolt tensioning for the tines.
Thanks again for the response, and I look forward to seeing more on your channel! :)
Joseph Center -I enjoyed reading your comment, and the builder's reply. This comment thread should be pinned at the top by the channel owner, it is a must read.
This is absolutely brilliant!
I had a feeling it was gonna be dire dire docks, it's just too perfect to pass up! Thank you for showing off this beautiful instrument!
Belo trabalho !! Mais bonito vê-lo do que ouvi-lo. Parabéns
19:26 My man pulled out the second pair of hands
The amount of finesse, musicianship and time this requires astounds me.
A beautiful work of art!
that was... therapeutic
I feel like youre the kind of guy that could make their own grand piano.
this kind of videos is so satisfying to watch
This is an amazing video. Very well done.
Brought here by the Laughing Squid Tweet, staying for all the amazing projects here on this channel!
¡Wow! You are really amazing
I realy love de song of Mario 💙💙
That was very intriguing to watch, thank you!
That was an amazing video on your craftsmanship. Beautiful how it turned out. Loved the music it made.
I want to know what the tuning app he used was. That looked cool
20:08 👌
wk the fish MAAA PUUH SUUH TO REEEE
Such an artist,all made with a touch of a heart
Wonderful piece of art making there in the video
I'm sittin' here like, "you know what I want to hear on that thing?" and then you played it :)
Красиво!..❄️
Интересно почем?)
When ya finish that, make an artificial heart.
What a detailed precise crafted musical creation. beautiful...
Beautiful instrument; really well-produced video. Fantastic!
Song of storms would be good on this.
CecilDaBomb1117 I think Gerudo valley would too
Me: Don’t. No. Stop right there. Don’t do it. Don’t say it.
The slab of wet meat that infests my skull:
*play megalovania*
"slab of wet meat that infests my skull"
I'll write it down
When I saw the thumbnail and title, I thought that I wouldn't watch all of it, but it was pretty interesting. Nice job dude
Wow dude, it's incredibly impressive how you did this!
20:09 Made me want to boot up Mario 64 on my DS and play that level.
I just played the level and got the star.
@@jaxthegameboy awesome
*Kalimbalovania* fades in...
Amazing craftsmanship. Thanks for sharing.
That is a lot of work. Great job. Sounds great.
Really cool, i love it!
I have 1 thing to ask though: Wouldn't it be "smarter" to *not* make a resonating Chamber? What if instead make some holes into the lid and put it underneath the kalimba when playing? Like so it can work either as a lid when not used, or as a resonating Chamber if the kalimba is played... you'd also save some wood with that, right?
Absolutely! That was actually my intention right off the bat. But making the resonating soundboard so thin, it made it impractical to flip that open or closed. I also ran out of time so just did the brute force method. But you are absolutely right! There is definitely some way to turn the lid into the resonating chamber, it just needs to thought put into it! I say do it, make a third version!
Ta pronto o sorvetinho
Entendi a referência
That is one of the most fascinating videos iv seen and heard in a long time. What a cool instrument, percussion with fingers, versus a mallet
Wow! I was amazed the whole way through, very nice work!
G R E A T - that's the way it should be. I never understood the crazy african way of tuning
This is the kind of guy that should have children
The amount of precise hand work that went into making this video! Astonishing. :) Congratulations! Oh, and a pleasant to watch video it is. Thanks. :)
There is something so relaxing about watching wood get cut. Soothes my soul. And the result...amazing!