Membrane material: cellulose

Dimensions: 198 x 155 x 67 mm

Weight: 320g

The Sansula – a patented innovation of the firm Hokema – is an innovative development of the kalimba (also known as Sansa or Mbira) which has its origins in southern Africa. The Kalimba is a metal-tongued instrument, played by plucking the tines with the thumbs. It is found in Africa in uncountable shapes and variations. Whereby the vibrations of the tines are amplified in different ways e.g. over a resonator, a hollow vessel such as a calabash or simply a piece of solid wood. The vibration of the Sansula are first `stored` in a wooden block and from there transmitted to a resonating membrane. The sound produced is far more prolonged than with other means of amplification. Due to the tuning – the octaves are adjacent – a wonderful, soft sound full of overtones can be easily coaxed from the instrument.

The Sansula Deluxe is a further development of our Sansula basic model. At the request of many customers, we have equipped it with a stable natural membrane made of calf skin and a tensioning device. These changes make the instrument even more versatile. As a product with components made of natural materials, each Deluxe model we deliver is unique, with an even fuller and warmer sound, as well as robustness. While the basic Sansula model is too delicate for use by smaller children, the Sansula Deluxe can now be used in kindergartens and music schools without fear of too much damage. Of course, the Sansula Deluxe also requires careful handling, as is usual and appropriate for musical instruments.

Tuning: A minor ( A – C – C – A – A – F – E – E – B )

Membrane material: calf skin

Dimensions: 198 x 155 x 67 mm

The Sansula – a patented innovation of the firm Hokema – is an innovative development of the kalimba (also known as Sansa or Mbira) which has its origins in southern Africa. The Kalimba is a metal-tongued instrument, played by plucking the tines with the thumbs. It is found in Africa in uncountable shapes and variations. Whereby the vibrations of the tines are amplified in different ways e.g. over a resonator, a hollow vessel such as a calabash or simply a piece of solid wood. The vibration of the Sansula are first `stored` in a wooden block and from there transmitted to a resonating membrane. The sound produced is far more prolonged than with other means of amplification. Due to the tuning – the octaves are adjacent – a wonderful, soft sound full of overtones can be easily coaxed from the instrument.

The Sansula Deluxe is a further development of our Sansula basic model. At the request of many customers, we have equipped it with a stable natural membrane made of calf skin and a tensioning device. These changes make the instrument even more versatile. As a product with components made of natural materials, each Deluxe model we deliver is unique, with an even fuller and warmer sound, as well as robustness. While the basic Sansula model is too delicate for use by smaller children, the Sansula Deluxe can now be used in kindergartens and music schools without fear of too much damage. Of course, the Sansula Deluxe also requires careful handling, as is usual and appropriate for musical instruments.

The Twin is 30cm long and is fitted with two ‚dentically-tuned sets of tines so the instrument can be played by either one or two person.

Playing solo

Hold the Twin in both hands so that each thumb can reach one of the sets of tines. The thumbs can now play the nine tones on both sides of the instrument. A full sound, rich in overtones, is created due to the identical tuning of both sets of tines: each tone has its twin on the other side which then resondtes when its ‘brother’ is plucked. By plucking alternately with both thumbs, quite other tone sequences can be produced than on A single kalimba with the same tuning. The advanced kalimba player can play a wide range of other scales simply by retuning individual tones.

Playing duo

The real motive leading to the development of the Twin Kalimba was the desire to have an instrument that allows you to play together. Therapist/patient, couples, family members, friends etc. The identical tuning of the two sets of tines guarantees harmonious tone sequences and sounds. The resonance of the tones is picked up by the wooden corpus and can be physically felt by the partner. The kalimba stays in tune (Factory tuning in A-minor) when being played but the tuning can be changed if desired. Tones on the two sides of the instrument which differ from but nevertheless harmonize with each other are thus also possible.

Specifications:

Specifications:

Made with beautiful solid black walnut in a matte finish featuring an exquisite "Tree of Life" carving.