Newlam Kalimba Thumb Piano Review

★★★★★★★★★★

“Wow do I like this! It is far better than I thought. The book with it helps to explain it. They tuned it. It sounds great. Easy to play and fun. It has everything with it too. So you don't have to order more later. I like it! Easy to hold to play too”

★★★★★★★★★★

“This is a wonderful & affordable instrument. My grandson (9) wanted to learn to play music, so I got this for myself, so he wouldn't be tempted to take it home & drive his parents nuts with the noise.No worries, this plays a lovely sound (almost like a Harp), & depending on how hard you strum it, it can be very quiet, too, while learning.He fell in LOVE with it, & asked repeatedly for one for his birthday. I actually liked it a lot, too, so I did get him one for his birthday, later this month. I know he's gonna love it, & this is the kind of thing that can grow with him. If he learns to actually play it, he can keep using it for life, vs one of those awful flute things they give kids, that drive every dog in the neighborhood insane, as well as the people.It comes very well packaged, had a hammer included to tune it, & some stickers to help you tell what note each key is supposed to be. The keys are embossed with their notes, but it's very hard to see, unless you hold it just so in the light. I put the stickers on mine, until I get the hang of it.It also includes 2 thumb guards for you to start. It's played with thumbs only, so you'll want to use those, at least until you can grow out your thumbnails. I'm nearly there growing mine out, and it's a lot easier to play with natural nails, instead of silicone guards or thumb picks. The keys are tightly packed, easy to accidentally bump the next key while you play a note, but once my nails grow out a bit more, I expect that to get a lot better.Tuning was pretty easy, as there are online sites that listen to you play the note, & tell you when you have it right. The site I found showed you if the note was high or low, so you just use the hammer to tap it up or down til you get the right pitch. Very gently tap it up if the note is too low, & visa versa. Keep checking with the online tuner, as you can actually end up with a different note, if you tap too much.The box it came with is perfect, so I decorated both boxes. Pictures shown, because these Kalimbas are lovely, but fragile if dropped. Keeping the box, & making it pretty, ensures it will be put away, each time, not left knocking around the bedroom.Both mine were in perfect condition upon arrival, & easily tuned. I love them.”

★★★★★★★★★★

“This product has got some nice weight and sturdiness to it. I bought it for my 2 year old. He was amazed to be honest. Easy for a toddler to use and easy for an adult to learn. The package comes with a tiny booklet on a handful of songs and stickers to mark your keys. It comes with”tuned” but according to the booklet where I read about the app to help you tune it, it was off key. So that took a good thirty minutes to adjust before wrapping it as a gift. Very soft music, this does come with finger protectors and a little hammer for the adjustments. Comes with its own little bag as well for traveling. I can’t see it breaking or chipping.”

★★★★★★★★★★

“Off the bat, I'm going to be reviewing this kalimba as a Starter/beginner kalimba and not as an extremely professional, high-end piece. I've been playing kalimba for a very short amount of time on my partner's much more expensive alto kalimba and loving it. But the alto has fewer keys and the keys are set up opposite of a usual 17 key and finding tabs for the alto was very difficult. I'm someone who gets into hobbies and then drops them a few months, even weeks, later so I didn't want to purchase a pricey kalimba if I wasn't invested.That's where this kalimba comes in. For a little over $20, I figured I could mess around with it, see if I enjoyed the instrument before purchasing an expensive kalimba. I was extremely surprised by my initial impressions of this kalimba. The look of the instrument is absolutely stunning and the sound right out of the box is lovely. I believe I may need to tune the furthest keys as they are a little buzzy but, overall, you get a pretty solid piece for next to nothing cost-wise.Pros- Very inexpensive- Beautiful appearance- Classic, "music-box" sound- Tune correctly out of the box (two keys are any exception)- Lots of goodies (tuning hammer, manual and music tabs book, stickers for the keys, black bag for storage)- Ergonomic shape with the side dents for your thumb to rest- Like most kalimbas, learning the basic mechanics of how to play is very easy- Engraved keys (the listing and many Q&As answered by the seller say the keys are not engraved but mine did come engraved and I think it is absolutely beautiful plus helpful)Cons- Multiple reviewers experienced the same damage from a crack starting at the soundhole and running to the base after a month+ of owning (I have not experienced this but will update if this happens)- Tuning hammer feels it is made of cheap material (will see if this is a problem later on)- No real paper trail on where this instrument was manufactured (may not be a con or even a care for many but knowing where your piece was made and exactly by who can be important for some)- Does not include a pickup (this might be a moot point for many but, higher-end kalimbas, such as the alto kalimba from Kalimba Magic I first started playing on, have an electronic pickup for amps)- No ability to request non-standard tuning (the vast majority of people want a kalimba tuned in Standard G. However, if you want a different tuning [aren't confident you could do that yourself], you won't be able to ask with any of the kalimbas found on Amazon for a different tuning like you can with other manufacturers like Kalimba Magic)Pro/Con/Neutral- Small (great for children and folks with small hands like me but might be annoying for someone with larger hands)- Lightweight (again, great for children and small-handed folks but could be frustrating for someone who wants a hefty instrument)- While gorgeous, I do question the quality of materials used. The craftsmanship is beautiful but, without knowing the specific source of all the material, it is difficult to provide feedback on the quality.I've included a few pictures and a (poorly focused) video of the kalimba being played. You may be able to hear the "buzzy" or "fuzzy" end keys in the video but, overall, this was tuned wonderfully. Additionally, I have not tuned or done anything to the kalimba besides play it a few times. This is the sound out of the box.I think this piece does the job for anyone test-running if they want a kalimba or not. It is very cheap which makes it easier to jump into; no pressure if you don't enjoy it and decide to give it away, donate, or just leave it on your shelf to mess about with once every few months. For a starter kalimba (barring any sudden and random damage as other reviewers have experienced with this specific piece) I rate this 5/5. It has everything a starter kalimba should have at a price point that is very difficult to beat. Compared to other, high-end and professional kalimbas, it absolutely lacks in multiple areas but, if you're just test-running this interesting and wonderful instrument, this little piece will help you explore. And, when you're ready to upgrade to a professional kalimba, you won't feel as though you wasted any money or time with this little cheapy buddy!”

★★★★★★★★★★

“If you want a musical toy for your kids that isn't annoying, the kalimba is the perfect solution! It is surprisingly hard to play if you want to play an actual song, because the notes are not side by side as they are on a piano or string instrument. With some hard concentration and a good dose of intuition you can work out a tune, after some hard work. But for kids who just want to make sounds, it is perfect. It does hurt the fingers to play for very long. The hammer is really too dangerous for kids, though it solves the hurt finger problem, plus it makes the dinging sound so loud it hurts the ears. My one complaint is that one of the metal bars wiggles out of place a little bit, but it can be put right back and it hasn't broken. The wood is high quality and it really feels like a fine item, (so much so that my husband doesn't want the kids to play with it which defeats the entire purpose of it as a toy...,). If you like quality wooden toys for your kids that make beautiful, non annoying sounds (so long as they do not use the hammer), get your kid this kalimba!”