Sansula Basic - A Minor

The Sansula is an innovative development, based on the Kalimba (also known as Sansa, Mbira or thumb piano), which has its origins in southern Africa. Since its launching in 2001, the Sansula has quickly become a best-seller and found thousands of friends at home and abroad.

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 being amplified by a resonator (such as the membrane of the Sansula), a hollow vessel (such as a calabash) or simply a piece of solid wood. The vibration of the Sansula is first transmitted into a wooden block and from there to the resonating membrane. The sound thus produced has far more sustain than with other kalimba's. The Sansula has a wonderful, soft sound, rich in overtones.

Furthermore, an impressive ‘wah-wah’ effect can be produced by holding the instrument against the body, on the thigh or laying it on a table and then alternately raising and lowering it while playing. The tuning – a-minor with additional tines pitched at B and F – allows wonderful melodies to be produced almost instantly, simply by plucking the tines with the thumbs. As all the notes harmonize with each other, beginners also enjoy immediate success with their instrument.

The instrument is tuned so that it can easily be played by intuition, without any prior musical knowledge.

Note: because of the delicate cellulose membrane, this Sansula Basic model is not suitable for small children. It is fitted with a cellulose skin which, while possessing excellent acoustic qualities, can easily be damaged by sharp objects or even simply by being dropped (repair is possible - ask us). We offer the Sansula Deluxe and the Sansula Renaissance as a more robust alternative.

Specifications:

• brand: Hokema
• A = 440Hz
• 9 notes
• tuning: A Minor - A' C" C' A' A F' E' E" B'
• material:
  • frame: laminated European Beech wood
  • block: American Cherry wood
  • membrane: cellulose
• carry bag: optional, see here
• origin: Germany
• dimensions: 198 x 155 x 67mm
• weight: 320 g
• not suitable for small children

The Sansula Basic is also available in other tunings (please specify with your order):