Measurements of the acoustics of the kalimba Free

The kalimba is an idiophone (self‐sounding instrument) of African origin, specifically a standardized type of mbira manufactured with modern facilities by Hugh Tracey. The sound production is somewhat similar to a small glockenspiel, but the free ends of the metal keys are plucked rather than simply‐supported struck bars. The body of the kalimba, however, more resembles a guitar with a central sound hole in the top plate. There are additionally two smaller holes in the back plate, which a player can use to create vibrato effects with rapid covering and uncovering with fingertips. Spectral information and modal analysis are used to investigate the dynamics of sound production of the kalimba, and are compared with such measurements in the literature for guitar and mallet instruments. These measurements will inform future modeling efforts to better understand the dynamics of the instrument.