WE PLAY WELL TOGETHER is a specialist in European-made monochords, kalimbas, chimes, sound tubes, and tongue-gongs for sound healing, mediation, and creative music making. Intuitive instruments create community.
17 Tines precisely tuned to c-major suitable for playing countless popular tunes.
The B17 c-major is ideal for improvisation and intuitive playing.
Solid resonance corpus of American cherry wood
A large number of well know songs can be played
Ergonomically formed tines for easy playing with the thumb
size 6.9"x 7"x 1.6"
Kalimbas are metal-tined instruments which originated in southern Africa and which can be found there in countless variations.
Hokema Kalimba B17 C-major is meticulously hand-crafted out of solid American black cherry wood. The surfaces is treated and polished with natural oils and waxes. The B17 is ideal for improvisation and intuitive playing.
Scale C-major: c d e f g a h C D E F G A H C
and will work with our Soundscape Terra Collection C-major (Green)
If the body feels too large for your hand, you may place the kalimba on the table and play with your thumbs and fingers. You can also place the kalimba on the djembe drum head for more amplification. You may also consider the B17 Mini that is created for smaller hands.
A C-major scale consist of 7 notes. The 17 note Kalimba has 2 sets of C with an octave in-between plus another C an octave higher.
If you look at the Diagram in the second Ocatve the numbers are given a dot to distinguish them. so 1. 2. 3. and so on. IN the third octave, the three highest notes of our Kalimba we use the: after the number. 1: 2: 3:.
Playing the scale of C-major:
Start with the middle, longest tine and with your right thumb pluck it, alternating with your left thumb, thus working your way to the outer tines. You will hear the C major scale played over two and a third octave.
In the tablature the notes for the left hand are at the top and for the right hand at the bottom. The tablature is shown directly above the notation.
This kind of Kalimba tablature is used by Conny Sommer in his tutorials about the B17.
For the sake of clarity we have marked the tines with two different kind of markings.
The single horizontal line on three of the tines indicates the keynote of the C-major tuning. the low , the middle and the high C. The double crossbar indicates the tone H. This allows the player to visually orientate themselves with larger number of tines.
We also made a video to show you how to work with the included magnets to mark the chords when you are playing.
Join our online Free Kalimba Campfire
Kalimba Campfire Monthly Virtual Meetup
First Wednesday of the month live on Zoom and Clubhouse App
5-6pm PT, 6-7pm MT, 7-8pm CT, 8-9 EST
Gather ‘round the fire & sip cocoa to the sweetest of sounds! Kick back as tinkling Kalimba serenades your soul under the stars. Bring your instrument to play or relax to metal tine melody morsels 💫🎶
I’m loving this kalimba!
However, the highest note does not ring like the rest. And the third to highest note is ever so slightly flat.
But I know I’m going to love her.
The Sansula deluxe has a natural Goat skin that will react to moisture and humidity and a sign the tension of the skin is off is that these notes turn flat.
Try to bring the Sansula to a warm and dry place so the skin can restretch and you can also use the L shaped tuning wrench to slightly tighten the skin by opening the screws a tiny bit .
Please refer to our tuning instructions https://weplaywelltogether.com/products/hokema-kalimbas-sansula-deluxe before you do this. If you open the screws to much to stretch a moist skin you can break the seal and damage your Deluxe. If in doubt on what to do just reach out to us via the chat - we are always here to help
J
John S.
The B-17 Mini is a delightful instrument.
A few years ago I became casually interested in the Kalimba because of its simplicity of design and playability. Without experience or a good point of reference I needed to taste a lot of flavors to sort out the choices. For a while, my discards kept the local Goodwill store supplied with inventory.
The feeding frenzy stopped when I discovered Hokema. Build and material quality is professional grade. The tines are not stiff, so you can play at any intensity without stressing a thumb nails. Resonance from the solid wood base and the resulting sustain are simply stunning. Even the high notes sing, unlike the flat 'tapping an aluminum pan' sound from my discards.
I first purchased the B-17, and later the smaller B-17 Mini. Comments above apply to both. There is no problem holding, playing, or carrying around either instrument. The Mini's smaller footprint might be more comfortable for small hands. I just like the smaller package. Because the B-17's wood block is wider, it has more space between the tines. Both instruments appear to use the same tine assembly materials, but the Mini has a shorter cross bar. The Mini's tine spacing is grouped, but they can be adjusted to make the spacing more uniform like the B-17. In that mode, even with the smaller block the tine spacing is noticeably wider than some other Kalimbas I've tried. My thumbs are average width for a 5'8" person and my nails are normally rounded (not pointed), and I have no trouble playing individual notes.
Tablature is available around the net for 17-key Kalimbas (RiffSpot has a nice ebook), so you can play tunes without reading music on both the B-17 and B-17 Mini.
S
Scott B.
Sweet Sound
My first experience with a Hokema Kalimba was at the gift shop of the Music Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ. I was blown away by the big, beautiful sound of those instruments, but I wasn’t ready to plunk down $200 for it.
Fast forward, I read about the Twin Kalimba and was encouraged by a review that suggested it was great for events. This particular person, evidently a musician like me, gave out ten of these during his shows and was thrilled by how the audience members enjoyed the experience.
So, given these two experiences, I had high hopes for the twin.
It is a sweet sounding instrument, but the sound is very quiet. The wood is solid so it doesn’t resonate like its higher priced solo cousins (that feature a resonator) or traditional kalimbas that have found holes.
So, I’m a little underwhelmed by the sound, but it’s still a great concept. Perhaps it will be fine and dandy when I share it with audiences. Let’s see!
E
Elena B.
Beautiful sound
It’s my first Kalimba and I absolutely love how it sounds, such a magical instrument
D
Dianna L.N.
Hokema B9 Kalimba Aria
I was pleased with customer service & by the work ethic that this company has. This is my first kalimba that I have ever owned. It is easy to make pretty little melodies & pairs well with the chime of the same key, but admittedly the kalimba sounds louder & sweeter when held & played so it works better when these instruments are played by 2 people. Overall I was pleased with my purchase.
Hokema Kalimbas is now run by the second generation with Peter's son Hugo Hokema at the helm of this family-run business. Today, Hokema has 9 employees has become one of the world's leading manufacturer of beautiful and easy-to-play kalimbas in various models worldwide.
I recently purchased the monolina and I am extremely satisfied. The customer service was outstanding and the product arrived very fast and in perfect condition. Highly recommended!
When I first heard the Monalina at a sound bath I knew I had to have one. I bought one in F just to hear it. And then for Christmas my wife found Joules online course and signed me up for it. I was hesitant at first because I was just strumming it for fun, but I knew that the people that were taking her course would actually be utilizing it more fully than me. I was also nervous because I hadn’t played any instrument in front of people in quite a number of years. But Joule made me feel comfortable and relaxed and made the whole group feel as though that we were one in experiencing the weekend together. It was wonderful and I will never forget one minute of it. Plus as a trained musician it was nice that she actually has a musical education because then I knew that she knew not only how to play the instrument and how to get the most out of it but also the science behind the sound. I wouldn’t change a thing and she did a wonderful wonderful presentation. She was so into it. It was so much fun!
I am very pleased with my new Renaissance Sansula. I purchased it as a replacement to my Sansula Basic after the synthetic head on the basic broke after 3 years of use.
The offer from WePlayWellTogether and Hokema to upgrade to the Renaissance is much appreciated as I love this little instrument. I hope it last me a good long time.
Great quality, so grateful to have had the chance to invest in this! It's sound is so clear! i am glad i went with the renaissance edition. Such a perfect and soothing sound.
I’m loving this kalimba!
However, the highest note does not ring like the rest. And the third to highest note is ever so slightly flat.
But I know I’m going to love her.
Hokema - B17 MINI in C-Major
John S.
The B-17 Mini is a delightful instrument.
A few years ago I became casually interested in the Kalimba because of its simplicity of design and playability. Without experience or a good point of reference I needed to taste a lot of flavors to sort out the choices. For a while, my discards kept the local Goodwill store supplied with inventory.
The feeding frenzy stopped when I discovered Hokema. Build and material quality is professional grade. The tines are not stiff, so you can play at any intensity without stressing a thumb nails. Resonance from the solid wood base and the resulting sustain are simply stunning. Even the high notes sing, unlike the flat 'tapping an aluminum pan' sound from my discards.
I first purchased the B-17, and later the smaller B-17 Mini. Comments above apply to both. There is no problem holding, playing, or carrying around either instrument. The Mini's smaller footprint might be more comfortable for small hands. I just like the smaller package. Because the B-17's wood block is wider, it has more space between the tines. Both instruments appear to use the same tine assembly materials, but the Mini has a shorter cross bar. The Mini's tine spacing is grouped, but they can be adjusted to make the spacing more uniform like the B-17. In that mode, even with the smaller block the tine spacing is noticeably wider than some other Kalimbas I've tried. My thumbs are average width for a 5'8" person and my nails are normally rounded (not pointed), and I have no trouble playing individual notes.
Tablature is available around the net for 17-key Kalimbas (RiffSpot has a nice ebook), so you can play tunes without reading music on both the B-17 and B-17 Mini.
Hokema - B17 MINI in C-Major
Heide S.
Monochord Training Level 1 and 2
I just took the week-long monochord training with Joule and fell in love with my Monolina. Joule is a fun, engaging and knowledgeable teacher who brings deep reverence to her instruments and the art of playing them. We got to experiment with and experience all the different ways of expressing through our monochords and came away with a proven, complete and beautiful 45-minute session we can now offer. I highly recommend this class.
In-Person Monochord Training - Reserve your Spot $100 deposit toward the training fee of $700 per Level ($1400 for Intensive Week)
Gina L.
Hokema kalimba b17
Wonderful instrument. It’s easy to travel with and well crafted. Customer service is wonderful as well. Very responsive. I am always impressed with the attention to customer service and care of the instruments. This instruments complement my crystal singing bowls and monalina nicely.
Hokema Kalimbas and Sansulas Showroom sale
Rachel N.
Life changing vibration
This set elevates one’s instruments to the next level. Having all these components really sets one up for success and allows room for growth to grow into your sound practice.
The versatility that comes with having the leg extensions allows the player to be comfortable in a variety of ways while playing. The mallets add additional ways to play.
Tuning is a breeze with the template. When not being played or on the go with this monolina, the mats keep everything safe and the backpack makes it so you can take it to the studio or out into nature to play.
I can’t say enough great things about it, it’s a must have in the sound tool kit for sure.
