Thumb Piano

Item number Aa172 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Rectangular thumb-piano carved from one piece of wood hollowed out and separate sides glued on. Ten metal playing strips (7.7 to 11.6 cm. in length), one is missing at the side, separated by a strip of grass(?) fibres attached through fourteen holes.

History Of Use

The sana, also known as sanza or mbira (Shona language) is a plucked idiophone (or lamellaphone) that has been in use for thousands of years, and is played widely throughout the African continent. It is known by many different names, e.g., kilembe, likembe, kadono, akogo, timbrh, and thumb piano and has undergone variations, such as the kalimba, but the general style and function remain consistent. It consists of a number of metal tongues over a wooden board or box resonator. The tongues are held in position by a lateral grass bar with one end of each tongue left free to be plucked.