Page "Thumb piano" Paragraph 23

A special type of thumb piano is the Array mbira, consisting of as many as 150 tines configured in a special order based on the circle of fifths ( see Isomorphic keyboard.

) Although its design diverges from the simplicity of the original African instruments, the musical possibilities of this design are very rich and not limited to the diatonic scale.

There is another simpler chromatic variant design having a double structure consisting of a diatonic kalimba on top and another kalimba on the bottom for the missing accidentals.

These can be played simultaneously for full chromatic access.

Another variant is the Guitaret an electric lamellophone made by Hohner and invented by Ernst Zacharias, in 1963.