The further development of the Kalimba
The enchanting Sansula Basic is an innovative further development of the African Kalimba or Mbira. The new design of the "thumb piano", in which the oval wooden frame and the membrane stretched on it create a large resonance chamber like a frame drum, creates a carpet of sound that sounds considerably louder, richer but also softer and resonates longer than a normal Kalimba. The sound block with the tines is attached around the membrane from above and below. It is floating freely with the membrane. The spacey sounds full of harmonic overtones enchant right away. It is child's play to elicit these soothing sounds from the Sansula.
Playing the Sansula is easy
Because the nine sound tines are optimally tuned to each other, the instrument can be played intuitively. Even without any previous knowledge you can create relaxing, meditative tunes. If you place the Sansula on a smooth surface and tilt it while playing, you can create a wafting wah-wah effect that sounds particularly intense on low notes. This makes improvising really fun!
The different Sansula models
After the Hokema Sansula Basic in the factory tuning A minor pentatonic was launched in 2001 and soon became a patented bestseller, there were further versions and innovations in the following years. Until today, more robust types, further tuning variations and the diatonic "Melody" models with 11 reeds in G major were added. We also offer some models tuned to the concert pitch of 432 Hz.
The sound membranes or drumheads of the Basic, Renaissance and Deluxe
The Hokema Sansula Basic is the lightest Sansula. It is equipped with a thin membrane made of cellulose, which has excellent sound characteristics, but can tear if the instrument is dropped or handled roughly. Sturdy alternatives are the Sansula Renaissance with its hard-wearing REMO skin and the Sansula Deluxe, which has a robust calfskin membrane.
Playing melodies and songs with the Sansula Melody
There are also the "Melody" models of the Sansulas, which have 11 diatonically tuned reeds instead of the 9 pentatonically tuned reeds, which are pre-tuned to G major. While the pentatonic versions are more suitable for intuitive and meditative playing, the diatonic ones can also be used to play songs and melodies from sheet music.
Tunings
You can choose from eight Sansula tunings. However, we do not always have all of them in stock, so please contact us if you are interested in a particular tuning.
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A minor (A4, C5, C4, A4, A3, F4, E4, E5, B4)
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A major (A4, C#5, C#4, A4, A3, F#4, E4, E5, B4)
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Akebono (A4, D5, D4, A4, A3, F4, E4, E5, A#4)
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Hijaz (G4, C5, D4, A4, A3, F#4, D#4, D#5, A#4)
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A minor 7 (A4, C5, C4, G4, A3, F4, E4, E5, B4)
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Pygmy (A4, D5, D4, A4, A3, F4, E4, F5, C4)
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D major (A4, D5, D4, A4, A3, F#4, E4, F#5, B4)
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Heavenly A (A4, C#5, D4, G#4, A3, F#4, E4, E5, B4)
Sansulas in 432 Hz
Due to the high demand we also offer several Sansula models with the concert pitch A4 = 432 Hz. If your desired Sansula is not in stock, please contact us.
Sansula tuning
If you want to retune your Sansula, bring it into one of the above mentioned tunings or experiment with other harmonies, you can easily tune it with the help of a small hammer. You can find instructions on our blog or directly at Hokema.
Sustainability
Especially worth mentioning is the sustainable manufacturing of the instruments at Hokema:
- energy-neutral production
- packaging and shipping free of plastics
- no tropical woods
- surfaces of the woods are only treated with linseed oil
- all materials are selected and processed for durability
Maintaining the Sansula
You can easily care for the wooden frame of your Sansula by treating it with linseed oil, olive oil or another care oil. It is also best to rub the reeds with a vegetable oil or metal care product from time to time so that they do not patina so quickly. The tines of the Sansula are made of spring steel, which has excellent sound properties, elasticity and stability, but can react to moisture. We therefore recommend that you always keep the spring steel reeds dry and wipe them with a soft cloth after playing.
Get more background information in our blog
In Germany kalimbas are produced at the workshop of Peter Hokema. Within this family business he has been making these instruments with excellent quality since 1985. Kalimbas by Hokema are made in a pentatonic tuning. One can play very well on these instruments without any musical educational background.
Anyone who plays a Kalimba regularly will certainly have noticed that the instrument begins to sound "inharmonic" or "weird" over time. Then the moment has come when you ask yourself, "What's going on here and how can I bring it back to its original condition?"
After reading this blog post, you'll have the know-how you need to make your Kalimba sound clean again.
Looking at the European museum catalogue for musical instruments MIMO, one can find almost 170 musical instruments under the keyword “lamellaphones in Africa”. Thereby one is often very different from another one. All instruments belong to one category for which we (Non-Africans) commonly use the generic term “kalimba”.
