The kalimba is a percussion instrument whose notes are generated by vibrating metal keys of various lengths attached to sound board or sound box. Unlike a vibrating string or organ pipe, the overtone structure is anharmonic, that is, the overtone frequencies  (which determine sound quality) are not simple integer multiples of the fundamental frequency (which determines pitch).  For the kalimba above, the ratio of the first overtone to the fundamental is in the range 5.7-6.9, depending on the key struck.   Is this the “key” to the unique sound of the kalimba? This work was presented at Acoustics’08 in Paris, France, July, 2008. 

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            Copyright 2008 David M.F. Chapman ~ contact author for permissions