Hello, all! I'm returning to bass work after 35 years away (I played gut-bucket as a kid). Last week I finished my own bass kalimba (see photos below and plans at
http://www.dennishavlena.com/bk.htm), which is like placing seven monster Jew's Harps on top of a 1/4" plywood box the size of a laundry basket. Surprisingly, it sounds very much like a string bass when mixed with other instruments. This instrument plays only the discrete notes of A B C D E F & G, though tuned in a Circle of Fifths for faster learning. It has some overtones which preclude any solos, but I'm happy with proving the backdrop. 'Thrilled' might be a better word.
~16" x 23" x 12"; 1/4" ply glued with 1/2" quarter-round; lumber strap tines
My hat's off to all of you 'real' bass players, for your dedication in learning and your investment in your instrument(s) - I am afraid that my station in life does not permit either, but I sure respect you!
But I can make music with this box, and jammed with a few groups last night at the Floyd Jamboree in SW Virginia - a Mecca for bluegrass on Friday nights (I counted eight informal groups up and down the street outside the official concert).
Hope to learn how to play well enough to be an asset to the group; I fear I may have overestimated my skills / underestimated the task ahead when I jumped in last night. But it was fun and nobody took me to task.
First jam: a church picnic less than 24 hours after first tuning. Yes, it is easy to learn.
