Chicago, Illinois
American

Wood, metal
Mid-Late 20th Century
Length: 9.5 in; Width: 5 in; Depth: 1.3 in
Idiophone – Lamellophones – Plucked

This Afroharp was possibly the first commercial kalimba with a totally invented name. According to Mark Holdaway, the name suggests African pride, but adding “harp” to its name emphasizes the beautiful sound this instrument makes. The Afroharp first appeared in Chicago in the late 1960s, and was created as a competitor to, and inspired by, the Hugh Tracey kalimbas. This lacquered lamellophone has a one-piece bridge with 13 metal keys (lamellas), each extending pass the bridge at the top with a loop that goes beyond the resonator. All the metal keys are made identical, thus, to tune them the extended loop of each key makes it easy to pull out or push in, changing the length of the elevated keys on the opposite side of the bridge. These loops also act as a low frequency resonator.

Source: Mark Holdaway / Kalimba Magic – ‘Is it Kalimba, Karimba, or Mbira?’