How to use the kalimba tuner
- 01
Press Start listening
Allow the microphone when your browser asks. Hold the kalimba normally, about a hand’s width from the phone or computer.
- 02
Pluck one tine
The tuner finds which tine you played, lights it up on the picture and shows its note. Green means in tune.
- 03
Follow the arrow
The message says whether to tap the tip or the back end, and about how many light taps. Pluck again and check.
- 04
Work across the tines
Each tine gets a green tick after it holds in tune for half a second. The counter shows how many are done.
Not sure what a tine should sound like? Tap it on the picture to hear its correct note, then pluck yours and compare.
How to tune a kalimba
A kalimba is tuned by sliding each metal tine over the bridge. The part between the bridge and the tip vibrates: make it shorter and the note goes up, make it longer and the note goes down. That is the whole secret of how to tune a kalimba.
- Find the tool. Use the small hammer that came with your kalimba, or the back of a spoon handle.
- Pluck and read. Pluck the tine at a normal strength and read the tuner straight away, while the note is strong.
- Too low (flat): tap the tip toward the bridge.
- Too high (sharp): tap the end behind the bridge so the tine slides back toward its tip.
- Use light taps. One tap is about 5 cents. Tap only at the ends, never in the middle of the tine.
- Check the neighbours. Moving one tine can nudge the ones next to it. Pluck them again, and keep the spacing even so nothing buzzes.
Kalimba notes chart: every tine on a 17-key kalimba in C
The lowest note sits in the middle, and the notes alternate outward: the next note up is on the left, the one after that on the right, and so on. That is why the scale does not run from left to right.
| Tine | Note | Tab number | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D6 | 2°° | 1174.7 Hz |
| 2 | B5 | 7° | 987.8 Hz |
| 3 | G5 | 5° | 784.0 Hz |
| 4 | E5 | 3° | 659.3 Hz |
| 5 | C5 | 1° | 523.3 Hz |
| 6 | A4 | 6 | 440.0 Hz |
| 7 | F4 | 4 | 349.2 Hz |
| 8 | D4 | 2 | 293.7 Hz |
| 9 (middle) | C4 | 1 | 261.6 Hz |
| 10 | E4 | 3 | 329.6 Hz |
| 11 | G4 | 5 | 392.0 Hz |
| 12 | B4 | 7 | 493.9 Hz |
| 13 | D5 | 2° | 587.3 Hz |
| 14 | F5 | 4° | 698.5 Hz |
| 15 | A5 | 6° | 880.0 Hz |
| 16 | C6 | 1°° | 1046.5 Hz |
| 17 | E6 | 3°° | 1318.5 Hz |
Kalimba tabs number the notes 1 to 7 (C D E F G A B). One mark above the number (often a dot or °) means one octave higher, two marks mean two octaves higher. Makers draw the marks differently, but the idea is the same.
8, 10 and 21-key kalimba tuning
| Kalimba | Lowest tine (middle) | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 keys | C4 | C4 to C5 | One octave of C major |
| 10 keys | C4 | C4 to E5 | Octave and a third |
| 17 keys | C4 | C4 to E6 | The most common size |
| 21 keys | F3 | F3 to E6 | The 17-key notes plus F3, G3, A3 and B3; still in C |
Choose your size under Your kalimba below the tuner. The picture and every target note change to match.
Kalimba keys: C, B and retuning to another scale
Most kalimbas are tuned to C major. Some 17-key models come in B, a semitone lower, and use the same tabs. Pick B in the tuner settings if yours has a B label.
Retune to G major
G major needs only one change: raise every F tine a semitone to F♯. That is about 20 light taps of the tip toward the bridge on each F tine. Use the pitch detector to check the new F♯ notes, since they are no longer on the C-major picture.
Play in A minor without retuning
A minor uses exactly the same notes as C major. Start and end your melodies on A and the kalimba sounds minor. See every note of a key in the scale finder.
Tips for a steady reading
- Pluck with the same, medium strength each time. A hard flick starts sharp.
- Read just after the pluck. The fading tail drifts flat because the signal weakens.
- Stop the other tines from ringing by resting a finger on them.
- Tune in a quiet room, and let a cold kalimba warm up to room temperature first.
- Practising songs afterwards? Keep time with the metronome and loop chords with the chord player.
Kalimba tuner FAQs
Do I need a kalimba tuner app?
No. This kalimba tuner runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers, with no download and no account. Open the page, press Start listening, allow the microphone and pluck a tine.
Is the middle tine C4 or C5?
On a standard 17-key kalimba in C, the long middle tine is C4 (middle C, 261.6 Hz). Some sellers print octave numbers one higher, so trust the sound: the tuner shows the octave it actually hears.
Which way do I tap to raise or lower a tine?
A shorter tine sounds higher. If a tine is too low (flat), tap its tip, the end you pluck, toward the bridge. If it is too high (sharp), tap the other end, behind the bridge, so the tine slides back toward its tip.
How much does one tap change the pitch?
One light tap with a tuning hammer moves a tine about 5 cents, so roughly 20 taps move it a whole semitone. The tuner tells you about how many taps you need.
I have no tuning hammer. What can I use?
Use something small, hard and blunt, such as the back of a spoon handle or a small wooden block. Tap only the ends of the tine, never the middle, and use light taps so you do not bend the steel.
Why does the reading drift flat as the note fades?
As the sound dies away there is less signal to measure. Read the tuner just after you pluck, while the note is still strong, and pluck again rather than waiting for the tail.
How often should I tune my kalimba?
Check it when it is new, after it travels, and every few weeks. Tines are held by pressure, so knocks and temperature changes can shift them. A quick check takes about two minutes with auto-detect.
A tine buzzes after I moved it. How do I fix it?
Nudge the tine slightly sideways until the buzz stops, then even out the spacing of the two or three tines next to it. Retune those neighbours if they moved.