thumb piano

American  

noun

1. any of various African boxlike musical instruments, such as the kalimba or mbira, having tuned strips of metal or wood that vibrate when played with the thumbs.

---

thumb piano British  

noun

1. another name for mbira

---

Etymology

Origin of thumb piano

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

“We ended up recording every note of a thumb piano, and only every eighth pluck of it sounded great.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2023

A rhythm is played on the metal keys of a thumb piano, known as a "ichyembe", as we reach a collection of huts 30 minutes into the forest.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2022

Here’s a kalimba, an African thumb piano with metal tines that plink like a music box.

From Washington Post • Aug. 15, 2021

As for Söderqvist, he patched up a knackered Steinway to create a fresh new sound, and an Array Mbira, which combines a traditional thumb piano from Zimbabwe with a modern American system of note arrangement.

From The Guardian • May 10, 2013

It’s sliced through with cowbell, African thumb piano and what sounds like a single guitar chop wedged into one up-beat per bar.

From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2011