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Thumb Pianoby BobsDogHouse on February 7, 2007

Table of Contents

Thumb Piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro:   Thumb Piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1:   Materials: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2:   Cut out the wood parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3:   Front face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 4:   Assemble the box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 5:   Dowels and Rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 6:   Sanding and finishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 7:   Final assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 8:   Finished . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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Intro:  Thumb PianoI saw one of these somewhere a while back and always thought it would be fun to play with. A quick Google came up with several including the one in this picture. It'savailable online for about $33. I'm no kind of musician and I've never built a musical instrument before but this looks simple enough. I'd rather just make one.

Step 1: Materials:Looking at the image I found on google there is no reference to tell exact size but I'm not really worried about making it accurate. I'll guess it looks to be about 5" x 7" x 1".

For most of the parts I was looking for stuff I had sitting around. This is the parts list for what I ended up with.

(2) - 3/16" plywood - 5" x 7" for the top and bottom(2) - 3/4" x 3/4" x 3' pine - 5" and (2) 7" for the frame(2) - 1/4" dowel - 2-1/2" to support the keys(1) - 3/8" aluminum rod - 4" to hold down the keys(1) - 3 1/2" nail - cut to 3-1/4"5/8" x 18 brads - optional(2) - #6-32 x 1/4" T-nuts(2) - #6-32 x 1" round head boltsstreet sweeper bristles - enough to make 9 keys about 2-1/2" - 3-1/4" each.

I had to buy the T-nuts and bolts but the rest I was able to scrounge. The "keys" were made out of street sweeper bristles. They're easy to find if you get out and walkmuch, just keep an eye on the street.

Image Notes1. 3/8" aluminum rod2. T-Nuts (#6-32 X 1/4)3. Street sweeper bristles

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4. 1/4" dowel5. 3/4" x 3/4" sqare6. 3/16" plywood cut to 5" x 7" (2 pcs. - top and bottom)7. A 3-1/2" nail I had lying around8. Round head slotted bolts (#6-32 x 1")

Step 2: Cut out the wood partsCut two 5" x 7" plywood sheets for the top and bottom of the box and the 3/4" pine into 4 lengths at a 45 for the sides - 2 @ 5" and 2 @ 7". Glue and (optionally) nail thesides onto the bottom with small brads, then set it aside. I didn't mind using brads to hold the bottom together while it dried. They won't show much but you could justclamp it instead. Just be sure to set them in deep enough so they won't stick out and scratch things.

Image Notes1. Notice, sombody (not me) removed all the safety guards. This thing's a bitscary.2. Cut the first end at a 45 degree angle then turn it over to cut the other end atthe opposite angle.

Image Notes1. Set them deep enough that they won't scratch anything it happens to slideacross.

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Step 3: Front faceMeasure and mark the two points to drill for the T-nuts, don't make the holes too large for the T-nuts or they will fall out easily. I drilled 5/32" holes for the T-nuts 2-1/2"apart and about 1-1/4 from the one end. Measure and mark the 1" hole centered about 4-1/2" from the same end.

I drilled the 1" hole part way through the back then turned it over and drilled the rest of the way from the front to avoid splitting either side of the plywood.

When I was done I found that 4-1/2" seems a bit too close to the T-nuts you could move it a half to an inch further down. Also I found out that a 1" hole seems to makethe higher notes sound louder, epically the B key. A smaller hole would tend to shift the emphasis to the lower notes. Using a 1/2" drill gauge held over the 1" holeseemed to bring out the F note.

Drill the 3 holes and tap the T-nuts into place with a hammer.

Image Notes1. Mark the center line then the rest of the holes are measured from there.

Image Notes1. The T-nut will stick out through the plywood when it's in place so put a thickboard or something under it so you don't crush the end of it.2. Tap them in firmly but be careful not to crack or deform the plywood

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Step 4: Assemble the boxAssemble the rest of the box (Careful not to knock the T-nuts loose!). Brads wouldn't look good on the top so just use glue and clamps. Be sure to use some sort of padbetween the clamp and the box. They aren't shown in the picture because I forgot and ended up with some clamp marks to sand out.

- set it aside to dry

Image Notes1. spread the glue out more evenly. Image Notes

1. Put a small scrap of plywood or some other pad in here to keep the clamp fromscaring the wood! At least on all the metal to wood contact points.

Step 5: Dowels and RodsCut the aluminum rod to 4" and file the ends flat. I clamped it in the drill press and use the file to smooth and round the end off and used ultra fine sand paper to "clean"the aluminum. Carefully measure and mark the holes for the screws to attach the rod then drill the 2 holes at 1/8".

Cut the head and point off of the nail (3-1/4") and file the ends flat. Put it in the drill press to round the ends and clean as with the aluminum rod.Cut 2 lengths of the 1/4"dowel to 3-1/4". Flatten both dowels along the length just enough so they don't roll easily. Hollow out a channel on the side opposite the flat of one of the dowels to"cradle" the nail in place. I did this using a motor-tool while holding the dowel in a vice.

Set these parts aside for now.

Image Notes1. Old dull hack saw blade, still it cut through easily enough.2. Aluminum rod with stickers on it. Cut to 4" length.

Image Notes1. With the drill press running it was easy to file the end of the aluminum rodrounded. CAREFUL not to get caught up in the spinning parts2. Sorry this photo is so blurry, the camera insisted on focusing on the junkback here.

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Image Notes1. Hold 600 grit sand paper up to the spinning aluminum and it will clean it upnicely. BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET ANYTHING GET WRAPPED AROUND ANYSPINNING PARTS. IT MIGHT TAKE A FINGER WITH IT!

Image Notes1. Nicely rounded and polished.

Image Notes1. A ball tip on my motor tool cuts a nice channel easily.2. Cut a nice little channel to "cradle" the nail.

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Image Notes1. Give the nail the same treatment (and caution) as the aluminum rod.

Step 6: Sanding and finishingWhen the glue has dried, take the clamps off the box and start sanding. Sand the edges flat and sand off any imperfections or pencil marks from the front and back. I liketo sand off all the hard edges and corners just enough so it feels good in my hands.Dust it off carefully and put a coat of varnish on it. I put the bolts in the T-nuts so I could hang the box up to dry without it touching anything. When the varnish iscompletely dry rub it down with fine sand paper or steel wool to get a nice smooth finish. Put as many coats of varnish as you like.

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Image Notes1. Saw marks to be sanded off.2. Un-even edge needs to be sanded flat.

Image Notes1. It's flat but not quite straight. I just sanded it a bit more 'till I was satisfied.

Image Notes1. Ok, it's not varnish, it's a some sort of an acrylic finish but it's what was sitting inmy garage. I call it varnish.

Step 7: Final assemblyAssemble the whole thing as pictured. You don't need to glue the dowels or the nail in place, friction will hold it down when it's fully assembled. Be sure to place bothdowels close to the aluminum rod (about 1/2" center to center) or the keys will bounce and buzz when you play it.

Insert one street sweeper bristle and tune it roughly to a C note. Mark it and "cut" it to length, actually I just put it in a vice and broke it. File and sand it carefully to roundand smooth the ends, if you don't it will make a sound scraping across your finger prints or worse scraping off your finger prints! Re-insert it under the "clamp" and do thesame for each of the notes you want, I added a total of 9. If you want more you'll have to either make the whole thing bigger or space the keys closer than I'm comfortablewith. I put in keys for C through G then A through D in this pattern:

====C======A========F==========D============C==========E========G======B====D

The pattern was suggested by a friend that had a bit more experience with musical instruments than I have, but other people have since made other suggestions soarrange them in any order you're comfortable with.

When they're all in, tune them carefully and tighten down the screws until you don't hear any buzzing when you play it.

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Image Notes1. Borrowed from my brother who plays the guitar. Thanks Jim.2. That's tuned close enough for now.

Image Notes1. Mark it for cutting. Closer than this would be even better.

Image Notes1. It breaks straight but it has a sharp edge that must be filed and I like it roundedoff.

Image Notes1. D2. I need to trim this one a bit more. It tends to tap aginst things and change thetune of that note.3. G4. F5. C6. B7. The low "C" note in the middle.8. E9. A10. D

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Image Notes1. The screws are tightened enough that the keys bend upwards and they don'tvibrate against the nail when played.

Step 8: FinishedI added a sample sound file, it doesn't sound as good as the real thing. I recorded it with my cheap microphone on my computer.

Enjoy!

File Downloads

scale.wav (1 MB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'scale.wav']

Related Instructables

Instant ThumbPiano: How tomake a setscrewlamellaphone byyapruder

My Kalimba(Photos) byassassin10114

How to play thepiano byschnuckel Improve at

sight-reading byjackbobpin

The MintyKalimba byDeansrds MP3 to MIDI

(Windows only)by jdlink

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Comments

50 comments Add Comment view all 62 comments

 bigredlevy says:  Feb 2, 2010. 3:33 AM  REPLYi made this one as a present for my brother. i used spring steel wire i bought from a hobby shop, and a nice piece of aluminium to mount the tines withscrews for individual intonation.

 theanzie says:  Feb 3, 2011. 6:20 PM  REPLYWOOHOO!

 CementTruck says:  Feb 5, 2010. 10:17 AM  REPLYBigredlevy,

Just curious as to how this came out. Does it sound OK?

I have a buss bar from a house fuse box laying around somewhere and have been itching to do something with it. It looks a lot like the aluminum bar youhave in your image.

Cheers!

 bigredlevy says:  Feb 8, 2010. 10:17 PM  REPLYyou mean one of these http://www.tangible-technology.com/power/p2/8_buss_bar_5a.jpg right? i think that would work fine. the advantage is that youcan tune each note individually.the problem i had with mine was the gauge of spring steel wire. i think mine was too thick, so the keys weren't as loud as i would have liked.

i tuned mine by ear using a piano. this would do http://www.pianoworld.com/fun/javapiano/javapiano.htm

 jakenzi357 says:  Dec 13, 2010. 11:17 AM  REPLYawesome! Good job.

 darkdragonv says:  Jun 11, 2009. 5:40 PM  REPLYHave that same tuner..lol!

 strato2598 says:  Sep 20, 2010. 12:48 AM  REPLYhahahha lol SAME!!

 amcasiano says:  May 2, 2009. 2:40 AM  REPLYThanks for giving me the idea to make my own kalimba. Keep it up!

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 BobsDogHouse says:  Oct 2, 2009. 12:17 PM  REPLYVery Cool! It looks great! Thanks for posting a picture.

 TehLonelyOne says:  Sep 28, 2009. 7:41 AM  REPLYThis is great! definitely going to make one, is the steel you used for the keys 1/4 or 1/8 inch wide? It looks 1/8 but I can't decide which to use, since 1/4seems to wide...

 BobsDogHouse says:  Oct 2, 2009. 11:45 AM  REPLYThe steel I used was about 1/8 inch wide but the width doesn't really matter as long as it's wide enough to be "plucked" comfortably and narrow enoughto fit and be tuned easily. I can imagine that tuning a very wide strip might be difficult but 1/4 would probably be OK.

 CatMan says:  Mar 31, 2007. 5:32 PM  REPLYGreat Idea! my uncle brought one of those from Africa, when i was a kid i loved playing semi-african music on it. i've been collecting street-cleaner-bristlesfor other projects, but i'll defenetly use some of them for this project! i might use a premade box, being lazy, and I also like recycling stuff.

 Oledoug says:  Oct 2, 2009. 10:00 AM  REPLYWe are way out in the country and have no street sweepers but one thing we have used is the small stainless steel about 1/8" wide piece of stainlesssteel that is in a automobile wiper blade. They are the dickens to cut but make a wonderful sound. Check with your local garage and have them save yousome old wipers as they replace them for folks. Doug

 CatMan says:  Oct 2, 2009. 10:36 AM  REPLYman, you read my mind, I discovered those a few months ago, and used them while building my anealling oven for glass-blowing. they are greatbecause they are stainless. I didn't bother to cut them, just bent them and broke them. great stuff indeed, and for free !

 yeah568 says:  Jul 4, 2009. 1:10 PM  REPLYHeh, our local science center had like a workshop making these before. Basically, it was just a block of wood with two rubber bands holding the metal piecesin place. Wasn't as fancy as this, but it still works. Good instructable though.

 b4k4hakujin says:  Mar 31, 2007. 12:15 PM  REPLYStreet sweeper bristles? I'm pretty sure we don't have street sweepers in downtownColumbia, SC. If we do I've never seen one. Is there anything else Icould use? Rake teeth maybe? Even though rakes are kinda $$$ for ones with decent metal teeth.

 BobsDogHouse says:  Apr 1, 2007. 1:18 AM  REPLYRake teeth sound fine, maybe a bit wide though. The sweeper bristles are only about 1/8" wide but there's lots room for wider bristles. What ever youuse, as rashfreedom said it just needs to have some spring in it.

 rockabilly_renegade says:  Dec 31, 2007. 10:32 PM  REPLYI hang around auto parts stores a lot. would the thin metal pieces inside a windshield wiper work?

 Mr. Bricoleur says:  Jul 4, 2009. 12:21 PM  REPLYI know this is a bit late, but yeah - i just made one out of them and it did work.

 BobsDogHouse says:  Jan 1, 2008. 10:23 PM  REPLYI'm not sure, I don't have any old wiper blades to look at but it sounds like a possibility. Just make sure they're a fairly springy not "bendy". Alsoas I recall from changing my wiper blades, they're a bit sharp so you might want to blunt them a bit. Good luck and if you build one, post a picture!

 assassin10114 says:  Mar 28, 2009. 1:36 PM  REPLYhow do you tune this? do you just put a certain amount of the piece of metal on the side you play from the thing that holds them down?

 Mr. Bricoleur says:  Jul 3, 2009. 7:36 PM  REPLYumm, okay. just look at it this way: the more the key (metal piece) is sticking out from where it touches the "nail support part", the lower the note, and viceversa. Just refer to an already tuned musical instrument to get the right pitch for tuning your thumb piano. hope that helped :D

 MisterMissanthrope says:  Jan 31, 2009. 2:02 AM  REPLYStill sounds good, and looks great, ive always wanted one of these, but im going to be working without saws soon, and might try making it from a box i find ortin something, nice ible.

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 some_person says:  Apr 6, 2008. 1:27 PM  REPLYwhat is the use of the aluminum rod? can't you just use a staple gun to staple the prongs on?

 kalimbamagic says:  Jan 31, 2009. 12:36 AM  REPLYIf you staple the tines, you'd better have the tuning exactly perfect.

 Timsan says:  Dec 14, 2008. 2:03 PM  REPLYHaving the aluminium rod means you can adjust the tuning if need be. You can even move the tines around to create your own custom tunings.

For example, if you use 15 tines (prongs), you can have a 2 octave major scale:G E C A F# D B G A C E G B D F#

Or you can use an 11 tine setup to get a pentatonic scale:G D A E B G A D G B E

The 8-note kalimba is an easy place to start. It's usually tuned to the major scale:C A F D C E G B.

Have a dig through http://www.kalimbamagic.com for more information on the types of kalimba, tunings and lessons on how to play it.

There's a stack of videos here:http://www.youtube.com/kalimbamagicI particularly like the one called "First Look Inside"

I'm amazed at what you can do with this little thing. I think I'll be making 3 or 4 of these little beauties!

 Timsan says:  Dec 14, 2008. 2:10 PM  REPLYJust to clarify those tunings, the bold G in the middle is the longest tine. The tunings are in the key of G, but that's entirely arbitrary. You can tune it up inany key you want.

 Quinns says:  Mar 31, 2007. 5:35 AM  REPLYCool! I love making my own instruments and i'd love to do this one... but i live in australia and dont know what to use for the 'keys' any ideas?

 podup365.com says:  Dec 13, 2008. 4:25 PM  REPLYWhen I was in Zambia, many kalimba's made by hand used old stainless steel silverware handles. I bought two of them, one with part of a gourdmounted underneath instead of making a box. They both sound very different but neither of them was tuned. I think they are meant for display only.Having a tuned one would be cool.

 fearme36 says:  Nov 10, 2008. 6:58 PM  REPLYmaybe you could cut up a pop can? idk but I'm gonna give it a shot. Ribs said Africans used flattened nails. if the pop can doesn't work i got some nailsand a hammer =P (someone might end up dieing...)

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 Mr. Bricoleur says:  Jun 28, 2009. 11:44 AM  REPLYnah... pop can metal would be really easily bendable and so it wouldn't be springy enough for keys. :(

 rashfreedom says:  Mar 31, 2007. 1:12 PM  REPLYI have used old metal rakes for the keys, it seems any steel that has more carbon than mild steel will work. Basically it needs to have some spring to it sowhen they are played the keys return to position. I have used Bobby Pins (hair pins) for small kalimbas (thumb piano).

 spinach_dip says:  Apr 4, 2007. 4:35 PM  REPLYIs the sound decent from the bobby pin ones? Of course it won't be as loud as the bigger ones, but is it audible, and does it stay in tune?

 BobsDogHouse says:  Apr 5, 2007. 3:11 PM  REPLYA more dirct link: http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om13500.html

 BobsDogHouse says:  Apr 5, 2007. 11:19 AM  REPLYThere's an audio link to a thumb piano that looks like it was built from something like an altoids tin and bobby pins, it sounds good. Start here:http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=197853

 srohwer says:  Nov 10, 2008. 8:09 PM  REPLYThere's a great text on Mbira - Thumb piano: The Soul of Mbira: Music and Traditions of the Shona People of Zimbabwe by Paul F. Berliner He's anethnomusicologist who went and studied in ZImbabwe. There are also detailed instruction on building one, including native tunings, which are slightlydifferent than Western tuning. Amazon for $5 used.

 Ribs says:  Oct 26, 2008. 5:52 AM  REPLYIn Southern Africa these are called Mbira. the base is often just a solid piece of wood and the keys are made out of flattened nails. the whole instrument isoften placed inside a large gourd which acts as a resinator.

 Mr. BeanyMvBeanBean says:  Oct 20, 2007. 4:50 PM  REPLYOne of my Mom's friends has one of these using a hollowed out gourd instead of just the wood. Just an idea if anyone would like to try it.

 Sue D. Nymme says:  Aug 28, 2007. 9:35 AM  REPLYI was doing fine until I got to the part that says, â€Âœ...and tune it roughly to a C note.â€Â•I have no clue how to do that. Can you help? Thanks.

 BobsDogHouse says:  Aug 28, 2007. 1:41 PM  REPLYGood question, I guess if you haven't done it before it can seem confusing. I'll describe the process I went through but remember I'm not a musicianeither.

Assemble it as shown in the first picture of step 7. Tighten the screws just tight enough to hold everything down firmly and "pluck" the bristle by pushing itdown slightly with your thumb or finger and sliding off the end. You should hear a crisp note - although it may be a bit sour. The tuner I used gave instantfeedback of the note heard. Determine if the note should be higher or lower using an tuner and slide the bristle forward (toward the hole) to go lower orback (away from the hole) to go higher.

For the first not you want a "C" not a sharp ("C#") or flat ("Cb"). Insert the next bristle and do the same thing for "D" or "E", just follow the pattern above.

Remember the first pass is just to get an idea of where to cut the bristles. After they are all cut to length you do it again much more accurately, with themall installed and held down a bit tighter. When fine tuning I found it helpful to hold down all the bristles but the one I'm tuning because they tended tovibrate as well and confuse the tuner.

If you don't have a tuner you can use your computers microphone and one of the many programs available on the web. I found a few athttp://www.mymusictools.com/download/instrument-tuner/ (I haven't tried any of these and don't know anything about them but they look like they coulddo the job nicely).

If you're actually building one, I'd love to see a picture of it! Please post one.

 liny says:  Jul 6, 2007. 5:13 PM  REPLYThat instrument is a kalimba right? I saw those in Argentina, France and another country. I have one made of Pumpkin shell and Steel plates cut to make thestripes of metal is has. It is really easy to tune those things when you have good musical ear.

 Mace42 says:  May 9, 2007. 8:03 PM  REPLYnice

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 photozz says:  Apr 6, 2007. 10:05 AM  REPLYWhat about using old hacksaw blades? I know they are wider, but you might be able to cut them...

 BobsDogHouse says:  Apr 6, 2007. 11:13 AM  REPLYI may be wrong but I think you might find them a bit tough to cut.

 Quinns says:  Apr 18, 2007. 2:30 AM  REPLYi had some blunt ones laying around and i realised that, even if you cant cut them , you can just snap them to a rough size and then you just have tomove them on the thumb piano :)

 Quinns says:  Apr 18, 2007. 2:33 AM  REPLYoh! i think you meant cut them lengthways... you could probably grind them? angle or bench grinder? i didnt find the thickness a problem myself... they sounded ok too :)

 cronen says:  Apr 3, 2007. 9:22 AM  REPLYHere's the source for the kit (and plenty of other musical kits).http://www.musikit.com/You can find blueprints, spring steel for the tines and even hardware kits so you can supply your own wood etc... I've made several of these and even madepiezo pickups to amplify them. A lot of fun.

 BobsDogHouse says:  Apr 6, 2007. 11:21 AM  REPLYToo many cool kits! I personally wouldn't buy a kit for something as simple as a thumb piano but many others there look like fun! They also sell the"prongs" for thumb pianos here seperately. http://www.musikit.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=prong&Category_Code=thum prongs]

BTW, I referenced your link on another reply and forgot to give you credit. (sorry!)

 cronen says:  Apr 6, 2007. 11:41 AM  REPLYI like this solid wood thumb piano design:

http://elderly.com/accessories/items/CBP8.htm

which is what I make using materials from misikit and lowe's...pretty much the only thing I buy from musikit is the bulk spring steel for the tines,everything else can be sourced easily at the local store. These are very simple to make and have a different tone based on the hardwood you use.The tines can be cut using a dremel or a hacksaw and then smoothed with a grinder or dremel.

 pipotin says:  Apr 6, 2007. 9:27 AM  REPLYhey you guys i just wanted to ask something to the creator of this thumb piano. for the keys you talk about some "street something thingies" can t rememberexactly what it was and i have no idea what you re talking about do i have to buy those or can i fine them somewhere else?? thanx a lot

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