How to make an...

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A perfect instrument for getting haunting ligotti-esque satanic
music box sounds, as used in the latest Zandvoort & Uilenbal album
(listen to the sound in 'Always a nice story before bedtime')
https://legowelt.bandcamp.com/track/always-a-nice-story-before-bedtime

A Kalimba/Mbira is an African musical instrument, a 'lammellophone' 
consisting of a box with a number of thin metal plates ('tongues') on 
which you can play melodies.

An 'electro acoustic' version is truly the most simplest thing in the 
world to make:

you will need:
- A Thumbharp, Kalimba, Mbira (Any local musicshop will have one)

- A contact/transducer/piezo element with an audio plug
connected to it. You can make these yourselves supercheap by getting
a 70 cents buzzer element and attach a cable with plug to it. Contact 
mics with an audio cable already attached are also cheaply available.

- Gaffer Tape

Tape the contact mic to the upper part of the kalimba, below the the 
steel rods so its not in the way of playing.

Connect the plug into your mixer or pre-amp or whatever and you are 
ready to go!  you probably have to pump up the gain a bit, put some 
effects over it (Spring reverb, a bit of overdrive/distortion with delay 
is most excellent for this sound) and start playing!!!

L.S.