Listening: Thumb Piano

Recently a student gave me the surprise gift of a small thumb piano. Have you ever seen one? Have you ever heard one played really well? An instrument that makes sound by vibrating when it is plucked, the thumb piano comes from Sub-Saharan Africa and has many different names there (kalimba and mbira are two). I hopped on youtube and found the following amazing clip of Ruth from Uganda playing the thumb piano with Bela Fleck on banjo. Musicians the world over make beautiful music that can connect with people everywhere. Music is our common language! Take this chance to listen to excellent music from a corner of the globe far from us in miles but close to our hearts thanks to music. Posted by Jessica Spieser-Landes