Hokema - Sansula Deluxe

This is the highest quality for sound of the sansula designs. The Sansula Deluxe is a further development of the basic Sansula model. It is made with goatskin (rather than the synthetic skin of the Basic and Renaissance models). It also includes an adjustable tension device. These modifications greatly increase the range of possibilities of the instrument. For those wanting an instrument that does not use animal skin, the Sansula Renaissance and Basic are both good choices.

Notes of dew drops in the garden, soft rain falling on water, otters holding hands, echoes of enchanted beings, the song you sang to yourself when you were very small and that you always carry with you.

A minor tuning with 9 tines A - C - C - A - A - F - E - E - B.

Measurements: 7.8 x 6.1 x 2.6 inch

Materials: Cherry wood Kalimba Block. Beech wood frame. Goatskin membrane. 

How to play: pluck slowly or quickly ~ most often by using your thumbs, though some people use index and middle fingers. Find your melody and rhythm. Play notes together, honour a single note and let it vibrate into waves of mysticism. Create a dreamy 'wah-wah' effect by holding the instrument against the body or a flat surface and make magical sound waves. You can also purchase a Sansula soft bag to carry and protect your instrument which is made from a specially designed material that doubles  as a resonator and is perfect for the 'wah-wah'.

The Sansula is a patented invention from HOKEMA, a new development of the Kalimba (also called Sansa or Mbira), which has its origins in southern Africa. Kalimbas are reed instruments that are plucked with the thumbs or fingers. In Africa, you can find them in countless forms and designs, in which the vibration of the metal tongue (tine) is amplified in various ways (e.g. on a resonance box, a hollow body like a calabash gourd or simply a piece of solid wood).

With the Sansula, the vibration of the metal tongue (tine) is first "stored" in a block of wood, which then transmits it to a sound membrane. In this way, the sound can be heard much longer than with other methods of sound amplification. Supported by the tuning, the octaves are next to each other which create a wonderful and soft sound, rich in overtones, which can be elicited from the instrument with ease.