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Lamellophone
Lamellophone
Lamellophone
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A Hugh Tracey treble kalimba
A Jew's harp

A lamellophone (also lamellaphone or linguaphone) is a member of the family of musical instruments that makes its sound by a thin vibrating plate called a lamella or tongue, which is fixed at one end and has the other end free. When the musician depresses the free end of a plate with a finger or fingernail, and then allows the finger to slip off, the released plate vibrates. An instrument may have a single tongue (such as a Jew's harp) or a series of multiple tongues (such as a mbira thumb piano).

Linguaphone comes from the Latin root lingua meaning 'tongue', (i.e., a long thin plate that is fixed only at one end). Lamellophone comes from the Latin word lamella for 'small metal plate',[1] and the Greek word φωνή phonē for 'sound, voice'.[2]

The lamellophones constitute category 12 in the Hornbostel–Sachs system for classifying musical instruments, plucked idiophones. There are two main categories of plucked idiophones, those that are in the form of a frame (121) and those that are in the form of a comb (122).

According to Sachs,[3]

The most usual [of plucked idiophones] is a flexible lamella or tongue attached to a frame, plucked by a finger and resonated by a small box.

African lamellophones

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Main article: Thumb piano

A large number of lamellophones originate in Africa, where they are known under different names including mbira, kisanji, likembe, kalimba, kongoma, and sanza. They play a role in southeast African Music. They were reported as early as the 16th century, but there is no doubt they have a much longer history. The Caribbean marímbula is also of this family. The marímbula can be seen as a bass variant of the mbira and is sometimes used in hip hop music.[4]

In most cases the tongues are divided in two playing halves with the lowest notes in the centre; from there to the left and to the right each tongue is tuned higher than the previous one. The tongues may also be arranged in a linear arrangement in the manner of a piano. Tongues may be made small enough to play with individual fingers, hence the colloquial name "thumb piano". (Although some instruments, like the Mbira, have an additional rows of tongues, in which case not just the thumbs are used for plucking.)[5]

Some conjecture that African lamellophones were derived from xylophones and marimbas. However, similar instruments have been found elsewhere; for example, the indigenous peoples of Siberia play wooden and metallic lamellophones with a single tongue.[citation needed]

Lamellophones may be made with or without resonators. There are also electric lamellophones with an additional pickup.

Electric lamellophones

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Electric lamellophones have been electrified with an electro-magnetic pickup (like on electric guitars) or contact piezo pickup.

The electric Array mbira

Piezo pickup lamellophones

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There is a distinct difference between the piezo and the electro-magnetic pickup. Most electric lamellophones feature piezo pickups. The piezo sound contains more treble and has more problems with feedback when amplified (distorted) heavily. Lucinda Ellison produces a wide range of her Embiras, which are solid body electric mbiras with piezo pickups — a design first conceived in 1981 and finalised in 1996. David Bellinger has been making ekalimbas - kalimbas with piezo pickups - for 20 years.

The Array Mbira is a lamellophone with an alternate tine configuration. It is electrified by the addition of a 2-channel stereo piezo cable pickup system. A special solid-body Array mbira exists.

Electro-magnetic lamellophones

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The guitaret

Ernst Zacharias created a series of electric lamellophones created in the 1960s for Hohner. These instruments were based on the reeds made by Hohner (already employed in accordions, concertinas, melodicas and harmonicas). These instruments were the Pianet (plucked by a foam pad), the Cembalet (plucked by a rubber pad) and the Guitaret (plucked by fingers). The idea of a struck reed tongue had been pioneered by the Alexandre brothers in their "Orgues expressifs" (harmoniums) in the 19th century, where they were called percussion stops.

The Space Harp, or Frankiphone (designed, built and played by Phil Cohran), is a famous instance of an electric lamellophone.

A range of other mbiras and kalimbas have been created by contemporary instrument makers. The African band Konono No.1 uses custom-built electric kalimbas with electro-magnetic pickups. Neptune's Jason Sanford makes electric thumb pianos from scrap in a similar tradition and Yuri Landman has made 12-TET bass kalimbas and metal tongue drums.

Schaeffner's classification

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Plucked/flexible idiophones

Schaeffner's musical instrument classification scheme has a post-prominent place for the linguaphones (lamellophones) at the second highest level of classification.

In 1932, Andre Schaeffner developed a new classification scheme that was "exhaustive, potentially covering all real and conceivable instruments" [Kartomi, p. 176]. Schaeffner's system has only two top-level categories denoted by Roman numerals (Schaeffner, A.: Origine des instruments de musique, pp. 371–377.):

  • I: instruments that make sound from vibrating solids;
    • IA Solids not susceptibles of tension (equivalent to a big part of Hornbostel & Sachs idiophones);
    • IB Flexible solids (equivalent to mainly linguaphones);
    • IC Tensionable solids (equivalent to both membranophones and chordophones);
  • II: instruments that make sound from vibrating air (aerophones).

List of lamellophones

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Main article: List of idiophones by Hornbostel–Sachs number

In the form of a frame (121)

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The lamellae vibrate within a frame or hoop

121.1 Clack idiophones or Cricri - The lamella is carved in the surface of a fruit shell, which serves as resonator.[6] Also known as galip nut snapper.[7]

121.2 Guimbardes and jaw harps - The lamella is mounted in a rod- or plaque-shaped frame and depends on the player's mouth cavity for resonance.

121.21 Idioglot guimbardes - The lamella is of one substance with the frame of the instrument.
121.22 Heteroglot guimbardes - The lamella is attached to the frame.
121.221 Individual heteroglot guimbardes.
121.222 Sets of heteroglot guimbardes.
  • (121.21) Đàn môi, Vietnam. Instrument carved from a single piece of bamboo.
    (121.21) Đàn môi, Vietnam. Instrument carved from a single piece of bamboo.
  • (121.221) Murchunga, Nepal
    (121.221) Murchunga, Nepal
  • (121.222) A Kouxian, played by plucking the ends in front of the oral cavity. The lamellae resonate to produce sound.
    (121.222) A Kouxian, played by plucking the ends in front of the oral cavity. The lamellae resonate to produce sound.

In the form of a comb (122)

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Whale Drum with 8 tongues (from Emil Richards Collection)
Argentinian quisanche made of wood, has five tempered steel reeds, which are dotted to mark a melodic bass in the Buenos Aires candombe.

The lamellae are tied to a board or cut out from a board like the teeth of a comb.

122.1 With laced on lamellae.

122.11 Without resonator.

122.12 With resonator.

122.2 With cut-out lamellae

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Lamellophone

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
A lamellophone is a musical instrument belonging to the idiophone family, consisting of a series of thin, elastic lamellae—typically made of metal or bamboo—fixed at one end to a board or frame and free to vibrate at the other, producing sound when plucked by the thumbs or fingers, often over a resonator such as a gourd or wooden box. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, lamellophones are categorized under 122 as plucked idiophones in board or comb form, encompassing instruments where the lamellae are the primary sound-producing elements. Originating in , lamellophones have a history spanning millennia, with archaeological evidence of iron lamellae dating to 500–700 CE in regions like the Zambezi Valley, though versions may predate this by thousands of years in areas such as present-day . The term "lamellophone" was coined in by ethnomusicologist Gerhard Kubik to provide a neutral, descriptive name avoiding regional linguistic biases, replacing earlier terms like "sansa" derived from specific African languages. These instruments spread widely across Central, Eastern, and through trade and migration, evolving into diverse regional variants known by names such as (among the Shona of ), (in and ), likembe (in the ), and nyonganyonga (among the Sena of ). They play a central role in traditional music-making, often used for personal expression, accompaniment to songs, , and social gatherings, particularly by men in many cultures, with repertoires featuring improvised melodies that reflect themes like love, family, and daily life. Notable types include board lamellophones with 8–18 keys, such as the Zambian kankobele (8–10 iron keys on a separate ) and ndandi (11–14 keys, introduced in the early via migrant labor), which are tuned to heptatonic scales spanning about 1.5 octaves and sometimes enhanced with buzzing devices for rhythmic texture. While most prevalent in African traditions, lamellophones have influenced global music through diaspora, appearing in genres as the and in modern Western adaptations like the Hugh Tracey kalimba.

Introduction

Definition and Etymology

A lamellophone is a type of plucked in which sound is produced by the vibration of thin, elastic lamellae—strips or tongues fixed at one end and free to vibrate at the other—when they are flexed and released by plucking with the fingers or thumbs. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, lamellophones fall under category 12 (plucked s), with subcategories including 121 for frame-formed types (where lamellae vibrate within a frame) and 122 for board- or comb-formed types (where lamellae project from a flat board or comb-like structure). This classification emphasizes the instrument's core mechanism: the lamellae's inherent solidity and elasticity generate and radiate sound without reliance on strings, membranes, or air columns. The term "lamellophone" originates from the Latin lamella, denoting a small plate or thin layer, combined with the Greek phōnē, meaning sound or voice, reflecting the instrument's sound-producing elements. It entered English usage around 1953 as a borrowing from the Italian lamellofono, initially appearing in ethnomusicological contexts to unify for various African instruments previously known by regional names like or kalimba. Ethnomusicologist Gerhard Kubik popularized the term in 1966 to standardize description of these "thumb pianos" across African traditions, avoiding language-specific labels. While encompassing a broad family, lamellophones differ from closely related instruments like the (a single-lamella variant under 121.2, resonated by the player's mouth cavity) and music boxes (mechanically actuated multi-lamella devices under 122.2, with fixed tuning rather than manual plucking). These distinctions highlight variations in and actuation, though all share the fundamental lamella vibration principle.

Acoustics and Sound Production

The lamellophone produces sound through the of thin, elastic lamellae, which are strips fixed at one end and free at the other, functioning as idiophones via elastic deformation when plucked. These lamellae, typically made of metal or , vibrate primarily in transverse modes, generating a and higher overtones that contribute to the instrument's characteristic . In the African , a prominent lamellophone variant, the acoustic spectrum features notable overtones at approximately five and fourteen times the , arising from the beam-like of the cantilevered metal rods. The bridge or support structure anchors the lamellae to the soundboard, typically positioning it not at the fixed end but along the length, creating a clamped-supported-free boundary condition that influences both pitch and timbre. This configuration alters the frequency ratios of higher modes relative to the fundamental (e.g., f₂/f₁ and f₃/f₁), with the bridge's placement modulating the distribution of vibrational energy and thus the harmonic content. For instance, shifting the bridge closer to the free end can raise the fundamental pitch while compressing higher overtones, affecting the overall brightness of the tone. The of a lamella can be modeled using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory for a , where the equation of motion is derived from the balance of bending moments and inertial forces: EI∂4y∂x4+μ∂2y∂t2=0EI \frac{\partial^4 y}{\partial x^4} + \mu \frac{\partial^2 y}{\partial t^2} = 0, with y(x,t)y(x,t) as transverse displacement, EE as , II as the second moment of area, and μ\mu as mass per unit length. Assuming a separable solution y(x,t)=X(x)eiωty(x,t) = X(x) e^{i \omega t}, this yields X′′′′(x)=β4X(x)X''''(x) = \beta^4 X(x), where β4=μω2/EI\beta^4 = \mu \omega^2 / EI and ω=2πf\omega = 2\pi f. For a fixed-free of length LL, boundary conditions (X(0)=X′(0)=0X(0) = X'(0) = 0, X′′(L)=X′′′(L)=0X''(L) = X'''(L) = 0) lead to the equation cos⁡βLcosh⁡βL+1=0\cos \beta L \cosh \beta L + 1 = 0, with the first root β1L≈1.875\beta_1 L \approx 1.875. Thus, the is f=(β1L)22πL2EIμ≈3.5162πL2EIμf = \frac{(\beta_1 L)^2}{2\pi L^2} \sqrt{\frac{EI}{\mu}} \approx \frac{3.516}{2\pi L^2} \sqrt{\frac{EI}{\mu}}
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