The thumb piano comes from the lamellophone family and is deeply rooted within the African culture. Even though the instrument has gained the name “thumb piano” it is not correct because Africans usually play with more fingers than just their thumb. In the West we often refer to the item as Mbira, however that is incorrect as well because the Mbira is only one type of the Thumb Piano. The Mbira is just the most famous form of Thumb Pianos that people outside of Africa know about. The unique feature about this particular instrument is that before globalization the thumb piano could only be found in Africa and any where that African ancestors have lived. Thats why the thumb piano we know of in America called Kalimba is the modern version of the ones from Africa. The thumb pianos are known to be percussion instruments. Different tribes have their own unique and different styles of these instruments. However, the basic structure is ALWAYS the same. Keys of different length and shape are clamped to some type of resonator. The keys are usually made of iron, but it is also no unusual that the builder could use bicycle spikes or bed springs. The style and number of keys differ from one tribe to another and the resonator can either be a hollow gourd or even a wooden box/board. Unlike most musical instruments the thumb piano is not meant for entertainment. The traditional use for the instrument is for religious functions. Africans believe that the sound may attract spirits and ancestors for their advice. It could be used at weddings and funerals as well. However, in the recent decades talented thumb piano players have made their own genre based upon tribal and traditional musics. Therefore the thumb piano is still growing even though its over centuries old.