Nine metal tines are precision tuned to 5 of the 7 notes of the A minor Scale (the white key of the piano). The notes are A, B, C, E and F, which give a nice flavour to the A minor scale, and is also the Hirajoshi Japanese scale, resulting in intuitive play - and it's certainly easy for a beginner to make it sound musical. Four of the tines are shorter and placed above five longer ones, arranged in octave resulting in ease of play. The cellulose resonator membrane adds volume and longevity to the sound. Hand-made from high quality materials in Germany by HOKEMA Kalimbas. Arrives attractively boxed. What is a Sansula? A Sansula is an innovative new instrument design from German Company HOKEMA, based on a Kalimba (which itself is a modern version of an Africa Mbira). Metal Tines are played with the thumbs and the sound resonates through the whole body of the instrument, resulting in a fuller and longer lasting tone than a normal Kalimba. A Kalimba is also known as a 'Thumb Piano'. Kalimba and Sansulas benefit from using modern, western scales so are more accessible to our western ears than the traditional African versions. Many are tuned to simple scales, making them easy to get started with and to make beautiful, relaxing music straight away. They can be used for meditation, yoga and even performance. The name 'Sansula' is derived from 'Sansa', which is another name for a type of 'Mbira'.