The 17-key kalimba (also called mbira or thumb piano) has a unique alternating tine layout: the lowest note sits in the center, and pitches alternate left and right as they ascend. This means that playing a scale requires your thumbs to alternate in a zigzag pattern, and chords are plucked by combining tines on both sides. ChordColor renders this authentic layout with interval coloring on each tine, so you can see which tines form a chord and plan your thumb movements.
Standard 17-key kalimba is tuned to C major (C4 in the center, ranging from D3 to D6). Because it is a diatonic instrument, not every chord type is physically possible -- you cannot play notes outside the C major scale without retuning. ChordColor shows which chord tones are available on the current tuning and which are missing, helping you understand the harmonic possibilities and limitations of your kalimba.
Kalimba chords are typically played as arpeggios rather than strummed simultaneously. The interval colors help you identify which tines to pluck in sequence to outline a chord. Click any tine in the visualizer to hear its pitch and see how it fits into the selected chord. Common kalimba chords in C major include C, Am, F, G, Dm, and Em -- the six triads that use only white-key notes.