thumb piano

noun

: mbira

Examples of thumb piano in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With hypnotic thumb pianos, raspy turntables, upbeat percussion, and spirited performances from the Amazones, Musow Danse begins by leaning into its themes of empowerment and celebration. Chinonso Ihekire, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2024 The instructors walked in circles around me, moving closer and farther from my ears, hitting bowls, wind chimes, a rain stick, a thumb piano, and a tambor oceánico, an instrument filled with pellets that made a sound like breaking waves. John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2023 Zikina, the world music band consisting of guitarist and percussionist Mike Cardozo, bassist Roston Kirk, drummer Kade Parkin and Uganda instrumentalist Gideon Ampeire, who has built his own zither and thumb piano. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2022 The ensemble’s concerts are performed with pure voices augmented by minimalistic percussion, traditional instruments such as the Mbira (thumb piano), and organic, authentic dance movements. baltimoresun.com, 27 Jan. 2022 Here’s a kalimba, an African thumb piano with metal tines that plink like a music box. Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2021 Cowell was among the first jazz musicians to make prominent use of the kalimba, a thumb piano from southeastern Africa. Giovanni Russonello New York Times, Star Tribune, 20 Dec. 2020 Engineers have developed a sensor to test for real medicine based on an unusual source: a musical instrument known as the mbira, also known as a thumb piano. David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 13 Sep. 2018 These little thumb pianos seem to crop up on every shelf and mantel. Hilarie M. Sheets, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thumb piano.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thumb piano was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near thumb piano

Cite this Entry

“Thumb piano.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thumb%20piano. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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