The kalimba is an instrument in the percussion family. It is a modernized version of the African mbira. It is a sound box with metal keys attached to the top to give the different notes. It is also known as the African thumb piano. Several reeds or tines are plucked with the thumb or fingers, and the reed vibrations are amplified by a hollow box resonator or a sounding board. The kalimba is a member of the Lamellophone family of musical instruments. The first kalimba to be exported commercially out of Africa was the Hugh Tracey Kalimba. The name kalimba is a Bantu word which means "little music", and is similar to the word karimba, a type of mbira. While kalimba initially meant the Hugh Tracey kalimba, the name kalimba is now a generic name and can describe any non-traditional thumb piano, or can even be used generically for the traditional lamellophones of Africa (ie, the mbira, karimba, sansa, etc). As used by Maurice White of 'Earth, Wind & Fire'.