A likembe is small enough to hold in both hands. It is usually made from a carved wooden box or a hollowed-out gourd, which acts as a resonator to make the sound louder and richer. Metal tines of different lengths are attached across the top — the longer the tine, the lower the note. By pressing down the end of a tine with your thumb and letting go, you produce a clear, ringing tone.
Players also buzz the likembe by attaching small pieces of metal or shell to the tines, which vibrate when the instrument is played and add a distinctive buzzing shimmer to the sound. This buzzing is considered a beautiful quality, not a defect — it gives the likembe its characteristic voice, warm and a little mysterious.
The likembe has been used for centuries in storytelling, prayer and social gatherings. A skilled player can produce complex, interlocking melodies using just two thumbs — the right hand and left hand play different patterns that weave together into something much more intricate than you might expect from such a small instrument.
Today, the likembe is part of both traditional Congolese music and modern compositions. Musicians around the world have been inspired by the thumb piano, and versions of it have appeared in pop, jazz and even classical music. It is one of Africa's great gifts to world music.