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A lamellophone (also lamellaphone or linguaphone) is a member of the family of musical instruments that makes its sound by a thin vibrating plate called a lamella or tongue, which is fixed at one end and has the other end free. When the musician depresses the free end of a plate with a finger or fingernail, and then allows the finger to slip off, the released plate vibrates. An instrument may have a single tongue (such as a Jew's harp) or a series of multiple tongues (such as a mbira thumb piano).
Linguaphone comes from the Latin root lingua meaning "tongue", (i.e., a long thin plate that is fixed only at one end). lamellophone comes from the Latin word lamella for "small metal plate", and the Greek language word φωνή phonē for "sound, voice"..
The lamellophones constitute category 12 in the Hornbostel–Sachs system for classifying musical instruments, plucked . There are two main categories of plucked idiophones, those that are in the form of a frame (121) and those that are in the form of a comb (122).
According to Curt Sachs,Sachs, Curt (1940). The History of Musical Instruments, p.455. W. W. Nortan & Company, Inc.
In most cases the tongues are divided in two playing halves with the lowest notes in the centre; from there to the left and to the right each tongue is tuned higher than the previous one. The tongues may also be arranged in a linear arrangement in the manner of a piano. Tongues may be made small enough to play with individual fingers, hence the colloquial name "thumb piano". (Although some instruments, like the Mbira, have an additional rows of tongues, in which case not just the thumbs are used for plucking.)
Some conjecture that African lamellophones were derived from and . However, similar instruments have been found elsewhere; for example, the indigenous peoples of Siberia play wooden and metallic lamellophones with a single tongue.
Lamellophones may be made with or without . There are also electric lamellophones with an additional pickup.
The Array Mbira is a lamellophone with an alternate tine configuration. It is electrified by the addition of a 2-channel stereo piezo cable pickup system. A special solid-body Array mbira exists.
The Space Harp, or Frankiphone (designed, built and played by Phil Cohran), is a famous instance of an electric lamellophone.
A range of other mbiras and have been created by contemporary instrument makers. The African band Konono No.1 uses custom-built electric kalimbas with electro-magnetic pickups. Neptune's Jason Sanford makes electric thumb pianos from scrap in a similar tradition and Yuri Landman has made 12-TET bass kalimbas and metal .
In 1932, Andre Schaeffner developed a new classification scheme that was "exhaustive, potentially covering all real and conceivable instruments" Kartomi,. Schaeffner's system has only two top-level categories denoted by Roman numerals (Schaeffner, A.: Origine des instruments de musique, pp. 371–377.):
121.1 Clack idiophones or Cricri - The lamella is carved in the surface of a fruit shell, which serves as resonator. Also known as galip nut snapper.Fischer, Hans (1983/1986). Sound-producing Instruments in Oceania, p.52. Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies. ASIN: B0010S35VW.
121.2 Guimbardes and jaw harps - The lamella is mounted in a rod- or plaque-shaped frame and depends on the player's mouth cavity for resonance.
122.1 With laced on lamellae.
122.11 Without resonator.
122.12 With resonator.
122.2 With cut-out lamellae
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