Mbira

"Kalimba" redirects here. For other uses, seeKalimba (disambiguation).

"Zanza" redirects here. For the Rurouni Kenshin character, seeSagara Sanosuke.

Mbira

Mbira dzavadzimu
Other instrument
Other names	finger harp, gourd piano, ikembe, kalimba, kilembe, likembe, likimba, marimbula, mbla, sansa, sansu, sanza, thumb piano, timbrh, zanzu, finger piano
Classification	Lamellophone,Plucked Idiophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	122.1 (Pluckedidiophone)
Timbre	clear, percussive, chimelike
Volume	low
Attack	fast
Decay	moderate
Playing range
Varies, seeTuning low to medium

Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and Zimbabwe
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Country	MalawiandZimbabwe
Reference	01541
Region	Africa
Inscription history
Inscription	2020 (15th session)
List	Representative

Mbira(/əmˈbɪərə/əm-BEER-ə) are a family ofmusical instruments,traditional to theShona peopleofZimbabwe.They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metaltines,played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs (at minimum), the rightforefinger(most mbira), and sometimes the leftforefinger.Musicologistsclassify it as alamellaphone,part of the pluckedidiophonefamily of musical instruments. In Eastern and Southern Africa, there are many kinds of mbira, often accompanied by thehosho,a percussion instrument. It is often an important instrument played at religious ceremonies, weddings, and other social gatherings. The "Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and Zimbabwe" was added to theUNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanityin 2020.

A modern interpretation of the instrument, thekalimba,was commercially produced and exported byethnomusicologistHugh Traceyin the late 1950s, popularising similar instruments outside of Africa. Tracey's design was modelled after thembira nyunga nyungaand named ''Kalimba'' after an ancient predecessor of the mbira family of instruments. The kalimba is basically a westernised younger version of mbira.It was popularized in the 1960s and early 1970s largely due to the successes of such musicians asMaurice Whiteof the bandEarth, Wind and FireandThomas Mapfumoin the 1970s.These musicians included mbira on stage accompanying modern rock instruments such as electric guitar and bass, drum kit, and horns. Their arrangements included numerous songs directly drawn from traditional mbira repertoire. Other notable influencers bringing mbira music out of Africa are:Dumisani Maraire,who broughtmarimbaand karimba music to the AmericanPacific Northwest;Ephat Mujuru,who was one of the pioneer teachers of mbira dzavadzimu in theUnited States;and the writings and recordings ofZimbabwean musiciansmade byPaul Berliner.

Joseph H. HowardandBabatunde Olatunjihave both suggested that mbira (and other metal lamellaphones) are thoroughly African, being found only in areas populated by Africans or their descendants.Similar instruments were reported to be used in Okpuje, Nsukka area of the south eastern part of Nigeria in the early 1900s.

History

A Zimbabweanmbira dza vadzimu

Various kinds of plucked idiophones and lamellaphones have existed in Africa for thousands of years. The tines were originally made of bamboo but over the years metal keys have been developed. These types of instrument appear to have been invented twice in Africa: a wood or bamboo-tined instrument appeared on the west coast of Africa about 3,000 years ago, and metal-tined lamellophones appeared in theZambezi Rivervalley around 1,300 years ago.Metal-tined instruments traveled all across the continent, becoming popular among the Shona of Zimbabwe (from which the word mbira comes) and other indigenous groups in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.The mbira was differentiated in its physical form and social uses as it spread. Kalimba-like instruments came to exist from the northern reaches of North Africa to the southern extent of theKalahari Desert,and from the east coast to the west coast, though many or most groups of people in Africa did not possess mbiras. There were thousands of different tunings, different note layouts, and different instrument designs, but there is a hypothetical tuning and note layout of the original metal-tined instrument from 1,300 years ago, referred to as the 'kalimba core'.

In the mid 1950s mbira instruments were the basis for the development of thekalimba,a westernised version designed and marketed by the ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey, leading to a great expansion of its distribution outside Africa.

Acoustics

Lamellophonesare instruments which have little tines, or "lamellae", which are played by plucking. Unlike stringed instruments or air-column instruments like flutes, theovertonesof a plucked lamella areinharmonic,giving the mbira a characteristic sound. The inharmonic overtones are strongest in theattackand die out rather quickly, leaving an almost pure tone. When a tine is plucked, the adjacent tines also create secondary vibrations that increase the harmonic complexity of an individual note.

Rhythm

Mbira music, like much of thesub-Saharan African music traditionsis based oncross-rhythm.An example from the kutsinhira part of the traditional mbira dzavadzimu piece "Nhema Musasa" is given by David Peñalosa, who observes that the left hand plays theostinato"bass line," while the right hand plays the upper melody. The composite melody is an embellishment of the 3:2 cross-rhythm (also known as ahemiola).

Tuning

Tuning chart for the Tracey 15-note alto kalimba (treble key missing).

mbira dzavadzimu tuning and key layout

* Same color keys are the same notes (usually octaves)
* Key “1” is the lowest note, ascending to the highest note key “23”
* Key “2” is often only found on the mavembe tuning
* Some mbira have extra keys (e.g. extra “17” on left side, or higher notes on the right beyond key “23” are most common)
* Note intervals can vary, but all the octaves are divided into a heptatonic scale, many being diatonic or at least nearly diatonic
* This diagram does not represent every mbira dzavadzimu, but does represent the most common layout
* The key numbering and color codes portrayed here are arbitrary and simply to communicate the layout (not traditional approach)

It is common on African mbira and other lamellophones to have the lowest notes in the centre with higher notes to the far left and the far right—this is an ergonomic nicety, in that the thumb can pivot such that all the tines are easy to reach. However, traditional African tunings use notes that do not lie on the grid of theWestern tempered scale,and traditional mbira note layouts are often idiosyncratic, sometimes with adjacent tines making part of a scale, but then an odd note thrown in that defies the pattern.

Historically, mbira tunings have not mapped exactly onto Western scales; it is not unusual for a seven-note sequence on a mbira to be "stretched"over a greater range of frequencies than a Western octave and for the intervals between notes to be different from those in a Western scale. Tunings have often been idiosyncratic with variations over time and from one player to another. A mbira key produces a rich complex of overtones that varies from one instrument to another depending on its maker's intentions and accidents of fabrication, such that some instruments simply sound better when some notes of a familiar tuning are pushed.With the increased popularity of the mbira dzavadzimu in North America, Europe, and Japan in recent decades, Zimbabwean mbira makers have tended to tune their instruments more uniformly for export, but much variation is still found among mbira in their homeland.

Tunings vary from family to family referring to relative interval relationships and not to absolute pitches. The most common tuning played throughout Zimbabwe and among non-Zimbabwean mbira players worldwide is Nyamaropa, similar to the westernMixolydian mode.Names may also vary between different families;Garikayi Tirikotihas developed a "mbira orchestra" that has seven different tunings, each starting on a different interval of the same seven-note scale, where it is possible to play all instruments in a single performance.The seven tunings that Garikayi uses are: Bangidza, Nyabango, Nhemamusasa, Chakwi, Taireva, Mahororo, and Mavembe (all of which are also names of traditional songs save for Mavembe and Nyabango). The closest to what is commonly named "Nyamaropa" is his "Nhemamusasa" tuning.

Specific tunings

Common names for tunings are:

• Nyamaropa(close toMixolydian mode) (considered the oldest and most representative in Shona culture) It emphasizes togetherness through music, creating polyrhythms through having two Mbira players at once, having singing styles accompany anMbirasuch asHuro(High emotional notes that are at the top of a singer's range) &Mahon'era(a soft breathy voice at the bottom of the singer's range) or both elements. A single Mbira is considered incomplete for a performance.
• Dambatsoko(close toIonian mode), played by the Mujuru family. The name refers to their ancestral burial grounds.
• Dongonda,usually a Nyamaropa tuned mbira with the right side notes the same octave as the left (an octave lower than usual).
• Katsanzaira(close toDorian mode), the highest pitch of the traditional mbira tunings. The name means "the gentle rain before the storm hits".
• Mavembe(also: Gandanga) (close toPhrygian mode), Sekuru Gora claims to have invented this tuning at a funeral ceremony. The mourners were singing a familiar song with an unfamiliar melody and he went outside the hut and tuned his mbira to match the vocal lines. Other mbira players dispute that he invented it.
• Nemakonde(close to Phrygian mode), same musical relationship as the mavembe, but the nemakonde tuning is a very low pitched version.
• Saungweme(flattened whole tone, approaching seven tone equal temperament).

Variants

Mbira dzavadzimu

Mbira dzavadzimu in adeze

InShona music,the mbira dzavadzimu ("voice of the ancestors",or"mbira of the ancestral spirits",national instrument of Zimbabwe) is a musical instrument that has been played by theShona peopleofZimbabwefor thousands of years. Thembira dzavadzimuis frequently played at religious ceremonies and social gatherings calledmapira(sing. "bira"). Thembira dzavadzimucan be used to play over one hundred songs, such asKariga mombe.

A typicalmbira dzavadzimuconsists of between 22 and 28 keys constructed from hot- or cold-forgedmetal affixed to a hardwoodsoundboard(gwariva) in three different registers—two on the left, one on the right.

While playing, thelittle fingerof the right hand is placed through a hole in the bottom right corner of the soundboard, with the little finger entering from the front of sound board, and thering fingerandmiddle fingerreaching around the back to stabilise the instrument. This leaves the thumb and index finger of the right hand open tostrokethe keys in the right register from above (thumb) and below (index finger). The fingers of the left hand stabilise the left side of the instrument, with most fingers reaching slightly behind the instrument. Both registers on the left side of the instrument are played with the left thumb. Some mbira possess an extra key in the upper left register which is hit from below by the left index finger.

Bottle caps,shells,or other objects ( "machachara") are often affixed to the soundboard to create a buzzing sound when the instrument is played. In a traditional setting, this sound is considered extremely important, as it is believed to attractancestral spirits.

During a public performance, anmbira dzavadzimuis frequently placed in adeze(calabashresonator) to amplify its sound.

Thembira dza vadzimuis very significant inShonareligionandculture,considered a sacred instrument by the Shona people. It is usually played to facilitate communication with ancestral spirits, bringing the spirit of the dead back on its homestead.Within the Shona tradition, the mbira may be played with paired performers in which thekushaura,the caller, leads the performed piece as thekutsinhira,the responder, "interlocks" a subsequent part.The ritual is known as theBira.During these all-night ceremonies, people call upon the spirits to answer questions. The variations of notes in anMbirapiece aid the participants in going into trance, which in Shona culture aids the spirits in taking over the participant's body.

Albert Chimedza,director of the Mbira Centre inHarare,has estimated that "there are at most ten thousand people in the world who play mbira."

Mbira Nyunga Nyunga

The nyunga nyunga which normally has 15 keys, originated fromManicalandwhere it traditionally played the entertainment role during social gatherings and commemorations.Jeke (Jack) Tapera introduced thembira nyunga nyungain the 1960s from Tete province of Mozambique to Kwanongoma College of African music (now United College of Music) in Bulawayo. Two keys were then added to make fifteen (Chirimumimba, 2007), in two rows. The mbira nyunga nyunga is similar in construction to the mbira dzavadzimu, but has no hole in the soundboard. Key pitch radiates out from the center, rather than from left to right.

Zimbabwe'sDumisani Maraireoriginated mbira nyunga nyunga number notation. The upper row keys (from left) are keys 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 while the bottom row keys are notated as 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15. Maraire brought awareness of this instrument to the United States when he came to the University of Washington as a visiting artist from 1968 to 1972.

Recently aMidlands State University(Gweru,Zimbabwe) lecturer in the department of music and musicology has suggested a letter notation; the upper keys as (from first left upper key) E, D, C, F, C, D, and E and the lower or bottom keys as (from the first lower key) A, G, F, A, F, C, D, and E. But the Maraire number notation has remained the internationally accepted system (Chirimumimba, 2007).

Dutch composerMaarten Regtien(1963) uses a Mbira Nyunga Nyunga in the electronic compositionDaddy Mbira - Mbira Penguin Talks(2014), creating soundscapes and using western composition techniques like the canon, impossible to play on a mbira.

Njari mbira

Njari mbira has 30 to 32 keys and was also originated from Zimbabwe particularly Masvingo and Makonde.

Nhare

The nhare has 23 to 24 keys and was originated from Zimbabwe. In the Zimbabwean tradition, nhare was used for rituals of communicating with Musikavanhu or Nyadenga (God).

Mbira matepe

Main article:Matepe

A Zimbabweanmatepe

Mbira matepe which has 26 keys originated from along the borders of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Outside Africa

In the diaspora

See also:marimbula

A Kalimba player inBrazilbyEduard Hildebrandt(1846)

The first documentation of Kalimbas in Brazil dates back to 1723 where they are referred to as marimbas (not to be confused withmarimbas).They seem to have faded into obscurity as they didn't make it to the present day, although "modern" Kalimbas now exist in Brazil.

An example of a Marimbula inHaiti

InCubaAfricanlamellophonesalong with theCajóninfluenced the origins of the marimbula, whose history is poorly documented but is suspected to have originated in eastern Cuba.

Hugh Tracey

TheHugh Traceykalimbas are tuneddiatonicallyin the key of G. The arrangement of the notes on the Hugh Tracey kalimba borrows from the typical scheme with the lowest notes in the center and the upper notes on the left and the right, with the notes in the ascending scale alternating strictly right-left and going outwards towards the two sides.

The diatonic western kalimba tuning which Tracey used was practical for a worldwide instrument—with hundreds of African kalimba tunings, the chosen Western standard would maximise the number of people who would immediately connect with the kalimba. The practicality of this note arrangement, with notes going up the scale in a right-left-right-left progression, is that modal 1-3-5 or 1-3-5-7 chords are made by playing adjacent tines. If chords are played in the lower octave, the same notes will appear on the opposite side of the kalimba in the upper octave, which makes it very easy to simultaneously play a melody in the upper octave and an accompanying harmony in the lower octave. So, the arrangement of notes on the Hugh Tracey kalimba (and on virtually any kalimba that copies the instrument) makes certain complex musical operations very simple.

Alternative tunings are possible, as the tines of most kalimbas are easily pushed in and out to sharpen or flatten their pitch. Some alternative tunings simply change the key of the kalimba, without changing the note layout scheme. C major is a popular tuning, sold by multiple manufacturers. Other alternative tunings move the kalimba to non-modal scales (such as Middle-Eastern scales). Each note of the kalimba can be tuned independently (unlike a guitar), so any scale, western or non-western, is possible, and traditional African scales are still accessible to this modern African instrument. ComposerGeorg Hajduhas tuned the Hugh Tracey alto kalimba to the chromatic steps of theBohlen–Pierce scalein a piece calledJust Her – Jester – Gesture.The Bohlen–Pierce scale subdivides the just twelfth into 13 steps.

• 
  Hugh Tracey treble kalimba
• 
  An octagonal mbira of high craftsmanship which spans two octaves.
• 
  Gaya Street Sunday Market, Kota Kinabalu

Related instruments

Sanza

Signature Series Gravikord

Instruments related to or inspired by the mbira include:

• Array mbira,a modern invention consisting of as many as 150 tines configured in a special order based on thecircle of fifths(seeIsomorphic keyboard).
• Gravikord,an electrified double harp that is a modernkoraand kalimba hybrid, inspired by thecross rhythmsof the mbira. The Gravikord was invented in 1986 by Bob Grawi, an American musician and artist. It is also tuned in the key of G major/E minor in an extended version of the Hugh Tracey kalimba tone layout with a range of3+1⁄2octaves. Music and playing techniques learned on this kalimba can be easily transferred and played on the Gravikord.
• Guitaret,anelectric lamellophonemade byHohnerand invented byErnst Zacharias,in 1963.
• Ikembe,an instrument common among theHutuofRwanda,Burundi,and easternDR Congo.
• Modern kalimba, the mbira inspired instruments of Hugh Tracey. Named after the original kalimba (ancestor of mbira).
• KisanjiamongNgala-speakingpeople of westernDR Congoand easternCongo Republic.
• Thoom Otieno(also tom, thom or toom), popular inGambela Region,in Western Ethiopia on the border of South Sudan.
• Marímbula(also Marimból), a bass instrument used in the Caribbean and Mexico.

In popular culture

On May 21, 2020, as part of Zimbabwe Culture Week,Googlehonoured the mbira with adoodlewhich included a button allowing users to hear and play the instrument virtually. The doodle also featured theanimatedstory of a young girl who learns to play the mbira, later inspiring a new generation of mbira players after becoming an established artiste as an adult.

Despite itsBotswanansetting, the 1980 movieThe Gods Must Be Crazyfeatures a character playing the mbira.

In the 2010video gameDonkey Kong Country Returns,one of main antagonists of the game is named Krazy Kalimba. Being a member of the musical instrument-themed Tiki Tak Tribe, his design features a "crown" evoking the keys of a kalimba, and he plays kalimba music as part of his hypnotic chant used to make various animals do his bidding.

Players

Main article:List of mbira players

See also

• Electric lamellophone
• Gravikord
• Music of Africa
• Polyrhythm
• Xylophone

General references

• Berliner, Paul(c. 1978).The Soul of Mbira: Music and Traditions of the Shona People of Zimbabwe.Berkeley:University of California Press.
• Fowler, Andy(2020)Discover Mbira: Ancient Zimbabwean Trance Music.Mbira Magic.
• Fowler, Andy(2015)Unlocking Mbira: Chord Progression and System of Mbira Workbook.Mbira Magic.
• Gahadzikwa, Fungai;Fowler, Andy(2016)Traditional Mbira Song Book.Mbira Magic.
• Howard, Joseph H.(1967).Drums in the Americas.New York City:Oak Publications.
• Kwenda, Forward;Fowler, Andy(2019)Learn to Play Mbira: Traditional Songs and Improvisation.Mbira Magic.
• Mutwa, Credo Vusa'mazulu(1969).My people: the incredible writings of Credo Vusa'mazulu Mutwa.Johannesburg:Blue Crane Books.
• Tracey, Andrew(1970)."The Matepe Mbira Music of Rhodesia"(PDF).African Music Society Journal.4(4): 37–61.doi:10.21504/amj.v4i4.1681.(Note: this article is the original source of the Matepe songSiti,as played byZimbabwean Marimbaband Musango.)
• Tracey, Hugh(1961).The evolution of African music and its function in the present day.Johannesburg:Institute for the Study of Man in Africa.
• Tracey, Hugh(1969)."The Mbira class of African Instruments in Rhodesia (1932)".African Music Society Journal.4(3): 78–95.doi:10.21504/amj.v4i3.1439.
• Warner Dietz, Betty;Olatunji, Michael Babatunde(1965).Musical Instruments of Africa; Their Nature, Use, and Place in the Life of a Deeply Musical People.New York City:John Day Company.

External links

• Mbira.org,"the non-profit organization devoted to Shona mbira music", based inBerkeley,California
• sympathetic-resonances.org:A free online platform featuring computer-generated playback and visualisation of mbira transcriptions, with the long-term goal of cultural preservation.
• MbiraMagic.ComMbira Education Website
• Mbira.Online:Mbira Masters Video and Notation Archive
• Daddy Mbira - Mbira Penguin Talks(2014), electronic mbira composition by M.Regtien.
• Zimfest.org,a Zimbabwean Music Festival held annually in North America that offers many opportunities to learn and listen to mbira.

Archived Link -Mbira.co.zw,"A community of mbira players, researchers, makers & lovers, for the enhancement of the Mbira, music & fashion. Mbira Transfiguration & Permanence", based inHarare,Zimbabwe