Mbira - What is Mbira
The mbira is a conventional African instrument that has been played for over a thousand years. In this exercise we will examine the instrument and its history.
Out of Africa
It is the center of the night in the wilds of Zimbabwe. You've been welcome to go to a hallowed function. The moving and ensembles are entrancing and outlandish. The Shona individuals assembled around you are reciting and reflecting. Underneath everything, music is playing - music you've never heard. It is chime like, dreary, shaking, humming, and abnormally sleep inducing. You're tuning in to the mbira (articulated 'um-BEER-a').
Mbira or Thumb Piano?
The mbira is an instrument from the African mainland. It is in some cases called the 'thumb piano' since it is played with the thumbs and one finger. The mbira is made of 22 to 28 metal keys joined to a hardwood soundboard called the gwariva, generally positioned inside an enormous gourd to intensify the sound. The metal keys are culled with the two thumbs and the pointer of the correct hand. The thumbs pluck descending on the keys. The index finger culls upward from underneath the keys.
Generally, the keys were produced using iron mineral refined from rocks. Today it is regular for the keys to be made of reused materials, for example, couch springs, vehicle spokes, or jars. Other reused things, for example, shells, dots, and container tops, are connected to the soundboard to make a humming sound.
The Mbira and the Shona
The mbira is found all through the African mainland, yet it is related most intimately with the Shona individuals of Zimbabwe. The Shona have played the mbira for in excess of a thousand years. It is
referenced in their writing and is a piece of their love and customs. The Shona name for the instrument is mbira dzavadzimu, which signifies 'mbira of the progenitors.'
The mbira is played for significant Shona services, for example, the bira, a throughout the night soul ownership function. For these services the mbira is joined by hand-applauding, singing, and percussion instruments. The Shona accept that the music of the mbira associates them to their predecessors.