Mbira
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Mbira Dzavadzimu in deze (top), Mbira Nyunga Nyunga (bottom), Hosho (bottom left). |
In
African music, the
mbira (also known as
Likembe,
Mbila,
Thumb Piano,
Mbira Huru,
Mbira Njari,
Mbira Nyunga Nyunga,
Karimba or
Kalimba) is a
musical instrument consisting of a wooden board to which staggered metal keys have been attached. It is often fitted into a
resonator. In Eastern and Southern Africa there are many kinds of mbira, usually accompanied by the
hosho. Among the
Shona there are three that are very popular (see
Shona music). The Mbira is usually classified as part of the
lamellaphone family.
Mbira Dzavadzimu
In
Shona music, the
mbira dza vadzimu (or
mbira of the ancestor spirits) is a musical instrument that has been used by the
Shona people of
Zimbabwe for thousands of years, going all the way back to one of the
Mhondoro or Great Spirit Mediums,
Chaminuka. It is often played at religious ceremonies and social gatherings.
A bass version of the mbira is called a
marimbula in Cuba or marimbola in Puerto Rico. It resembles a large wooden box with keys on the front. The player usually sits on the instrument while playing.
Kalimba is the brand name of a version based on the Mbira but tuned to a western scale. In the 1920's an Englishman by the name of
Hugh Tracey arrived in Africa and was fascinated with the Mbira. Kalimbas continue to be handcrafted in a family run workshop in Grahmstown, South Africa. They come in three different models, the treble (17 notes, 2 octaves), celeste (17 notes, 2 octaves) and alto (15 notes, 2 octaves).
Construction
The mbira dzavadzimu is constructed from 22 to 28 strips of forged or hammered metal of varying lengths affixed to a hardwood
soundboard. The soundboard has a hole in the bottom right corner through which the
little finger of the right hand is placed while playing to allow the right index finger to pluck the high notes from underneath the keys. There are usually several
bottle caps,
shells or other objects affixed to the soundboard (known as
machachara[Williams, B. Michael. (2001) Learning Mbira: A Beginning. Everett, PA: HoneyRock. ISBN 0-9634060-4-3]) which create a buzzing sound when the instrument is played. This sound is thought to attract the ancestor spirits.
The
keys are arranged in three
rows, two on the left and one on the right. The bottom-left row contains the bass keys, the top-left row the middle-range keys and the right row a combination of the secondary bass keys and the high keys.
Religious and social significance
The mbira is very significant in
Shona religion and
culture, and is considered a sacred instrument. It is played at both religious ceremonies and social gatherings, most often when communication with the ancestor spirits is desired.
Playing
There is much variation in the specifics of playing the mbira dzavadzimu, but this is the typical method:
The right
little finger is placed in the hole in the bottom-right of the soundboard, the
middle and
ring fingers are placed behind the instrument. This leaves the right
thumb and
index finger free to play the keys. The left hand is cupped around the left side of the instrument, with all fingers but the thumb placed behind the instrument. Both rows on the left are played with the left thumb by drawing and pressing the thumb down the top of the key, and off the end. This causes the key to vibrate up and down. The first three keys on the right are played with the right thumb in a similar manner. The rest of the keys on the right are played with the right index finger, but unlike with the rest of the keys, the index finger is drawn up to the bottom of the key.
Sound
The mbira is often placed inside a
deze, a large
resonator made from a
calabash, to amplify its sound. The bottle caps or other objects on both the mbira and deze vibrate when the instrument is played, causing a buzzing sound.
Tuning
The
tuning of an mbira varies from mbira to mbira, both in the absolute tones as well as in the intervals of the scale. Some of the most popular tunings are
Nyamaropa (named after a popular traditional Shona song),
Gandanga and
Dambatsoko, the latter being the places of origin of some of the oldest Mbira families in Zimbabwe. The Nyamaropa and Dambatsoko tunings are closest to the mode of the western
major scale (e.g.
Nhemamusasa, tonic on third key from right on upper left manual) or the available [Mixolydian mode] major (e.g.
Taireva, tonic on far right key on upper left manual), depending on what may be called the tonic. The Gandanga (also: Mavembe) tuning is closest to the western
minor scale when playing songs written for Nyamaropa tunings; however songs thought to be written expressly for Gandanga may be comparable to the western major, for example the song
Marenje, whose tonic is on the third from left key on the bottom left manual. The layout of the keys is almost identical between different tunings, but the
pitches, as well as their relative intervals, are different.
An mbira piece is normally defined by which keys on the instrument, or notes in the scale are used to create it, not by its absolute notes, or what tuning it is usually played on. Most mbira pieces can be played on multiple tunings. For example, if a piece is commonly played on the Gandanga tuning, it will often be played on both the Nyamaropa and Dambatsoko tunings as well, and therefore be in a major key. This is normally accomplished by playing the keys in the same position on the differently tuned instruments, as the keysâ€"while they are differently tunedâ€"are in the same relative order.
Musicians
Some notable mbira players include
Maurice White,
Philip Bailey,
Imogen Heap,
Dumisani Maraire,
Ephat Mujuru,
Erica Azim,
Musekiwa Chingodza,
Fabio Chivhanda,
Forward Kwenda,
Stella Chiweshe,
Chartwell Dutiro,
Beauler Dyoko,
Cosmas Magaya,
Hakurotwi Mude,
Tute Chigamba,
Chiwoniso Maraire and
Achilla Orru.
Konono N°1, from the
Democratic Republic of Congo, use a similar instrument, the
likembé.
Mbira Nyunga Nyunga
The
Mbira Nyunga Nyunga is similar in construction to the Mbira Dzavadzimu, but has fewer keys, in two rows, and no hole in the soundboard. Key pitch radiates out from the center, rather than left to right. It is typically played by holding both sides of the instrument in one's hands.
Dumisani Maraire brought awareness of this insturment to the United States when he came to the University of Washington as a visiting artist from 1968-1972.
To many people Mbira music appears extremely repetitive, or cyclical. However, in most Mbira music, there are minute variations, suggestive of the
minimalist movement in western music (for example
Philip Glass et al).
As with all African music, rhythm plays an important part. The
rhythms are often quite intricate and to some extent dictate the form of the
melody.
Shona mbira music
Generally, each mbira piece can be divided into four sections of twelve pulses each, although there are songs that divide into nine or eight pulses as well.
Andrew Tracey refers to each cycle as a
chara[Tracey, Andrew. (1970). How to play the mbira (dza vadzimu). Roodepoort, Transvaal, South Africa: International Library of African Music.], which translates as "version", but literally means "fingering" or "thumb".
Traditional Shona Mbira music is typically composed to two different parts, the
Kushaura (meaning "to lead" or "to start") and the
Kutsinhira (meaning "to follow"
[Berliner, Paul. (1978). The Soul of Mbira: music and traditions of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Berkeley : University of California Press.]). Each part is played on two different mbiras, with the kushaura often being the more simple part, and the kutsinhira more complicated (though this is not always the case).
Shona songs
*
Kariga Mombe** means "taking the bull by the horns," or "undefeatable" and is a good first piece to learn because of its relative simplicity.
** with its simultaneous plucking of both the upper and middle registers in a steady beat, it becomes easy to play, but challenging to properly count: it gives the feel of a two pulse (six counts of two pulses), but is traditionally played as three (four counts of three pulses) causing the beat to fall in between the notes every other time.
** a derivative of the older song
nyamaropa.
** For North American students of the mbira, this song is often widely considered to be the first song taught to beginners
*
Mahororo** named after a small river in Zimbabwe, used to welcome hunters home after long hunts (according to
Stella Chiweshe).
** word means "Baboons' voices," or "Freedom following victorious struggle" (according to
Forward Kwenda).
** also a derivative of the older song
nyamaropa.
*
Nyamaropa** literally means "meat and blood."
** it is considered among the oldest of mbira music. According to
Berliner it was the first piece composed for the instrument.
** although it may have originally been a song to prepare for battle, it is now considered a hunting song.
*
Nhemamusasa** translates as "temporary shelter." A
musasa is a shelter hunters would build while away from their homes.
** like
nyamaropa this song was also once associated with war, but is now used as a hunting song.
** the tonal center of this song is a fourth above the lowest note on the mbira.
*
Kuzanga** according to
B. Michael Williams, a Shona man named
Chartwell Dutiro explains that the title means "to thread beads," and states it is a "song about an old woman who stays in the forest alone, making beads for her ancestors. For the old woman, making beads for the ancestors is living happily and free from fear."
** although the tonal center and harmonic structure are similar to
nhemamusasa,
kuzanga only has nine pulses per section, instead of the twelve.
*
Taireva** the title of this song can be translated a number of ways: "we used to tell you," "we shall speak out," "I have said it," "we were talking," "I once said it," and "don't say I didn't warn you."
** it is reported to express the importance of what is on your mind, and listening to your elders.
** also a derivation of
nyamaropa**The harmonic progression of this song, shifted to a minor key, provides the basis for the
Chimurenga song
Nyoka Musango by
Thomas Mapfumo.
*
Vadzimu** This is a version of
nyamaropa (whose name means "spirits") played by the contemporary Shona musician
Fabio Chivhanda. Also known more generically as
"Nyamaropa yaChivhanda" which literally means "Chivhanda's
Nyamaropa."
*
Bangidza or Bangiza** the title can be taken to mean "show," or "spiritual vibes," and is understood to be a very ancient spiritual song.
**
Erica Azim reports this song as dating back to the 14th-16th century, during the time of
Mwena Mutapa (or Great Zimbabwe).
*
Marenje** a song typically played on the gandanga (mavembe) tuning of the mbira (as is Ngozi ye Muroora).
Image:Mbira_dzavadzimu_1.jpgImage:Sanza.jpg*Nonesuch Explorer Series 79703-2, Zimbabwe:
The African Mbira: Music of the Shona People (2002). Liner notes by Robert Garfias (1971).
*Nonesuch Explorer Series 79704 Zimbabwe:
The Soul of Mbira: Traditions of the Shona People (1973).
Produced by Paul Berliner*
Konono N°1 Congotronics (2004). See also the corresponding
Amazon listing. Contemporary recording of traditional Congolese sanza mbira (i.e.
likembe) from Kinshasa, played with [diy] amplification, and gained the attention of the western
world music press in 2005.
* Musical instruments 2: (LP) Reeds (Mbira). (1972) The Music of Africa series. 1 LP disc. 33 1/3 rpm. mono. 12 in. Recorded by
Hugh Tracey. Kaleidophone, KMA 2.
* Mbira Music of Rhodesia, Performed by
Abram Dumisani Maraire. (1972). Seattle: University of Washington Press, Ethnic Music Series. Garfias, R. (Ed.). 1 LP disc. 33 1/3 rpm. mono. 12 in. UWP-1001.
This disc features Maraire exclusively on Nyunga Nyunga mbira. A 12-page booklet by Maraire is included, describing the background, composition, and performance of nyunga-nyunga mbira music.*A mbira was played by Jamie Muir in the introduction of King Crimson's Larks's Tongues in Aspic Pt. I.
*
Chimurenga*
Hosho*
Music of Africa*
Music of Zambia*
Music of Zimbabwe*
Shona music*
Zimbabwe*
Zimbabwean Marimba*Howard, Joseph H. (1967). Drums in the Americas. New York: Oak Publications.
*Mutwa, Credo Vusa'mazulu. (1969). My people : the incredible writings of Credo Vusa'mazulu Mutwa. Johannesburg : Blue Crane Books, 1969.
*Tracey, Andrew. (1970). The Matepe Mbira Music of Rhodesia. Journal of the African Music Society, IV: 4, 37-61.
(Note: this article is the original source of the Matepe song Siti, as played by Zimbabwean Marimba band 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.
*
DANDEMUTANDE the non-profit organization devoted to Shona music*
MBIRA the non-profit organization devoted to Shona Mbira music from
Erica Azim, based in
Berkeley, CA
*
SEREVENDE, a Zimbabwean mbira centre in Belgium*
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textm/Mbira.html*
YESHE African-inspired Mbira Music*
ZimFest Annual Zimbabwean Music Festival in North America
*
Zambuko Solomon Murungu's Shona Music Site
*
Measurements of the Acoustics of the Kalimba from the
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
