The mbira consists of a series of tuned metal or bamboo tongues (lamellae) attached at one end to a soundboard that often has a calabash or box resonator. … For a rattling tone colour, the tongues are often fitted with buzzing metal cuffs, or metal bottle caps may be affixed to the soundboard or resonator.
How does a mbira sound like?
The mbira is held in both hands, with the thumbs creating the music by striking the tines. The action looks a lot like the hands-and-thumbs motion of texting on a cell phone. The mbira’s unique tone is described as inharmonic—a dissonance that occurs when the motion of one tine creates a vibration in an adjacent tine.
What is the instrument used to play mbira?
Other instrumentOther namesfinger harp, gourd piano, ikembe, kalimba, kilembe, likembe, likimba, marimbula, mbla, sansa, sansu, sanza, thumb piano, timbrh, zanzuClassificationLamellophone, Plucked IdiophoneHornbostel–Sachs classification122.1 (Plucked idiophone)Timbreclear, percussive, chimelike
Where did the mbira come from?
The Mbira or African thumb piano (other identifying names include: kalimba – contemporary term; the most popular term is either sansa, or mbira) is a percussive instrument originating from Africa. The instrument, also used in Cuban music, is generally held with both hands and played with the thumbs.What is the mbira similar to?
The kalimba looks pretty similar to an mbira, and both instruments consist of a wooden soundboard with steel keys that players depress and release with their fingers to create a tranquil, bell-like sound. Despite these similarities, the kalimba and the mbira are not the same instrument.
What is a mbira in English?
mbira in American English (əmˈbɪərə) noun. a musical instrument of Africa usually made out of a gourd that serves as a resonating box, to which vibrating metal or wooden strips are attached for plucking.
What kind of tree is the mbira made from?
Instrument construction The type of mbira shown here, of the Shona people of Zimbabwe, consists of 22 to 28 metal keys mounted on a gwariva (hardwood soundboard) made from wood of the mubvamaropa tree (Pterocarpus angolensis).
How much is a mbira?
This item African Gourd Kalimba Mbira Thumb Piano – Tunable!Kalimba Thumb Piano – 7 keys – Tunable – Coconut Shell – Natural – by World Percussion USACustomer Rating4.0 out of 5 stars (32)3.9 out of 5 stars (76)Price$2195$1975Sold ByWorld Percussion USAWorld Percussion USAWhy is there a hole in the mbira?
The opening on the soundboard, called a sound-hole, may have been covered with a thin material to produce a particular sound effect. … The raffia cord looped through two holes at the top of the soundboard allows a musician to carry his mbira or hang it on a wall or other support.
How many keys does mbira have?Played by Shona-speaking communities in Zimbabwe, the mbira is an instrument with 22 to 28 metal keys (lamellae) fixed to a wooden soundboard, which is then placed in a gourd resonator, used to amplify its resonance.
Article first time published onWhat is the purpose of mbira?
Mbira was used in ceremonial functions such as weddings, funerals, and in honour of significant people, as well as for religious purposes, to call on spirits and seek their advice.
What are slit drums made of?
A slit drum or slit gong is a hollow percussion instrument. In spite of the name, it is not a true drum but an idiophone, usually carved or constructed from bamboo or wood into a box with one or more slits in the top.
What group of instrument does the djembe belong to?
The djembe is one of West Africa’s best known instruments. This goblet-shaped drum is traditionally carved from a single piece of African hardwood and topped with an animal skin as a drumhead. In western understanding, the drum belongs to the membranophone class of instruments in the percussion family.
How is the mbira made?
The mbira is made of 22 to 28 metal keys attached to a hardwood soundboard called the gwariva, usually placed inside a large gourd to amplify the sound. The metal keys are plucked with both thumbs and the forefinger of the right hand. … Traditionally, the keys were made from an iron ore smelted from rocks.
Where does the balafon come from?
Origins of the Balafon The Balafon is believed to have been developed in the 12th century in the Southern Africa region during the rise of the Mali Empire. It has entertained crowds throughout the history of Southern and West Africa, growing in popularity across the African continent.
What is the mbira quizlet?
The mbira is a African musical instrument consisting of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs.
Where does Kalimba come from?
This kalimba is a lamellaphone idiophone inspired by indigenous Bantu African instruments and manufactured in the Republic of South Africa. The indigenous kalimba is used mostly for personal entertainment or dance music, but can also be played in bira spirit possession ceremonies.
What is Amarimba?
marimba, any of several varieties of xylophone. … It is a tube-resonated instrument pitched an octave below the orchestral xylophone; its range varies, but 31/2octaves upward from the C below middle C is common. Players may hold two sticks in each hand to play up to four notes at a time.
How do you play the mbira?
The mbira is one of several idiophones that are plucked rather than vibrated by percussion, shaken, or scraped. In performance, the player holds the instrument in his hands and plucks the tongues with his thumbs and forefingers.
How does a kalimba make sound?
A Kalimba can sound divine but how does it work and produce sound? A Kalimba works by plucking steel keys of differing lengths and pitch with the thumb, which are set across a bridge attached to a wooden resonator box or board. Boxes may have holes to affect the resonance and create a vibrato effect.
Can I buy a mbira?
You can now buy mbiras in many tunings on this website, and we ship to the entire world. … Important things to consider are the size of your hands, and the tuning you prefer (or that is played by others where you live). If you plan to learn from MBIRA’s sets of video lessons, you’ll want a B pitch nyamaropa tuning mbira.
What is an African instrument?
African musical instruments include a wide range of drums, slit gongs, rattles and double bells, different types of harps, and harp-like instruments such as the Kora and the ngoni, as well as fiddles, many kinds of xylophone and lamellophone such as the mbira, and different types of wind instrument like flutes and …
Which instrument is one of Africa's oldest string instruments?
One of the oldest is the Gankogui, a bell instrument played by the Ewe people of Ghana.
What is Lamellophone music?
lamellaphone, any musical instrument consisting of a set of tuned metal or bamboo tongues (lamellae) of varying length attached at one end to a soundboard that often has a box or calabash resonator. … Lamellaphones are typically classified as plucked idiophones—instruments whose sounding parts are resonant solids.
Where is the mbira used?
Although the mbira was originally used in a limited number of Shona areas, today it is popular throughout Zimbabwe. Aside from its religious context, mbira is desired for the general qualities it imparts: peaceful mind and strong life force.
What part of the mbira vibrates?
The acoustic spectrum of the mbira, a musical instrument from Africa that produces sound by the vibration of cantilevered metal rods, has been measured. It is found that the most prominent overtones present in the spectrum have frequencies that are approximately 5 and 14 times the lowest frequency.
How many types of mbira are there?
About twelve major types of mbira are played at the present day by the peoples of the central and lower Zambezi valley and en- virons.
What is the drum in Moana?
The recent Disney movie, Moana features a beautiful drum from the Pacific Islands, called a slit drum.
What do you call the West African xylophone?
The African balafon is the traditional xylophone of the Mande people, which are spread across several countries of West Africa, such as Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Gambia and the Ivory Coast etc.
What is the meaning of bamboo clapper?
Bamboo clappers are a traditional Chinese percussion instrument and a traditional Burmese instrument. Reflecting its name, it is made with boards of bamboo. Bamboo clappers are used in Chinese kuaiban storytelling performances.
What does the African drum symbolize?
In much of Africa, drums are considered to symbolize and protect royalty, which often leads to their being housed in sacred dwellings. They can also be considered as a primitive telephone, since drums are also used to communicate with tribes that are miles and miles away.
