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 the Zambezi River valley around 1,300 years ago.

How old is the mbira?

A wooden version of the mbira - with bamboo tines instead of metal - was first created in West Africa 3,000 years ago. The version that exists today, with metal tines, has been around for 1,300 years.

What is the origin of the mbira?

The thumb piano, or mbira – a name derived from Shona language of Zimbabwe - is uniquely African percussion instrument. In the distant past it was made entirely of wood or bamboo and could have been used for a few thousand years.

How is a mbira made?

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. (The related mbila has tin-can resonators.) At the fixed end, the tongues are pressed down over two bridges by a metal bar.

Is the mbira still played today?

Mbira today

Traditional ceremonies continue to this day, though not all Zimbabweans participate in them. While the vast majority of Shona mbira players have been men, today more and more women and girls are playing.

How to make a Mbira

Why 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.

What does the word mbira mean?

: an African musical instrument that consists of a wooden or gourd resonator and a varying number of tuned metal or wooden strips that vibrate when plucked.

What is an African mbira?

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 balafon made out of?

The balafon is made from a bamboo frame with wooden keys, originally rosewood although as wood gets scarcer other hardwoods are sometimes substituted.

What is the difference between an mbira and a kalimba?

The kalimba is actually a smaller, modern version of the mbira, which dates back more than 1,000 years in Zimbabwe. ... The kalimba features the seven-note diatonic scale used in traditional Western music while the non-western scale of the mbira features the same notes but not in the same order.

What type of instrument is a Sansa?

Piano, sansa, musical instrument made of wood, iron, tin, bead (glass, European), string, shell, wire (brass), cloth, cord, string.

What type of instrument is a Lamellophone?

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.

What metal is used to make mbira?

Instrument construction

Although the metal keys were originally smelted directly from rock containing iron ore, now they are made of steel from bed springs, bicycle spokes, car seat springs, and other recycled or new steel materials. Rarely, a brass or copper key may be included.

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.

What are Jamaican drums called?

What are Jamaican Steel Drums? Also known as steel pans, Jamaican steel drums are percussion instruments that follow a chromatic pitch ranging from G1 toF6. The musician who plays it is called a pannist, and a group of pannists is referred to as a steel band.

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 ...

What sound does a Sistrum make?

It consists of a handle and a U-shaped metal frame, made of brass or bronze and between 30 and 76 cm in width. When shaken, the small rings or loops of thin metal on its movable crossbars produce a sound that can be from a soft clank to a loud jangling.

What is the classification for an mbira?

Musicologists classify it as a lamellaphone, part of the plucked idiophone family of musical instruments. In Eastern and Southern Africa, there are many kinds of mbira, often accompanied by the hosho, a percussion instrument.

What is the mbira music appreciation?

MBIRA MUSIC. A piece usually played at a dawn ceremony. For the Shona culture, mbira music is mystical and can summon the spirits of their ancestors. One player producing three layers of distinct sound: A deep, regular pattern in the Bass.

Is the harp a string instrument?

Harp. The harp is different from the other stringed instruments. It's tall, about six feet, shaped a little like the number 7, and has 47 strings of varying lengths, which are tuned to the notes of the white keys of the piano. There are usually one or two harps in an orchestra and they play both melody and harmony.

What makes the mbira unique?

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. That first sound is complex, but eventually becomes a pure note.