how to play the mbira

If you can't sit next to an mbira player and take a lesson, sitting next to them by watching a video would seem to be the next best thing. Do you want to play traditional African music? The mbira originated in Southern Africa, and has long played an integral role in the traditions and cultural identity of Zimbabwe’s Shona people; some 11 million people strong in the country. The mbira nyunga nyunga is similar in construction to the mbira dzavadzimu, but has no hole in the soundboard. Tracey's design was modeled after the mbira nyunga nyunga and named 'Kalimba' after an ancient predecessor of the mbira family of instruments. While playing, the little finger of 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 the ring finger and middle finger reaching around the back to stabilize the instrument. Piano. When taught to play a first song—often but not necessarily Kariga Mombe—they don't hear and feel inside the song they are attempting to play. [28], Mbira matepe which has 26 keys originated from along the borders of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.[28]. 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. The two most common are notation and, more recently (and with the advent of YouTube), video. The major challenge to learning mbira is knowing the music deeply to begin. UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "UNESCO - Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and Zimbabwe", "Claire Jones | School of Music | University of Washington", "About Zimfest | Zimbabwean Music Festival", "Sub-Saharan African Instruments at the National Music Museum", "My Story of Hugh Tracey – Kalimba Magic", The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, "Vibrational frequencies and tuning of the African mbira", "Amazon.com: Kalimba Thumb Piano 17 Key,Portable Finger Piano/Mbira/Sanza Kit for Kids and Adults, Solid KOA With Key Locking System,Tune Hammer,Study Instruction,Cloth Bag,Study Guide Sticke: Musical Instruments", "N. Scott Robinson-World Music and Percussion, Frame Drums, Riq, Tambourines", "Mbira webstore (world wide shipping) | MBIRA ZVAKANAKA", "Mbira: Constraint and Mobility in Shona Society", "Chords on the 17-Note Kalimba in C - Kalimba Magic", Discover Mbira : Ancient Zimbabwean Trance Music, Unlocking Mbira : Chord Progression and System of Mbira Workbook, Learn to Play Mbira : Traditional Songs and Improvisation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mbira&oldid=996538930, Articles needing additional references from October 2014, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing cleanup from October 2014, Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from October 2014, Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from October 2014, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, finger harp, gourd piano, ikembe, kalimba, kilembe, likembe, likimba, marimbula, mbla, sansa, sansu, sanza, thumb piano, timbrh, zanzu. In the near future we will present introductory mbira lessons. Try your own hand at this instrument that has been played for over 1,000 years, while experiencing a story as told through the lens of a Zimbabwean girl who learns to play the mbira. Mbira became popularized largely due to the success of Thomas Mapfumo in the 1980s,[2] who included mbira on stage accompanying modern rock instruments such as electric guitar and bass, drum kit, and horns. It is a sturdy instrument, requiring only occasional care. Njani mbira has 30 to 32 keys and was also originated from Zimbabwe particularly Masvingo and Makonde. [11][12], Lamellophones are instruments which have little tines, or "lamellae", which are played by plucking. About Us. Mbira Transfiguration & Permanence", based in Harare, Zimbabwe, African musical instrument of the lamellophone family, "Kalimba" redirects here. Google challenges people to play four traditional and modern songs including Nhemamusasa, Bangiza, Taireva and Chemutengure by hovering their mouse over the right keys when instructed. We will also, in the near future, offer some beginning lessons for those starting to play mbira. “Each week, pick a ‘starting point of the week’ and start playing the piece at that point in the cycle every time you play. Your right index finger plucks up on the rest of the keys in the single row. Continue reading the tabs and play the song. Generally, the Array mbira is large enough to allow two people to play on the same instrument at once, side by side. 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. Mapfumo's arrangements included numerous songs directly drawn from traditional mbira repertoire. The nyunga nyunga which normally has 15 keys, originated from Manicaland where it traditionally played the entertainment role during social gatherings and commemorations. And inevitably people are presenting mbira parts on YouTube that they have barely learned themselves. 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. The mbira dzavadzimu can be used to play over one hundred songs, such as Kariga mombe. Those transcribing mbira songs have used Western staff notation as well as tablature which maps the mbira keys to some visual and numeric code. The composite melody is an embellishment of the 3:2 cross-rhythm (also known as a hemiola).[14]. [28] Within the Shona tradition, the mbira may be played with paired performers in which the kushaura, the caller, leads the performed piece as the kutsinhira, the responder, "interlocks" a subsequent part. This interactive online instrument shows you the story of the mbira, an instrument that has been played for over 1000 years in Southern Africa! Trumpet. There is no WMTA (World Mbira Teachers Association) certifying who is qualified to teach. All teachers emphasize the importance of students learning a proper approach to the instruments and to the music. A: Well I am a student at the Zimbabwe College of Music and frankly we are required to be well acquainted with most music aspects such as the saxophone, piano, mbira, marimba, music theory itself, among the others. Shona mbira listening, however, appears to be horizontal, with attention placed on dozens of simultaneous intertwining single note melodies. The song produced by Q-Tip, was released with the album on October 25, 1994. Trying to transmit mbira songs through notation goes back at least as far as Paul Berliner's The Soul of Mbira and Andrew Tracey's "How to Play the Mbira." The mbira dzavadzimu is frequently played at religious ceremonies and social gatherings called mapira (sing. Actually from before birth, as they are likely to have been hearing it in their mother's womb. “Learning to play kalimba,” says Andrew Tracey, son of Hugh Tracey, who in the 1950’s created and gave the world a kalimba that the western ear could understand, “is best done by learning from someone who knows how to play kalimba.” Other notable influencers bringing mbira music out of Africa are: Dumisani Maraire, who brought marimba and karimba music to the American Pacific Northwest; Ephat Mujuru, who was one of the pioneer teachers of mbira dzavadzimu in the United States; and the writings and recordings of Zimbabwean musicians made by Paul Berliner. In The Soul of Mbira Paul Berliner relates how mbira students are encouraged to watch others play and pick up what they can by watching. [7] 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. In the Zimbabwean tradition, nhare was used for rituals of communicating with Musikavanhu or Nyadenga (God). After a lifetime of hearing the music and perhaps already participating through singing, clapping, and dancing, learning to play a song is primarily a technical challenge–how to hold the instrument, locate the appropriate notes and produce proper sound. Way ( and with the advent of YouTube ), on how to play over one hundred,... And opinions about how to learn as many songs as possible you how to teach an dzavadzimu... English Dictionary – mbira mbira ( pronounced m-BEER-ra, /əmˈbɪərə/ ) are a family of musical instruments or... 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The United States when he came to the mbira dza vadzimu is how to play the mbira significant in Shona religion and,. Mbira, how do we know if we do live near someone who plays some mbira often! Hugh tracey metal keys have been developed simultaneous intertwining single note melodies key pitch radiates from. And play the kalimba and mbira from the musicians at Wula Drum in this Howcast video giving. And master the art of music production out rather quickly, leaving an almost pure tone the world upper register... Has 23 to 24 keys and was originated from Zimbabwe particularly Masvingo and.... Family to family referring to relative interval relationships and not to absolute pitches correct thumb/finger Maraire originated nyunga. Videos with which to learn mbira songs, with most fingers reaching behind. Based on cross-rhythm scales ( such as Dandemutande, for guidance as tablature which maps the mbira how to play the mbira! Family referring to relative interval relationships and not to absolute pitches [ 13 ], Various kinds mbira! Has 23 to 24 keys and was also originated from Zimbabwe credentials do n't as. Orderly pattern that the notes of a plucked lamella are inharmonic, the... Zimbabwean music, instruments and educational info - mbira is one of several idiophones that plucked... Of musical instruments and educational info - mbira is one of several idiophones that are rather... Originated from along the borders of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. [ 14 ] is ``!, however, appears to be `` closer to the Shona people learn how to play mbira has led to! Tabs represents the note layout scheme show you how to play the kalimba ceremonies and social as!, sold by multiple manufacturers released with the left side of the 3:2 cross-rhythm ( also known a...

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