The mbira, also called kalimba and zanza, is a musical instrument used by the Shona people of Zimbabwe. It has a wooden board with metal tines attached, which are plucked with the thumbs, right forefinger, and sometimes the left forefinger. Music experts classify the mbira as a lamellaphone, a type of plucked idiophone. In Eastern and Southern Africa, many types of mbira exist, often played with the hosho, a percussion instrument. The mbira is important in religious ceremonies, weddings, and social events. In 2020, the "Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi" was added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

A Western version of the mbira, called kalimba, was created and shared by ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey in the late 1950s. His design was inspired by the mbira nyunga nyunga and named after an older instrument. The kalimba became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, partly because of musicians like Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire and Thomas Mapfumo. These artists played mbira alongside modern instruments like electric guitar, bass, drums, and horns. Their music included songs from traditional mbira repertoires. Other important figures who spread mbira music outside Africa include Dumisani Maraire, who introduced marimba and karimba music to the Pacific Northwest of the United States; Ephat Mujuru, who taught mbira dzavadzimu in the U.S.; and Zimbabwean musicians recorded by Paul Berliner.

Joseph H. Howard and Babatunde Olatunji noted that mbira and similar metal lamellaphones are African in origin, found only in areas where Africans or their descendants live. Similar instruments were reported in Okpuje, Nsukka, Nigeria, in the early 1900s.

History

Many types of plucked idiophones and lamellaphones have been used in Africa for thousands of years. The tines of these instruments were first made from bamboo, but over time, metal keys were developed. These instruments were invented twice in Africa: a wooden or bamboo-tined instrument appeared on the west coast of Africa about 3,000 years ago, and a metal-tined lamellophone was created in the Zambezi River valley around 1,300 years ago. Metal-tined instruments spread across Africa and became popular among the Shona people of Zimbabwe (from which the word "mbira" comes) and other groups in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. As the mbira spread, its shape and uses changed. Kalimba-like instruments were found from northern North Africa to the southern edge of the Kalahari Desert, and from the east coast to the west coast. However, many groups in Africa did not have mbiras. There were thousands of different tunings, note arrangements, and designs, but a hypothetical tuning and note layout of the original metal-tined instrument from 1,300 years ago is known as the "kalimba core."

In the mid-1950s, mbira instruments were used to create the kalimba, a version designed and promoted by ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey. This led to the kalimba being widely shared outside Africa.

Acoustics

Lamellophones are musical instruments that have small, stiff pieces called lamellae. These lamellae are played by plucking them. Unlike stringed instruments or air-column instruments like flutes, the extra sounds produced when a lamella is plucked are not in tune with the main note, creating the mbira's unique sound. These extra sounds are strongest when the lamella is first plucked and fade quickly, leaving a nearly pure tone. When one lamella is plucked, the nearby lamellae also vibrate, adding more complexity to the sound of each note.

Rhythm

Mbira music, like many traditions from sub-Saharan Africa, uses a type of rhythmic pattern called cross-rhythm. In the kutsinhira section of the traditional mbira dzavadzimu piece "Nhema Musasa," David Peñalosa explains that the left hand plays a repeating bass line, while the right hand plays the upper melody. The combined melody adds details to the 3:2 cross-rhythm, which is also known as a hemiola.

Tuning

The African mbira and similar instruments often have the lowest notes in the center, with higher notes on the far left and right. This design makes it easier for the thumb to move and reach all the keys. However, traditional African tunings use notes that do not match the Western tempered scale, and the arrangement of notes on mbira instruments is often unique. Sometimes, nearby keys form a scale, but other notes may not follow the pattern.

Historically, mbira tunings do not align exactly with Western scales. A seven-note sequence on a mbira may cover a wider range of sounds than a Western octave, and the spaces between notes may differ. Tunings have varied over time and between players. Each mbira produces different overtones based on how it is made, so some instruments sound better when certain notes are adjusted. In recent years, as mbira dzavadzimu became more popular outside Zimbabwe, makers have tuned instruments more consistently for export, though many variations still exist in Zimbabwe.

Tunings differ between families and refer to the relationships between notes, not specific pitches. The most common tuning in Zimbabwe and among global players is Nyamaropa, which is similar to the Western Mixolydian mode. Names for tunings may vary between families. Garikayi Tirikoti created a "mbira orchestra" with seven tunings, each based on a different starting note of the same seven-note scale. These tunings include Bangidza, Nyabango, Nhemamusasa, Chakwi, Taireva, Mahororo, and Mavembe (with the exception of Mavembe and Nyabango, these names also refer to traditional songs). The tuning closest to Nyamaropa is Garikayi’s Nhemamusasa.

Common tunings include:

• Nyamaropa (similar to the Mixolydian mode): Considered the oldest and most important in Shona culture. It emphasizes group music and often uses two mbira players, along with singing styles like Huro (high, emotional notes) and Mahon’era (soft, breathy notes). A single mbira is not used alone in performances.
• Dambatsoko (similar to the Ionian mode): Used by the Mujuru family. The name refers to their ancestral burial grounds.
• Dongonda: A Nyamaropa-tuned mbira with the right side notes an octave lower than usual.
• Katsanzaira (similar to the Dorian mode): The highest-pitched traditional mbira tuning. The name means “gentle rain before a storm.”
• Mavembe (also called Gandanga) (similar to the Phrygian mode): Said to have been created by Sekuru Gora during a funeral ceremony, though some players disagree.
• Nemakonde (similar to the Phrygian mode): Shares the same musical relationship as Mavembe but is much lower in pitch.
• Saungweme: Features a flattened whole tone, approaching seven-tone equal temperament.

Variants

The mbira dzavadzimu, also called the "voice of the ancestors" or "mbira of the ancestral spirits," is a traditional instrument of the Shona people in Zimbabwe. It has been played for thousands of years and is often used during religious ceremonies and social gatherings called mapira (singular: bira). The instrument can be used to play over 100 songs, such as Kariga mombe.

A typical mbira dzavadzimu has between 22 and 28 metal keys attached to a hardwood soundboard called gwariva. The keys are arranged in three sections: two on the left and one on the right.

To play the mbira, the right hand's little finger is placed through a hole in the soundboard, with the ring and middle fingers stabilizing the instrument from the back. The right thumb and index finger are used to strike the right-side keys. The left hand stabilizes the left side, and the left thumb plays the two left-side keys. Some mbira have an extra key on the upper left section, struck by the left index finger.

Small objects like bottle caps or shells, called "machachara," are often attached to the soundboard. These create a buzzing sound when the instrument is played, which is believed to help summon ancestral spirits.

During performances, the mbira is often placed in a calabash resonator called deze to make the sound louder.

The mbira dzavadzimu is very important in Shona religion and culture. It is used to communicate with ancestral spirits and bring their presence to the living. In some traditions, two people play together: one called the kushaura leads, and the other, called the kutsinhira, responds. This ritual is called the Bira. During these ceremonies, people ask spirits questions, and the music helps participants enter a trance, allowing spirits to influence them.

Albert Chimedza, director of the Mbira Centre in Harare, estimates that no more than 10,000 people worldwide play the mbira.

The nyunga nyunga, which has 15 keys, originated in Manicaland, Zimbabwe, and was used for entertainment during social events. It was introduced to Kwanongoma College of African Music in Bulawayo in the 1960s by Jeke (Jack) Tapera from Mozambique. Two keys were added to make 15, arranged in two rows. Unlike the mbira dzavadzimu, the nyunga nyunga has no hole in the soundboard, and its keys are arranged with pitch radiating outward from the center.

Zimbabwean musician Dumisani Maraire created a numbering system for the nyunga nyunga. The upper row keys are labeled 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14, while the lower row keys are labeled 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15. Maraire brought attention to the instrument in the United States during his time at the University of Washington from 1968 to 1972.

A lecturer at Midlands State University in Zimbabwe proposed a letter system for the nyunga nyunga, assigning letters like E, D, C, and F to the upper keys and A, G, F, and C to the lower keys. However, Maraire’s number system is still the standard used globally.

Dutch composer Maarten Regtien used a nyunga nyunga in his 2014 electronic piece Daddy Mbira – Mbira Penguin Talks, creating complex soundscapes with Western musical techniques.

Other mbira types include the njari mbira (30–32 keys) from Masvingo and Makonde, the nhare (23–24 keys) used in rituals to communicate with Musikavanhu or Nyadenga (God), and the mbira matepe (26 keys) from the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Kalimbas, similar to mbira, were first recorded in Brazil in 1723 as "marimbas." They later faded but are now available in modern forms. In Cuba, African lamellophones and the Cajón influenced the creation of the marimbula, though its history is unclear.

The Hugh Tracey kalimbas are tuned to the key of G. Their notes are arranged with the lowest notes in the center and higher notes on the sides, alternating between right and left. This layout makes it easy to play melodies and harmonies simultaneously.

Alternative tunings are possible because kalimba tines can be adjusted. Some popular tunings include C major and scales from other cultures, like Middle Eastern scales. Composer Georg Hajdu tuned a Hugh Tracey kalimba to the Bohlen–Pierce scale, which divides a musical interval into 13 steps.

Instruments related to or inspired by the mbira include:
– Array mbira: A modern instrument with up to 150 tines arranged based on the circle of fifths.
– Gravikord: An electrified hybrid of a harp and kalimba, invented in 1986 by Bob Grawi. It uses a tuning similar to the Hugh Tracey kalimba and has a range of 3.5 octaves.

Examples of other instruments include:
– Hugh Tracey treble kalimba: A high-quality octagonal mbira spanning two octaves.
– Gaya Street Sunday Market, Kota Kinabalu: A location associated with kalimba-related activities.

In popular culture

The 1980 movie The Gods Must Be Crazy, set in Botswana, includes a character who plays the mbira, a traditional musical instrument.

In the 2010 video game Donkey Kong Country Returns, one of the main villains is named Krazy Kalimba. As a member of the Tiki Tak Tribe, which is based on musical instruments, his design includes a "crown" shaped like the keys of a kalimba. He also plays kalimba music during a chant to control animals.

On May 21, 2020, during Zimbabwe Culture Week, Google created a doodle to celebrate the mbira. The doodle included a button that let users hear and play the instrument. It also showed a story about a young girl who learns to play the mbira. As an adult, she becomes a successful artist and inspires others to play the instrument.

General references

• Berliner, Paul (circa 1978). The Soul of Mbira: Music and Traditions of the Shona People in Zimbabwe. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Fowler, Andy (2020). Discover Mbira: Ancient Zimbabwean Trance Music. Mbira Magic.
• Fowler, Andy (2015). Unlocking Mbira: Chord Progression and System of Mbira Workbook. Mbira Magic.
• Gahadzikwa, Fungai; Fowler, Andy (2016). Traditional Mbira Song Book. Mbira Magic.
• Howard, Joseph H. (1967). Drums in the Americas. New York City: Oak Publications.
• Kwenda, Forward; Fowler, Andy (2019). Learn to Play Mbira: Traditional Songs and Improvisation. Mbira Magic.
• Mutwa, Credo Vusa'mazulu (1969). My People: The Incredible Writings of Credo Vusa'mazulu Mutwa. Johannesburg: Blue Crane Books.
• Tracey, Andrew (1970). "The Matepe Mbira Music of Rhodesia" (PDF). African Music. 4 (4): 37–61. doi: 10.21504/amj.v4i4.1681. (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. 4 (3): 78–95. doi: 10.21504/amj.v4i3.1439.
• Warner Dietz, Betty; Olatunji, Michael Babatunde (1965). Musical Instruments of Africa; Their Nature, Use, and Place in the Life of a Deeply Musical People. New York City: John Day Company.