Mbira (pronounced /əmˈbɪərə/; Shona pronunciation: [ᵐbira]) is also called kalimba and zanza. It is a type of musical instrument used by the Shona people of Zimbabwe. The instrument has a wooden board, often with a resonator, and metal tines that are arranged in a staggered pattern. To play it, the musician holds the instrument and plucks the tines with the thumbs, right forefinger, and sometimes the left forefinger. Musicologists classify mbira as a lamellaphone, which is a type of plucked idiophone. In Eastern and Southern Africa, many kinds of mbira exist, often played alongside the hosho, a percussion instrument. Mbira is commonly used during religious ceremonies, weddings, and other social events. In 2020, the "Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and Zimbabwe" was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

A Western version of the instrument, called kalimba, was made and sold by ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey in the late 1950s. His design was inspired by the mbira nyunga nyunga and named after an older instrument called kalimba. The kalimba became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, in part because of musicians like Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire and Thomas Mapfumo. These musicians used mbira on stage with modern instruments such as electric guitar, bass, drum kit, and horns. Their music included songs from traditional mbira performances. Other important figures who helped spread mbira music outside Africa include Dumisani Maraire, who introduced marimba and karimba music to the American Pacific Northwest; Ephat Mujuru, who taught mbira dzavadzimu in the United States; and Zimbabwean musicians whose work was recorded by Paul Berliner.

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

History

For thousands of years, many types of plucked idiophones and lamellaphones have been used in Africa. Early versions had tines made from bamboo, but later, metal keys were created. These instruments seem to have been invented twice in Africa: a wooden or bamboo-tined instrument appeared on the west coast about 3,000 years ago, and a metal-tined lamellophone was developed in the Zambezi River valley around 1,300 years ago. Over time, these metal-tined instruments spread across Africa, becoming popular among the Shona people of Zimbabwe (from which the word mbira comes) and other local communities in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. As the mbira spread, its appearance and uses changed in different areas. Instruments similar to the kalimba 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 African groups did not have mbiras. There were thousands of different tunings, note arrangements, and designs, but a possible original tuning and note layout from the 1,300-year-old metal-tined instrument is called the "kalimba core."

In the mid-1950s, mbira instruments served as the basis for creating the kalimba, a version designed and promoted by the ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey. This led to the kalimba being widely shared beyond Africa.

Acoustics

Lamellophones are musical instruments that have small, stiff pieces called "lamellae." These pieces are played by plucking them. Unlike stringed instruments or wind instruments such as flutes, the extra sounds produced when a lamella is plucked are not regular, which gives the mbira its unique sound. These unusual extra sounds are strongest when the note first begins and fade quickly, leaving a nearly pure tone. When one lamella is plucked, the nearby lamellae also vibrate slightly, adding more complexity to the sound of each note.

Rhythm

Mbira music, like many traditions from sub-Saharan Africa, uses a 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 shows a complex rhythm known as a 3:2 cross-rhythm, also called 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 helps players use their thumbs to reach all the keys easily. However, traditional African tunings use notes that do not match the Western musical scale. The arrangement of notes on mbira instruments is often unique, with some neighboring keys forming a scale but others breaking 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 pitches than a Western octave, and the spaces between notes may differ. Tunings have varied over time and among different players. Each mbira produces a unique set of sounds based on how it is made. In recent years, mbira makers in Zimbabwe have adjusted tunings to make them more consistent for export, but many variations still exist in their homeland.

Tunings differ between families and focus on 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. Other tunings include:

• Nyamaropa (similar to the Mixolydian mode): Considered the oldest and most important in Shona culture, it often involves two mbira players and vocal styles like Huro (high, emotional singing) and Mahon'era (soft, breathy singing). A single mbira is usually not used alone in performances.
• Dambatsoko (similar to the Ionian mode): Used by the Mujuru family, named after their ancestral burial grounds.
• Dongonda: A Nyamaropa tuning where the right side keys are an octave lower than usual.
• Katsanzaira (similar to the Dorian mode): The highest-pitched traditional tuning, named for gentle rain before a storm.
• Mavembe (similar to the Phrygian mode): Claimed to have been created by Sekuru Gora during a funeral, though some players dispute this.
• Nemakonde (similar to the Phrygian mode): A low-pitched version of Mavembe.
• Saungweme: Uses a flattened whole tone, approaching a seven-note equal temperament system.

Variants

The mbira dzavadzimu, also called the "voice of the ancestors" or "mbira of the ancestral spirits," is a traditional instrument of Zimbabwe. The Shona people of Zimbabwe have played this instrument for thousands of years. It is often used during religious ceremonies and social events called mapira (one event is called a bira). The mbira dzavadzimu can play over 100 songs, such as Kariga mombe.

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

To play the instrument, the right hand’s little finger goes through a hole in the bottom right corner of the soundboard. The ring and middle fingers of the right hand hold the instrument steady. The thumb and index finger of the right hand strike the keys on the right side. The left hand holds the left side of the instrument, and the left thumb plays the two keys on the left. Some mbira have an extra key on the left side, played by the left index finger.

Small objects like bottle caps or shells, called "machachara," are sometimes attached to the soundboard. When the instrument is played, these objects create a buzzing sound. In traditional settings, this sound is believed to help summon ancestral spirits.

During performances, the mbira dzavadzimu is often placed inside a deze, a type of hollow gourd, to make the sound louder.

The mbira dzavadzimu is very important in Shona religion and culture. It is considered sacred and is used to communicate with ancestral spirits. In some ceremonies, two people play together: one called the kushaura leads, and the other, called the kutsinhira, follows. These ceremonies, called Bira, often last all night and involve asking spirits for guidance. The music helps participants enter a trance, allowing spirits to influence them.

Albert Chimedza, a director at the Mbira Centre in Harare, estimates that about 10,000 people worldwide play the mbira.

The mbira nyunga nyunga, which has 15 keys, comes from Manicaland in Zimbabwe. It was introduced to Kwanongoma College of African Music (now United College of Music) in Bulawayo by Jeke (Jack) Tapera in the 1960s. Two keys were added to make 15, arranged in two rows. Unlike the mbira dzavadzimu, the mbira nyunga nyunga has no hole in the soundboard. Its keys are arranged with pitch radiating outward from the center, not from left to right.

Zimbabwean musician Dumisani Maraire created a numbering system for the mbira 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 shared this system with the world when he visited the University of Washington from 1968 to 1972.

A lecturer at Midlands State University in Gweru, Zimbabwe, suggested a letter system for the mbira nyunga nyunga. The upper keys are labeled E, D, C, F, C, D, and E, while the lower keys are labeled A, G, F, A, F, C, D, and E. However, Maraire’s number system is still widely used.

Dutch composer Maarten Regtien used a mbira nyunga nyunga in his 2014 electronic piece Daddy Mbira – Mbira Penguin Talks. He used techniques like the canon, which are difficult to perform on a mbira.

The njari mbira has 30 to 32 keys and comes from Masvingo and Makonde in Zimbabwe. The nhare, with 23 to 24 keys, was used in Zimbabwe for rituals to communicate with Musikavanhu or Nyadenga (God). The mbira matepe, with 26 keys, originated near the borders of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

In Brazil, the first written records of kalimbas date back to 1723, where they were called marimbas. These instruments are no longer common in Brazil, though modern kalimbas exist there now.

In Cuba, African lamellophones and the Cajón influenced the creation of the marimbula. The history of the marimbula is not well documented, but it is believed to have originated in eastern Cuba.

The Hugh Tracey kalimbas are tuned to the key of G. Their notes are arranged with the lowest notes in the center and the highest notes on the left and right. Notes in the scale alternate between the right and left sides, moving outward. This design makes it easy to play melodies and harmonies together.

The diatonic tuning used by Hugh Tracey was chosen to make the kalimba accessible worldwide. Many African kalimbas have unique tunings, but the Western G major tuning allows more people to recognize the instrument. This layout also makes it simple to play chords and harmonies.

Alternative tunings are possible because kalimba keys can be adjusted to change pitch. Some tunings change the key, while others use different musical scales, such as Middle Eastern scales. Each note can be tuned independently, allowing any scale to be played. Composer Georg Hajdu tuned the Hugh Tracey alto kalimba to the Bohlen–Pierce scale, which divides a musical interval into 13 equal parts.

Examples of 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 double harp inspired by the mbira, invented in 1986 by Bob Grawi. It uses a version of the Hugh Tracey kalimba tuning and has a range of 3.5 octaves.

Other related instruments:
– Hugh Tracey treble kalimba: An octagonal mbira with two octaves of range.
– Gaya Street Sunday Market, Kota Kinabalu: A location associated with traditional music.

In popular culture

The 1980 movie The Gods Must Be Crazy, which is 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. He is part of the Tiki Tak Tribe, which is inspired by musical instruments. His design includes a crown that resembles the keys of a kalimba, and he plays kalimba music as part of a hypnotic chant that makes animals obey him.

On May 21, 2020, during Zimbabwe Culture Week, Google created a doodle to celebrate the mbira. The doodle included a button that allowed users to hear and play the instrument. It also told the story of 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 (around 1978). The Soul of Mbira: Music and Traditions of the Shona People of 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 first 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.