The mbira, also called kalimba and zanza, is a musical instrument traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. It has a wooden board, often with a resonator, and metal tines attached. Players hold the instrument and pluck the tines using their thumbs, right forefinger, and sometimes the left forefinger. Experts classify the mbira as a lamellaphone, part of the plucked idiophone family of musical instruments. 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 gatherings. 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.

In the late 1950s, Hugh Tracey created a Western version of the mbira called the kalimba, which was sold and sent to other countries. 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 due to musicians like Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire and Thomas Mapfumo. These artists used the mbira alongside modern instruments such as electric guitar, bass, drum kits, and horns. Their music often included traditional mbira songs. Other important figures who shared 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 United States; and Paul Berliner, who recorded and wrote about Zimbabwean musicians.

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

History

Many types of plucked idiophones and lamellaphones have been used in Africa for thousands of years. The tines were first made of bamboo, but later, metal keys were created. These instruments seem 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 were developed in the Zambezi River valley around 1,300 years ago. Metal-tined instruments spread across Africa and became popular with the Shona people in Zimbabwe (from which the word mbira comes) and other groups in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. As the mbira spread, its appearance and uses changed. Kalimba-like instruments were found from northern North Africa to the southern Kalahari Desert, and from the east coast to the west coast, though many African groups did not have mbiras. There were thousands of different tunings, note layouts, and designs, but a possible tuning and note layout of the original metal-tined instrument from 1,300 years ago is called the "kalimba core."

In the mid-1950s, mbira instruments inspired the creation of the kalimba, a Western version designed and promoted by ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey, which led to the kalimba being shared widely outside Africa.

Acoustics

Lamellophones are musical instruments that have small, stiff pieces called "lamellae," which are played by plucking. Unlike string instruments or wind instruments like flutes, the overtones produced when a lamella is plucked are not in harmony, giving the mbira its unique sound. These overtones are strongest at the beginning of the note and fade quickly, leaving a nearly pure tone. When one lamella is plucked, the nearby lamellae also vibrate, adding more sound layers to each note.

Rhythm

Mbira music, like many traditional music styles from regions in Africa south of the Sahara, uses cross-rhythm. An example from the kutsinhira section of the traditional mbira dzavadzimu piece "Nhema Musasa" is described by David Peñalosa. He explains that the left hand plays a repeating pattern called the "bass line," while the right hand plays the upper melody. The combined melody adds details to the 3:2 cross-rhythm, 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 players to reach all the keys with their thumbs. However, traditional African tunings use notes that do not match the Western tempered scale, and the arrangement of notes on mbira instruments can vary widely. Sometimes, nearby keys form part of a musical scale, but other keys may not follow the same pattern.

Historically, mbira tunings do not exactly match Western musical 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 often been unique, changing over time and among different players. Each mbira produces a set of overtones that depend on the maker’s choices and the instrument’s construction. Some mbira sound better when certain notes are adjusted. In recent years, as the mbira dzavadzimu has become more popular in North America, Europe, and Japan, Zimbabwean makers have made their instruments more consistent for export. However, many mbira in Zimbabwe still have varied tunings.

Tunings differ between families and refer to the relationships between musical intervals, not specific pitches. The most common tuning used in Zimbabwe and by non-Zimbabwean players is Nyamaropa, which is similar to the Western Mixolydian mode. Different families may use different names for tunings. For example, Garikayi Tirikoti has created a "mbira orchestra" with seven tunings, each starting on a different interval of the same seven-note scale. These tunings are named Bangidza, Nyabango, Nhemamusasa, Chakwi, Taireva, Mahororo, and Mavembe (except for 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 unity through music. It often uses two mbira players at once and includes 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 where the right side notes are an octave lower than usual.
• Katsanzaira (similar to the Dorian mode): The highest pitch of traditional mbira tunings. The name means "gentle rain before the storm."
• Mavembe (also called Gandanga) (similar to the Phrygian mode): Said to have been created by Sekuru Gora during a funeral ceremony. Some players dispute this claim.
• Nemakonde (similar to the Phrygian mode): Shares the same musical relationship as Mavembe but uses much lower pitches.
• Saungweme (flattened whole tone, close to 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 in religious ceremonies and social events called mapira (one event is called a bira). The instrument can play over 100 songs, such as Kariga mombe.

A typical mbira dzavadzimu has 22 to 28 metal keys attached to a wooden soundboard (gwariva) 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 soundboard’s bottom right corner, while the ring and middle fingers stabilize the instrument from the back. The thumb and index finger of the right hand strike the right-side keys. The left hand holds the left side of the instrument, with the thumb playing both left-side registers. Some mbira have an extra key on the left side, struck by the left index finger.

Small objects like bottle caps or shells ("machachara") are sometimes attached to the soundboard to create a buzzing sound. This sound is important in traditional settings because it is believed to attract ancestral spirits. During performances, the mbira is often placed in a calabash resonator (deze) to make the sound louder.

The mbira dzavadzimu is sacred to the Shona people and is used to communicate with ancestral spirits. It is often played during all-night ceremonies called Bira, where participants ask spirits questions. The music helps people enter a trance, allowing spirits to influence them.

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

The nyunga nyunga, which has 15 keys, originated in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland region and was used for entertainment at social events. It was introduced to Kwanongoma College (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 nyunga nyunga has no hole in the soundboard, and its keys are arranged with pitches radiating outward from the center.

Zimbabwean musician Dumisani Maraire created a number system to notate the nyunga nyunga’s keys. The upper row keys are numbered 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14, while the lower row is numbered 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 Zimbabwe proposed a letter system for the nyunga nyunga, but Maraire’s number system remains the international standard.

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

Other mbira types include:
– Njari mbira: Has 30 to 32 keys and originated in Zimbabwe’s Masvingo and Makonde regions.
– Nhare: Has 23 to 24 keys and was used in rituals to communicate with Musikavanhu or Nyadenga (God).
– Mbira matepe: Has 26 keys and originated near the borders of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Kalimbas (similar to mbira) were first documented in Brazil in 1723 as "marimbas," though they later disappeared. Modern kalimbas exist today.

In Cuba, African lamellophones and the Cajón influenced the creation of the marimbula, though its history is unclear.

The Hugh Tracey kalimba is tuned to the key of G. Its notes are arranged with the lowest notes in the center and higher notes on the sides. This layout allows players to easily create melodies and harmonies.

Alternative tunings are possible because kalimba tines can be adjusted. Some tunings use Western scales (like C major), while others use non-Western scales. Composer Georg Hajdu tuned a Hugh Tracey kalimba to the Bohlen–Pierce scale, which divides a musical interval into 13 steps.

Other instruments related to 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’s tuning system.

Examples of related instruments and locations include:
– Hugh Tracey treble kalimba: An octagonal mbira spanning two octaves.
– Gaya Street Sunday Market, Kota Kinabalu: A place where similar instruments might be found.

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 inspired by musical instruments, his design includes a "crown" shaped like the keys of a kalimba. He also plays kalimba music during a hypnotic chant to control animals.

On May 21, 2020, during Zimbabwe Culture Week, Google celebrated the mbira with a doodle. The doodle included a button that lets users listen to and play the instrument online. It also showed an animated 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 (around 1978). The Soul of Mbira: Music and Traditions of the Shona People of Zimbabwe. Published by the University of California Press in Berkeley.
• Fowler, Andy (2020). Discover Mbira: Ancient Zimbabwean Trance Music. Published by Mbira Magic.
• Fowler, Andy (2015). Unlocking Mbira: Chord Progression and System of Mbira Workbook. Published by Mbira Magic.
• Gahadzikwa, Fungai; Fowler, Andy (2016). Traditional Mbira Song Book. Published by Mbira Magic.
• Howard, Joseph H. (1967). Drums in the Americas. Published by Oak Publications in New York City.
• Kwenda, Forward; Fowler, Andy (2019). Learn to Play Mbira: Traditional Songs and Improvisation. Published by Mbira Magic.
• Mutwa, Credo Vusa'mazulu (1969). My people: the incredible writings of Credo Vusa'mazulu Mutwa. Published by Blue Crane Books in Johannesburg.
• 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. Published by the Institute for the Study of Man in Africa in Johannesburg.
• 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. Published by John Day Company in New York City.