Mbira (pronounced /əmˈbɪərə/; Shona pronunciation: [ᵐbira]) is also called kalimba and zanza. It is a musical instrument traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. The instrument has a wooden board, sometimes with a resonator, and metal tines attached in a staggered pattern. It is played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs, right forefinger, and sometimes the left forefinger. Musicologists classify 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. Mbira is important in religious ceremonies, weddings, and 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 UNESCO’s 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. Kalimba is a Western version of mbira. It became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, partly due to musicians like Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire and Thomas Mapfumo. These musicians used mbira on stage with modern instruments like electric guitar, bass, drums, and horns. Their music often included traditional mbira songs. Other important figures who helped 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 United States; and Zimbabwean musicians whose work was recorded by Paul Berliner.

Joseph H. Howard and Babatunde Olatunji stated that mbira and similar metal lamellaphones are African in origin and found only in areas with African or descendant populations. Similar instruments were reported to be used 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 later, 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 metal-tined lamellophones were created in the Zambezi River valley around 1,300 years ago. Metal-tined instruments spread across Africa, becoming 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 African groups did not have mbiras. There were thousands of different tunings, note arrangements, and designs, but a possible 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 sold by ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey. This led to the kalimba being shared widely beyond Africa.

Acoustics

Lamellophones are musical instruments that have small, stiff pieces called "tines." These tines are played by plucking them. Unlike stringed instruments or wind instruments like flutes, the extra sounds produced when a tine is plucked on a lamellophone are not regular or predictable. This gives the mbira, a type of lamellophone, its unique sound. These unusual extra sounds are strongest when the tine is first plucked and fade quickly, leaving a sound that is nearly pure. When one tine is plucked, the nearby tines also vibrate slightly, adding more layers 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 adds details to the 3:2 cross-rhythm, also known as a hemiola.

Tuning

On African mbira instruments and similar lamellophones, the lowest notes are often placed in the center, with higher notes on the far left and right. This design helps players use their thumbs to reach all the tines easily. 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, adjacent tines form part of a scale, but other notes may not follow a clear pattern.

Historically, mbira tunings have not matched Western scales exactly. A seven-note sequence on a mbira may cover a larger range of frequencies than a Western octave, and the spaces between notes may differ from those in Western music. Tunings have often been unique, changing over time and between players. Each mbira produces different overtones depending on the maker’s choices and how the instrument is built. Some mbira sound better when certain notes are adjusted. In recent decades, as the mbira dzavadzimu became more popular in North America, Europe, and Japan, Zimbabwean makers have made their instruments more consistent for export, but many variations still exist in Zimbabwe.

Tunings vary between families, focusing on the relationships between notes rather than specific pitches. The most common tuning in Zimbabwe and among non-Zimbabwean players is Nyamaropa, which is similar to the Western Mixolydian mode. Names for tunings can differ between families. Garikayi Tirikoti created a "mbira orchestra" with seven tunings, each starting on a different note of the same seven-note scale. These tunings include Bangidza, Nyabango, Nhemamusasa, Chakwi, Taireva, Mahororo, and Mavembe (except for Mavembe and Nyabango, these are also names of traditional songs). The tuning closest to "Nyamaropa" is Garikayi’s "Nhemamusasa."

Common tunings and their descriptions include:

• Nyamaropa (similar to the Mixolydian mode): Considered the oldest and most important in Shona culture, it emphasizes group music-making. Performances often include two mbira players, singing styles like Huro (high emotional notes) and Mahon'era (soft, breathy singing), or both. A single mbira is not used alone in a performance.
• 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 a storm."
• Mavembe (also called Gandanga) (similar to the Phrygian mode): Said to have been created by Sekuru Gora during a funeral, when he matched his mbira to a song’s melody. Some players disagree about its origin.
• Nemakonde (similar to the Phrygian mode): Shares the same musical relationships as Mavembe but uses much lower pitches.
• Saungweme: Features a flattened whole tone, approaching a seven-tone equal temperament.

Variants

The mbira dzavadzimu, also called the "voice of the ancestors" or "mbira of the ancestral spirits," is a traditional musical instrument of the Shona people in Zimbabwe. It has been played for thousands of years and 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 a gwariva. These keys are arranged in three groups: two on the left and one on the right.

When playing, the right hand holds the instrument by placing the little finger through a hole on the bottom right corner of the soundboard. The ring and middle fingers support the instrument from the back. The thumb and index finger of the right hand strike the right register of keys. The left hand stabilizes the left side of the instrument, and the left thumb plays both left registers. Some mbira have an extra key in the upper left register, struck by the left index finger.

Small objects like bottle caps or shells, called "machachara," are sometimes attached to the soundboard. These create a buzzing sound that is believed to help summon ancestral spirits during performances.

During public performances, the mbira dzavadzimu is often placed inside a calabash, called a deze, to make the sound louder.

The mbira dzavadzimu is very important in Shona culture and religion. It is used to communicate with ancestral spirits and is often played during all-night ceremonies called Bira. In these events, two people play together: one person leads the music, and the other follows. The music helps participants enter a trance, allowing ancestral spirits to influence them.

Albert Chimedza, a director of the Mbira Centre in Harare, says about 10,000 people worldwide play the mbira.

The mbira nyunga nyunga, which has 15 keys, originated in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland region. It was used for entertainment during social events. In the 1960s, Jeke Tapera brought it to Kwanongoma College of African Music in Bulawayo. Two keys were added to make 15. The mbira nyunga nyunga is similar to the mbira dzavadzimu but has no hole in the soundboard. Its keys are arranged with pitch radiating from the center, not from left to right.

Dumisani Maraire from Zimbabwe created a numbering system for the mbira nyunga nyunga. Upper row keys are labeled 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14, while lower row keys are 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 mbira nyunga nyunga. Upper keys are labeled E, D, C, F, C, D, and E, while lower keys are A, G, F, A, F, C, D, and E. However, Maraire’s number system is still the most widely used.

Dutch composer Maarten Regtien used a mbira nyunga nyunga in his 2014 piece Daddy Mbira – Mbira Penguin Talks. He combined traditional mbira 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 Zimbabwe for rituals to communicate with Musikavanhu or Nyadenga (God).
– Mbira matepe: Has 26 keys and originated near the borders of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Kalimbas, a type of metal-tined instrument, were first recorded in Brazil in 1723, called marimbas. They later disappeared but now exist 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. This layout makes it easy to play melodies and harmonies together.

Kalimbas can be tuned in many ways. Some are tuned to the key of C or non-Western scales. Composer Georg Hajdu used a kalimba tuned to the Bohlen–Pierce scale in his piece Just Her – Jester – Gesture.

Examples of related instruments 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 similar tuning system to the Hugh Tracey kalimba.

Other related items:
– Hugh Tracey treble kalimba: An octagonal mbira with two octaves of sound.
– Gaya Street Sunday Market, Kota Kinabalu: A location where similar instruments may 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 uses kalimba music in a special song to control animals.

On May 21, 2020, during Zimbabwe Culture Week, Google created a doodle to celebrate the mbira. The doodle allowed users to hear and play the instrument online. It also told the story of a young girl who learned to play the mbira. As an adult, she became a successful artist and inspired others to learn 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 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.