Is the mbira a Membranophone?
mbira, also called mbila sansa, kilembe, likembe, timbrh, or thumb piano, plucked idiophone (instrument whose sounding parts are resonant solids belonging to the body of the instrument itself)—or more specifically, a lamellaphone—that is unique to Africa and widely distributed throughout the continent.
What is the mbira called in Zimbabwe?
mbira dzavadzimu
In Shona music, the mbira dzavadzimu (“voice of the ancestors”, or “mbira of the ancestral spirits”, national instrument of Zimbabwe) is a musical instrument that has been played by the Shona people of Zimbabwe for thousands of years.
Is a kalimba the same as a mbira?
The kalimba is actually a smaller, modern version of the mbira, which dates back more than 1,000 years in Zimbabwe. The kalimba features the seven-note diatonic scale used in traditional Western music while the non-western scale of the mbira features the same notes but not in the same order.
How would you describe the mbira sound?
The mbira is held in both hands, with the thumbs creating the music by striking the tines. The mbira’s unique tone is described as inharmonic—a dissonance that occurs when the motion of one tine creates a vibration in an adjacent tine. That first sound is complex, but eventually becomes a pure note.
Is mbira a percussion instrument?
The thumb piano, or mbira – a name derived from Shona language of Zimbabwe – is uniquely African percussion instrument. Mbira consists of a row of metal strips, used as key, attached to an open-ended wooden gourd or hollow resonator.
What is Idiophone Africa?
What exactly is an idiophone? African idiophones. The word means “self-sounding” and explains it all: It’s the instrument’s whole body that resonates without the need of attached membranes (that’s a membranophone) or strings (a chordophone).
What is a Gwenyambira?
The gwenyambira is the holder of everything. The ancestors, our humanity, moral behavior, he holds everything. Everything is in the hands of the gwenyambira. This is because here in Zimbabwe, our playing is for the vadzimu ancestral spirits. For example, both mbira and ngoma are for the vadzimu.
Where does kalimba come from?
Republic of South Africa
This kalimba is a lamellaphone idiophone inspired by indigenous Bantu African instruments and manufactured in the Republic of South Africa. The indigenous kalimba is used mostly for personal entertainment or dance music, but can also be played in bira spirit possession ceremonies.
What is the most distinct feature of mbira?
cyclical nature
An important feature of mbira music is its cyclical nature, with each new repetition of a theme varying slightly from the last and incorporate numerous interwoven melodies, with contrasting and syncopated rhythms.