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(top), Mbira Nyunga Nyunga (bottom), Hosho (bottom left).]] In Zimbabwean Music , the mbira is a Musical Instrument consisting of a wooden board to which staggered metal keys have been attached. It is often fitted into a Deze that functions as a Resonator . Mbira performances are usually accompanied by Hosho . Among the Shona there are three that are very popular (see '' Shona Music ''). The Mbira is usually classified as part of the Lamellophone family of musical instruments. TYPES OF MBIRA Mbira Dzavadzimu In Shona Music , the mbira dzavadzimu (or ''mbira of the ancestors'') is a musical instrument that has been used by the Shona People of Zimbabwe for thousands of years. It is often played at religious ceremonies and social gatherings called mabira (sing. bira). The traditional mbira dzavadzimu is usually made up of 22 keys on three different registers, two on the left and one on the right. Construction The mbira dzavadzimu is constructed from 22 to 28 strips of cold or hot forged metal of varying lengths affixed to a hardwood gwariva or Soundboard . The gwariva has a hole in the bottom right corner through which the Little Finger of the right hand is placed while playing, allowing the right thumb and index finger to pluck the high notes from above and below the keys. There are usually several Bottle Cap s, Shells or other objects affixed to the soundboard (known as '' Machachara ''Williams, B. Michael. (2001) Learning Mbira: A Beginning. Everett, PA: HoneyRock. ISBN 0-9634060-4-3) which create a buzzing sound when the instrument is played. This sound is known to attract the ancestral spirits The Keys are arranged in three Row s, two on the left and one on the right. The bottom-left row contains the bass keys, the top-left row the middle-range keys and the right row a combination of the secondary bass keys and the high keys. Religious and social significance The Mbira Dzavadzimu is very significant in Shona Religion and Culture , the national instrument of Zimbabwe, and is considered sacred. These religious ceremonies often lasted through the night and were/are called "bira" (singular) or "mabira" (plural). With an enduring history of over 1,500 years, it has been traditionally played at both religious ceremonies and social gatherings, most often when communication with the ancestor spirits is desired or when necessary within the royal Shona Courts. However, the use of Mbira has diversified in modern times. In the ancient days songs for guidance, success in the hunt or battle, or for healing, were prevalent whilst today, one can listen to "new compositions" about love or politics. Playing There is much variation in the specifics of playing the mbira dzavadzimu, but this is the typical method: The right Little Finger is placed in the hole in the bottom-right of the soundboard, the Middle and Ring Finger s are placed behind the instrument. This leaves the right Thumb and Index Finger free to play the keys. The left hand is cupped around the left side of the instrument, with all fingers but the thumb placed behind the instrument. Both rows on the left are played with the left thumb by drawing and pressing the thumb down the top of the key, and off the end. This causes the key to vibrate up and down. The first three keys on the right are played with the right thumb in a similar manner. The rest of the keys on the right are played with the right index finger, but unlike with the rest of the keys, the index finger is drawn up to the bottom of the key. Sound .]] The mbira is often placed inside a Deze , a large Resonator made from a Calabash , to amplify its sound. The bottle caps or other objects on both the mbira and deze vibrate when the instrument is played, causing a buzzing sound. Tuning Tunings for the mbira vary from family to family. By far, the most common tuning is Nyamaropa. The tuning refers to general interval relationships of the keys, and not to specific pitches. There can be much confusion about different tunings' names, as different families may call one tuning by a different name than another family. For example, Garikai's family plays an "mbira orchestra" that has seven different tunings-each tuning starting on a different starting pitch of the same seven-note scale. Garikai calls his version of "Nyamaropa" the "Nhemamusasa" tuning. There are seven tunings that Garikai uses: Bangidza, Nyamaropa, Nhememusasa, Chakwi, Taireva, Mahoroho, and Mavembe. Other names for tunings are: Dambatsoko-Played by the Mujuru family. The name refers to their ancestral homeland. Gandanga (also: Mavembe) - Sekuru Gora claims to have invented this tuning at a funeral ceremony. (He calls it Mavembe) He was playing at where the mourners were singing a familiar song with an unfamiliar melody. He went outside the hut and tuned his mbira to match the vocal lines. Other mbira players disagree that he invented it. Dongonda-usually a Nyamaropa tuned mbira with the right side notes the same octave as the left. Musicians Some notable mbira players include:
Mbira Nyunga Nyunga The Mbira Nyunga Nyungawas brought to Zimbabwe by Jack Tapera in the 1970s from Tete province in Mozambique.Initially when Tapera introduced at Kwanongoma College of African music (now United college of music ) in Bulawayo the nyunga nyunga had 13 keys only . It was at Kwanongoma that Jack with the help of Andrew Tracy added two more keys to the mbira nyunga nyunga to make the keys 15 .The mbira nyunga nyunga is similar in construction to the Mbira Dzavadzimu, but has 15 keys, in two rows, and no hole in the soundboard. Key pitch radiates out from the center, rather than left to right. It is typically played by holding both sides of the instrument in one's hands. Zimbabwe's late mbira guru Dumisani Maraire came up with the mbira nyunga nyunga number notation where he notated the keys beginning with the first left key .With the number notation you take the first left key as you number 1 key and the following upper key as number 2 key and the next bottom row key as your number 3 key .The numbering continue in the same logic until the last key which is number 15 .The upper row keys from (left ) will thus be keys 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 , 12 and 14 whilst bottom row keys (from the first bottom left key ) are notated as 1 , 3 ,5 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 13 and 15.Maraire's number notation is used world-wide on the mbira nyunga nyunga.Hoevever, recently a Midlands State University (Gweru,Zimbabwe) lecturer in the department of music and musicology came up with an alternative notation system for mbira nyunga nyunga.P. Matiure forwarded a letter notation for the mbira nyunga nyunga.He notated the upper keys as (from first left upper key) E, D, C , F , C , D and E and the lower or bottom keys as (from the first lower key) A ,G , F , A , F , C , D and E.Matiure's letter notation is hoewer, not known by many thus the Maraire number notation as remained the internationally accepted system of notating mbira nyunga nyunga.Maraire brought awareness of this instrument to the United States when he came to the University of Washington as a visiting artist from 1968-1972. MBIRA MUSIC To many people Mbira music appears extremely repetitive, or cyclical. However, in most Mbira music, there are minute variations, suggestive of the Minimalist movement in western music (for example Philip Glass ''et al''). As with all African music, rhythm plays an important part. The Rhythm s are often quite intricate and to some extent dictate the form of the Melody . Shona mbira music Generally, each mbira piece can be divided into four sections of twelve pulses each, although there are songs that divide into nine or eight pulses as well. Andrew Tracey refers to each cycle as a '' Chara ''Tracey, Andrew. (1970). How to play the mbira (dza vadzimu). Roodepoort, Transvaal, South Africa: International Library of African Music., which translates as "version", but literally means "fingering" or "thumb". Traditional Shona Mbira music is typically composed to two different parts, the Kushaura (meaning "to lead" or "to start") and the Kutsinhira (meaning "to follow" Berliner, Paul . (1978). The Soul of Mbira: music and traditions of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Berkeley : University of California Press.). Each part is played on two different mbiras, with the kushaura often being the more simple part, and the kutsinhira more complicated. Shona songs Kariga Mombe
Mahororo '''
Nyamaropa
Nhemamusasa
Kuzanga
Taireva
Vadzimu
Bangidza or Bangiza
Marenje
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