Mbira

The peaceful, lulling, polyrhythmic cycles of the Shona mbira music of Zimbabwe have become a world-music staple. The standard mbira dzavadzimu consists of 22 iron prongs tightly clamped to a hard slab of mubvaropa wood, which acts as a soundboard. These metal keys are arranged in three banks, what mbira master Ephat Mujuru called the voice of the children, the voice of the adults and the voice of the elders. Although the metal keys were originally smelted directly from rock containing iron ore, these days they are often made from recycled sofa springs, bicycle spokes, car seat springs and other materials.

There are several types of mbira, but the most popular is the mbira dzavadzimu, meaning literally "mbira of the ancestor spirits," a reference to the instrument's traditional use and function in religious ceremonies. Some traditional musicians object to this name because they say that all mbiras belong to the spirits. Similarly, many object to the description of the instrument as a "thumb piano" because this term describes an African instrument only by making reference to a European one and because mbira players use not only their thumbs but also their right forefinger and sometimes others. But by now, both mbira and thumb piano are so widely disseminated that they're pretty much inescapable, however problematic.

The international rise of mbira began to gather steam after the 1976 publication of Paul Berliner's landmark book The Soul of Mbira (University of Chicago Press), although it's worth pointing out that 10 years earlier a stage show called Wait a Minim played at the John Golden Theatre in London, featuring mbira music arranged and directed by Andrew Tracey, son of the legendary South African field recordist Hugh Tracey. These were early events in a steady process of discovery of Shona music around the world. Indeed the instrument is now studied and played by so many musicians, in the United States and Europe particularly, that there may already be more mbira players outside Zimbabwe than within it.

That said, mbira is and will always remain first and foremost Zimbabwean music, both in its traditional, religious manifestations and in its ever growing repertoire of pop adaptations. Through recordings and international tours by mbira artists such as Stella Chiweshe, Forward Kwenda, the late Dumisani Maraire and Ephat Mujuru, Beauler Dyoko and Cosmos Magaya the instrument and the music continue to reach new audiences all the time.

Zimbabwe's mbiras—such as mbira dzavadzimu, njari, matepe and the smaller karimba—are part of a larger family of African lamellophones that includes the Congolese likembe and sanza, the Tanzanian ilimba, the kalimba and a variety of other variants. But it is important to differentiate these instruments. The Shona mbira dzavadzimu in particular has both musical and ceremonial aspects that are quite unique. To confuse all African lamellophones under the generic term mbira, as many do, is similar to lumping together banjos, lutes, mandolins, and all varieties of guitar under a single heading. A lot gets lost in the mix.

The mbira is usually played inside a large, empty calabash called a deze, which acts to amplify the sound. A stick is used to wedge the mbira securely inside the gourd. The mbira is typically played with the two thumbs stroking down and the right forefinger stroking up. A wire strung with bottle caps is generally strung over the lower portion of the soundboard, and bottle caps—at one time, shells—are often strung around the edges of the gourd, producing an intense buzzing sound. Adding a wake-up element to the soothing, bell-like tones of the mbira, the buzzing is considered to be an essential part of the music. Some modern recordings of mbira eliminate the buzzing in order to feature the pure tones of the iron prongs. This, too, is controversial.

There are many different mbira tunings, chosen according to personal preference. The nyamaropa and gandanga tunings are probably the most common, although there are lots of variations, including the same relative tuning set at different pitch levels. Most mbira groups settle on a particular tuning and use it consistently, although some newer groups, notably Mbira Dzenharira, are experimenting with combining differently tuned mbiras. A composition played on differently tuned mbiras is considered to be the same piece as long as the keys are played in the same sequence. Traditionally, a piece is played on two or three instruments using the same tuning.

For centuries, mbira music's main function was not entertainment but rather a way to contact the spirit world in all-night bira ceremonies. The songs and sound of mbira attracted the ancestor spirits, who provided advice and council by way of a spirit medium. The traditional repertoire of ceremonial mbira music consists of hundreds of pieces, some of which are thought to be more than 700 years old. Each piece in the repertoire is appropriate to particular types of spirit ceremonies. In ceremonies honoring a family ancestor, favorite pieces of the ancestor being called may be played. Ceremonies honoring deceased chiefs or warrior ceremonies may require older, more traditional pieces. Ceremonies for the powerful guardian and nature spirits would be the most ancient and traditional pieces. In this manner, pieces are played over and over again and passed from generation to generation.

Mbira players are often said to be hearing the sound of mbira constantly, even while sleeping. Many players talk about hearing a piece in a dream and then waking up able to play it. As such, mbira pieces are considered to be pre-existent, emanating from the spirit world, not so much composed as recovered.

An mbira ceremony is called a bira, and it can take many forms. Used properly, the Shona believe that mbira music can bring rain or sun, chase away harmful spirits and cure illnesses. Mbira music has a profound role in death ceremonies. A bira is played for a week following the death of a chief, even before the community is informed of his passing. Approximately one year after a person's physical death another ceremony is performed and the individual's spirit is welcomed back into the community to take its place among the ancestors.

There are also secular biras, such as those performed at weddings, the inaugurations of new chiefs and government events such as Independence Day and international conferences. The mbira also accompanies a large repertoire of traditional and modern children's songs and allegorical fables.

A Shona mbira piece usually consists of a basic cyclical pattern that includes numerous intertwined melodies, often with contrasting and syncopated rhythms. Within these patterns, there are extensive possibilities for rhythmic and melodic variation. Each performance of an mbira piece is a little like a great jazz rendition of a standard composition. The identity of the piece may be clear and the individual musician's typical style is evident, but each time the performance is fresh, new and totally expressive of the present moment.

Each piece in the traditional repertoire includes a leading part (kushaura) and an intertwining part (kutsinhira). Because mbira players are considered to be hearing the sound of the mbira continuously, when the kushaura musician begins to play there is no fixed point in the cycle to be considered as the "beginning." The player is merely joining in with the music already being heard. In the same spirit, the secondary player will enter the piece at whatever point he wishes. The interlocking mbira parts result in a compact yet overflowing richness of polyphony and polyrhythms.

Mbira music is especially noteworthy for its marriage of 4/4 and 3⁄4 time. Most pieces can be thought of as a sequence of four 12-beat phrases. Those 12 beats can be divided into three groups of four, or four groups of three. Often, the music is not clearly one time signature or the other but rather a beautifully ambiguous combination of the two.

Once the players have established the piece and the tempo, the hosho shakers join in, creating a consistent rhythm and completing the mbira ensemble. Occasionally, ngoma hand drums also participate. In mbira music, these drums are not used so much as a rhythmic foundation, but as conversation and commentary. However, as a piece progresses the ngoma may increasingly drive and guide the piece rhythmically.

Rarely, a virtuoso mbira player will perform a ceremony alone. This requires an extremely complex solo style that must leave both musician and listeners satisfied that both kushaura and kutsinhira are present. This type of solo style is very specific to the individual musician.
Traditional mbira pieces were probably first played on guitars and other modern instruments as long ago as the 1950s, although the first recorded examples come from the late 1960s. This practice became far more common following the success of Thomas Mapfumo, who began singing in Shona and using traditional mbira songs as the basis for his pop compositions in about 1972. When combined with political messages offering encouragement to the guerilla fighters seeking to liberate the country from authoritarian white rule, mbira music became a powerful force in a fast-changing pop culture.

Mapfumo's chimurenga music, named for the freedom fighters, threw the door wide open, and since Zimbabwe's 1979 independence many pop groups have incorporated mbira music and even the instrument itself—often amplified—into their sounds. As Mapfumo's music has evolved, he has encouraged his mbira players to branch into all kinds of nontraditional music. In this way, the instrument and the genre are growing and advancing all the time.
– Banning Eyre, Courtesy Afropop Worldwide: www.afropop.org with material adapted from writing by Erica Azim