Mbira - The African Connection
The Mbira is a melodic instrument of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. The
definitive western work on these instruments is Paul F. Berliner's,
The Soul of the Mbira, Music and Traditions of the Shona People of
Zimbabwe, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 1978.
Paul points out that throughout Africa there are numerous examples of
this type of instrument with many different names. Of all of these instruments, the Mbira of the Shona people may be the most complex, often with several ranks of keys and a very rich melodic musical tradition.
The Mbira typically consists of several rows (ranks) of metal tines
(keys) clamped to a wooden board. The keys produce tones when plucked. The keys are typically hammered from steel wire. Their length, width and thickness are adjusted to tune and achieve the pitch and tonal color of each of these cantilever beams. The musician strokes the tips of the keys with thumb or finger tips and thus excites their first mode of vibration (simple up and down movement of the key). Higher modes are also excited and, in the best instruments, these higher modes have been tuned by modulating the tine's thickness along its length. While the Mbira can be played alone (quiet) they are commonly played inside a calabash gourd resonator.
Origins of the Hammered Mbira:
I have been playing Celtic music on conventional hammered dulcimers since 1984. Musical instruments have always fascinated me. I built both mountain and hammered dulcimers. I collected books on instruments and the physics of music. I subscribed to The Journal of Experimental Musical Instruments, edited by Bart Hopkin and Dandemutande a journal devoted to Zimbabean marimba and Mbira music. From that journal I found Paul Berliner’s book on the Mbira.
In 1994, my progress on the hammered dulcimer was disrupted by an assignment requiring frequent trips to Japan. My hammered dulcimer was too large to take along and even a smaller one would require lots of tuning. I needed a light sturdy and low maintenance instrument.
Small, tough and with very stable tuning the Mbira seemed ideal. Since I wanted to be able to maintain my skill on the hammered dulcimer, I hit on the idea of laying an Mbira out in the form of a hammered dulcimer and using hammers to strike the keys. I began experimenting on my bench and soon came up with a workable design. The layout was identical to my hammered dulcimer. The strings were replaced with steel rods clamped to brass bridges. The lengths of the rods together with size and position of small brass weights (think of the weights on tuning forks in the doctor’s office) near the ends of the rods set the tuning. Since those physical attributes are unaffected by humidity and don’t stress the instrument, the tuning is very stabile. The hammer blow emphasizes the 2nd mode of vibration with a node point (no movement) at about .77 of the bar's length and anti node (largest movement) about where the hammer strikes. The first mode (the end of the wire just moving up and down is visible but not very audible. The weights help tuning and get the 3rd mode close to a 5th interval above the dominant 2nd mode.
The first instruments had simple flat soundboards and the bridges were tall enough that the vibrating rods did not hit the board. They were fitted with short legs and my plan was to use a tabletop as a complementary resonator. This worked ok as long as there was a table, but I found I liked to carry the instruments walking around the sights of Japan. With a longer leg I could balance the instrument on my knees and play almost anywhere. Moving closer to the Mbira, I made an instrument with low bridges and routed out the soundboard to clear the vibrating rods. I made a case for it and carried it on a trip to the UK. It sounded great but I returned determined to make a lighter version. I built an 8/7 version and a new lighter case. That instrument went with me to central Turkey and really met my objectives for a traveling instrument. I have since taken it as my carryon on all of my trips. Whenever, I have a few minutes waiting for a plane, train or companions; I can pull it out of the case and play. This proves to be a great way to meet people and brighten their day.
This form of the instrument is loud enough for solo playing in the settings described. However, they are not loud enough to play in sessions with other musicians. In fact when practicing Shona musicians often play the Mbira by itself. For performance, they increase mbira’s volume by placing it into a large gourd that acts as a resonator. I experimented with various forms of resonators and electronic pickups. I now build a version of the hammered Mbira that is loud enough for session play. It consists of a flat soundboard with high bridges. This assembly rests in place as the top of a trapezoidal wooded sound box. I have one or more sound holes cut in the box. These typically are in the side facing the audience and do a good job projecting the sound. For transit, the soundboard assembly can be inverted so that the bridges and rods are located inside and the sound box becomes the case.
Sizes:
I make Hammered Mbiras in 13-12, 10-9, 8-7 (number of rods on the treble and bass bridges respectively). Since each instrument is built to order so special tunings are possible.
Hammered Mbira with 13-12 layout:
E''' ------|--------Bb'' C#'''---------\
D''' ------|--------G#'' D#''-----------\
C''' ------|---------F'' Bb' -----------\
B'' ------|---------E'' A' -------------\
A'' -------|----------D" G' --------------\
G'' -------|----------C'' F' ---------------\
F#''-------|-----------B' E'----------------\
E" -------|------------A' D' ----------------\
D'' -------|------------G' C' -----------------\
C#''-------|-------------F#' B ------------------\
B' --------|---------------E' A-------------------\
A' --------|--------------- D' G ------------------\
G#'-------|-----------------C#' Bass Bridge
Treble Bridge
Hammered Mbira with 10-9 layout:
E''' ------|--------Bb'' C#'''---------\
D''' ------|--------G#'' D#''-----------\
C''' ------|---------F'' Bb' -----------\
B'' ------|---------E'' A' -------------\
A'' -------|----------D" G' --------------\
G'' -------|----------C'' F' ---------------\
F#''-------|-----------B' E'----------------\
E" -------|------------A' D' ----------------\
D'' -------|------------G' C' -----------------\
C#''-------|-------------F#' Bass Bridge
Treble Bridge
Hammered Mbira with 8-7 layout:
G'' -------|----------C'' F' ---------------\
F#''-------|-----------B' E'----------------\
E" -------|------------A' D' ----------------\
D'' -------|------------G' C' -----------------\
C#''-------|-------------F#' B ------------------\
B' --------|---------------E' A-------------------\
A' --------|--------------- D' G ------------------\
G#'-------|-----------------C#' Bass Bridge
Treble Bridge
A comment on octaves
I have a lot of books on the physics of music and they are far from consistent on their use of primes or subscripts to denote what octave they are talking about. I believe that the lowest C, shown above as C’, is tuned to 130.81 Hz. Middle C is 261.63 Hz and is shown as C’’ above. The highest C, shown as C’’’, is tuned to 523.25 Hz, C above middle C, and is the 3rd note down from the top on the left of the treble bridge.
Construction details:
Bridges are machined from solid brass. The rods and all of the screws are stainless steel. Tuning weights attached to the ends of the rods are brass. The wood is finished with urethane. The spruce soundboards can be finished natural or stained. The P, S and models come with two pairs of playing hammers. The Industrial I models come with a single pair of hammers. All instruments include a wooden leg that supports the far side of the instrument as you sit to play it with the near side on your knees. Although tuning is not normally necessary, I include tools and instructions for adjusting the tuning.
Ordering and schedule:
Each instrument is custom built. I communicate with the customer via e-mail to settle on size, construction, any other details and a projected schedule. I require 50% down when I start building and the balance plus shipping and handling when the instrument is received. Start to shipping typically takes 3 to 4 weeks for the soundboard only models and 5 to 6 weeks for the sound box models. To enquire about current prices and schedule contact me via e-mail at donmaclane@gmail.com
Background and detailed information on the Hammered Mbira
