Description: VINTAGE Folk Art Zimbabwe Mbira Drum Thumb Piano African Musical Instrument 15" Diameter If you are not familiar with the instrument, you may find the following interesting: Mujuru and Azim play a style of mbira traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. The Shona mbira features two rows of keys, often made of salvaged metal, mounted inside an enormous, round gourd that acts as a resonator. Shells or bottle caps affixed to the instrument buzz gently in time to the player’s cross-rhythmic pluckings. The keys produce bell-like tones that ping-pong off of one another in intricate counter-melody. The tunes are cyclical, meaning they have no definitive beginning or end point, their whirling perambulations at once propulsive and serene.In the ‘70s, guitar licks inspired by mbira patterns became the bedrock of chimurenga music, the popular soundtrack to the Zimbabwe War of Liberation. And the instrument continues to find its way into pop music today. “There’s all kinds of young people that are trying any old thing and playing any which music on their mbiras,” Azim says. “When I went the first time, some people were playing reggae on their mbira, and now you can find someone playing hip-hop on their mbira.”Mbira come in many different tunings, and most players only master one. But Mujuru is one of the instrument’s most versatile practitioners, and his instrument-making practice has helped him become deeply acquainted with multiple tunings. “He’ll be making some new tuning and then he’ll really get into it and he’ll be playing it every night and … really find amazing ways to play in that particular tuning,” Azim says. “So I think that has given him a particular breadth, in Zimbabwe, as a musician, that is unique.”Original condition. Nothing broken repaired. From a smoke free environment. 15 keys. 15" in diameter. The depth of the piano portion is 4 1/4" Shipping and handling is FREE. This instrument will be properly packed. We are featuring another Fold Art Zimbabwe Thumb Piano, not in a drum in another auction. Sold as is, as photographed and described.
Price: 100 USD
Location: South Bend, Indiana
End Time: 2025-01-19T22:04:31.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Brand: Unbranded
Type: Alto
Item Diameter: 15"
Features: Lightweight
Number of Pads: 15
Country/Region of Manufacture: Zimbabwe
