Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Array Mbira

The mbira does not get its due. What the heck is an mbira (em-BEER-uh), you ask? Exactly my point.

The mbira is a musical instrument of African origin. You might have made one when you were a kid, out of popsicle sticks. It's known by many other names, including the Likembe, the Kalimba, or (as you may know it) the Thumb Piano.

This is an mbira:



This is also an mbira (the mbira doesn't really take off 'til about 2:10. I know the sound quality on this video sucks, but it was the best I could find for this song, which is awesome):



These things sound beautiful. Why the heck do more people not play them? I have several theories:
  1. People dismiss it as either a child's toy or an ethnic novelty instrument, because…
  2. Most of the mbiras in existence suck. They have a tiny range and/or are poorly made and tuned. As far as I can tell, there is only one company that makes quality mbiras: Array Instruments (both of the above videos are Array Mbiras), and even then…
  3. To play an Array Mbira, you have to learn a totally new key arrangement (which actually kicks ass from a music theory and fingering standpoint, but you still have to learn the new setup).
So, what do you think? Will the Array Mbira eventually become known and respected by serious musicians? Or am I just obsessed with tinkly, bell-type sounds?

1 comment:

luke said...

dude i hope the mbira becomes more popular, because it is an awesome instrument. i saw this "stomp" film called pulse that i really loved--it was stuff from all over the world and one section had a bunch of people playing the mbira or something similar.

so come on hip indie artists out there, do something original--go to the mbira.