15 Key Cypren Vambe Signature Shona Mbira/Kalimba from Zimbabwe

15 Key Cypren Vambe Signature Shona Mbira/Kalimba from Zimbabwe Review

15 Key Cypren Vambe Signature Shona Mbira/Kalimba from Zimbabwe Feature

• 15 key created in the nyunga nyunga style/tuning
• Pre-stained - Made from Mukwa wood
• Excellent tone and sustain
• Shipped Quickly!

15 Key Cypren Vambe Signature Shona Mbira/Kalimba from Zimbabwe Overview

Cypren Vambe is a prominent Mbira Maker from Zimbabwe. A master at his craft he works outside Harare with his 5 sons to create these wonderful instruments. Hand made from a block of Mukwa wood otherwise known in the Shona language as the Mubvamaropa tree, which is quite a difficult tree to come by they explained to me. Apparently found in the more rural parts of Zim when they locate a Mukwa tree thats suitable they have to meet with the village elders to get permission to use it. This Mbira has 15 metal keys and this has a particularly great tone to it with decent sustain. When each key is made they use a master mbira to adjust each key to sound the same as that master mbiras keys ensuring it is tuned correctly.Jeke (Jack) Tapera introduced the Mbira Nyunga Nyunga in the 1960s from Tete province of Mozambique to Kwanongoma College of African music (now United College of Music) in Bulawayo. Two keys were then added to make fifteen (Chirimumimba, 2007), in two rows. The mbira nyunga nyunga is similar in construction to the Mbira Dzavadzimu, but has no hole in the soundboard. Key pitch radiates out from the center, rather than from left to right.Zimbabwe's Dumisani Maraire originated mbira nyunga nyunga number notation. The upper row keys (from left) are keys 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 while the bottom row keys are notated as 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15. 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.Recently a Midlands State University (Gweru, Zimbabwe) lecturer in the department of music and musicology has suggested a letter notation; 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. But the Maraire number notation has remained the internationally accepted system (Chirimumimba, 2007).

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 17, 2010 18:59:03