Cultural context is particularly important for the
mbira dzavadzimu . The instrument is a necessary part of a
bira , a Shona ceremony that is central to their religious practices. The music of the
mbira is considered necessary to attract the spirits of ancestors to the
bira , so that they can possess spirit mediums in order to offer advice and help to the living. The importance of the instrument in religious ceremonies directly affects some aspects of its music (see
below ), and also dictates that it not be used too casually, for example as beer hall entertainment. (There are other lamellophones for that!) However, a
bira ceremony can be secular (i.e. not involving spirit possession), for example a
bira to celebrate a wedding, or to install a new chief.
Mbira music at a secular event may include the same pieces that would be played at a
bira (read about repertoire
below ), or they may include more experimental pieces that would not be welcome at a religious ceremony.
Mbira dzavadzimu players are usually men, but there are some female players. Good players are paid for their performances and so can be considered professional or semi-professional, but very few can make a living solely from performance; most have a "day job" unrelated to their music.
The
mbira dzavadzimu is widely known outside of Africa largely due to the
chimurenga music of Thomas Mapfumo.
Chimurenga music is strongly associated with the war (in the 1970's) for Zimbabwean independence. Mapfumo's style, which has strongly influenced other
world music bands, combines Shona
mbira traditions with modern
Western instruments such as electric guitar.
Mbira music
As mentioned above, the many different kinds of African lamellophones have their own repertoire and performance practices. But they do share a "family history", so to speak, and many of the characteristics of
mbira dzavadzimu music, discussed here, will also pertain to the musical traditions of many other lamellophones.
Repertoire
There are hundreds of traditional
mbira dzavadzimu pieces. Although it is difficult to say for certain, some may have changed very little over hundreds of years. Because of their importance in religious traditions (see
above ), the repertoire tends to be more conservative (i.e. to change more slowly) than those of many other instruments. The main purpose of the instrument during a
bira ceremony is to attract ancestor spirits, and the way to do this is to play songs that they liked. So the traditional songs that will be familiar to ancestors are passed on from one
mbira player to another. The music is not written; new pieces are learned by listening to, and watching the fingers of, someone who knows piece. A competent player may be comfortable with only a dozen traditional pieces, or may know more than one hundred. New pieces for the
mbira dzavadzimu are sometimes composed, and new playing styles and genres are tested, but the traditional repertoire is still at the center of the instrument's practice. The descriptions below pertain to this traditional repertoire.
