photograph by kali van der merwe
Creating Mbira
The metal I use to construct my mbiras comes from the scrap yard. It is normally high carbon steel because it is the most sonorous metal. You definitely need strong fingernails to pluck the keys to produce sound especially for the stiff keys which make the higher tones. I use hardwood for the soundboard and insert the keys between the top and down the metal bridge. If it's a 22 key mbira I use bicycle chain adjusters for the tension because they come with bolts and nuts, which allows for downward tension on each key to get a pitch. I have used wire for the mbira bridge in the past and also realised that it needs re-tightening after a while because if the wood is a bit soft, the keys sink into it during the bridge tightening. The advantage of wire though is that it makes the instrument light, which means an mbira player can break in his/her instrument easier but it wont last as long as the chain method.
I make 15 key mbiras (kalimba) as well, because these have a lighter sound and way of playing them, they require less key tension. I use wire for the bridge tension and a tin or calabash for the soundboard.
I hot forge the metal keys I use on my instruments. I grind, file and sandpaper the metal keys to give them their shape and to tune them. Mbira making is achieved through hearing the sound in a piece of metal and then slowly subtracting by grinding or filing it down to the required pitch. Pushing the key higher up on the bridge gives you a higher pitch and pushing it down, a lower pitch. This is the way you would tune an mbira - pushing the keys upwards or downwards.
I make my buzzers out of bottle tops attached to a sheet metal plate. Another way of making them is by is by tucking small pieces of wire in holes I make on the edges of a metal plate in order to create a shower buzz sound. You have choice to play the mbira with the buzzers or without. Mbira making takes a lot of patience.
Note
MBIRAS ARE MADE ONLY AFTER THE ORDER,THIS IS DUE TO SPACE COSTS. REMEMBER A GOOD MEAL TAKES TIME, LOVE AND MEDITATION.
Mbira dzavadzimu does not come with a calabash. If you want a calabash check for one at craft markets.
OFFER: DO IT YOURSELF MBIRA ORDERS
You can learn all the mbira making techniques, if you want to take part in the making of your mbira together with Dingiswayo, this will cost slightly more but you will gain so much.
WHAT WILL YOU ACHIEVE?
Knowledge of how an mbira is made. You will need this if you want to tune your own mbira. The materials are provided for you. Remember it can be amusing and you will learn something new.
Come feel the sound journey !
