Array Mbira
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The Array mbira is a handcrafted modern
musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...
with a unique harp- or bell-like sound. It is made in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
by its inventor Bill Wesley and manufactured by Wesley with Patrick Hadley in San Diego, California, United States. Its development began in the 1960s. It is a radical redesign of the Shona African
mbira Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and p ...
from Zimbabwe and is part of the
lamellaphone A lamellophone (also lamellaphone or linguaphone) is a member of the family of musical instruments that makes its sound by a thin vibrating plate called a lamella or tongue, which is fixed at one end and has the other end free. When the musician ...
family. The metal
tines Tines (; also spelled tynes), prongs or teeth are parallel or branching spikes forming parts of a tool or natural object. They are used to spear, hook, move or otherwise act on other objects. They may be made of metal, wood, bone or other hard, ...
are grouped into multiple octaves. Sounding each grouping of octaves in a left-to-right direction runs through the
circle of fifths In music theory, the circle of fifths is a way of organizing the 12 chromatic pitches as a sequence of perfect fifths. (This is strictly true in the standard 12-tone equal temperament system — using a different system requires one interval ...
, and sounding each group in a right-to-left direction runs through the circle of fourths (unlike a piano which runs through the chromatic scale). Usually, the Array mbira contains two and a half repetitions of the entire
chromatic scale The chromatic scale (or twelve-tone scale) is a set of twelve pitches (more completely, pitch classes) used in tonal music, with notes separated by the interval of a semitone. Chromatic instruments, such as the piano, are made to produce the ...
, arranged in a continuous circle of fifths. The octaves of each note (A220,
A440 A440 or A-440 may refer to: * A440 (pitch standard) * A440 highway (Australia), a road in Victoria, Australia * Quebec Autoroute 440 (Laval) * Quebec Autoroute 440 (Quebec City) See also * Apollo 440 Apollo 440 (also known as Apollo Four Fo ...
, and A880, for example) are grouped together in a staggered, nearly vertical arrangement. Each of the metal tines in a group may be played independently, and multiple octaves may be sounded together in a one-fingered stroke. The octave groups may contain as few as two octaves (two tines), or as many as five. There are 12×2.5=30 octave groups in the standard design, so a five-octave Array mbira uses 5×30=150 tines. The arrangement of the tines allows music to be played with relative ease in any
key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...
.


Description

Generally, the Array mbira is large enough to allow two people to play on the same instrument at once, side by side. It is a sturdy instrument, requiring only occasional care. Sounds are made by manually pushing down gently and releasing bent metal tines with a grasping fist movement of the fingers. Some contact with the finger nail helps to produce a crisp and clear tone. Low notes are played upwards with the pad of the thumb. The tines are made from high-carbon spring steel. They are individually hand-cut and ground to a smooth round shape on the ends. These tines are held down to the sounding board by two bolted crossbars. These crossbars keep the notes in tune over long periods, often many years. The names of the notes are engraved into the metal crossbar. The lower notes are closer to the player, and the higher notes are farther away. The tines are arranged so that the most consonant intervals (octaves, fifths, and fourths) vibrate along with the fundamental. Furthermore, each tine is bent at a certain angle to produce
harmonic A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the ''fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', the ...
s (most notably the 6th harmonic, or two octaves plus a fifth) that are more consonant than other mbiras and kalimbas. Two types of Array mbiras are available: a hollow body and a solid body. Both models have dual piezoelectric pickups that produce two separate channels, one for the left side of the instrument and one for the right side. The hollow body is an acoustic instrument that utilizes a
sound box A sound box or sounding box (sometimes written soundbox) is an open chamber in the body of a musical instrument which modifies the sound of the instrument, and helps transfer that sound to the surrounding air. Objects respond more strongly to vibr ...
, which can be made from a variety of domestic and exotic hardwoods. Because these instruments are handcrafted works of art, there are many options for embellishment, including various inlaid borders, burl veneers, colored lacquer and type of finish. The solid body instruments are heavier than the hollow bodies but smaller in overall size. They are better for live performances because they do not have problems with
audio feedback Audio feedback (also known as acoustic feedback, simply as feedback) is a positive feedback situation which may occur when an acoustic path exists between an audio input (for example, a microphone or guitar pickup) and an audio output (for examp ...
when amplified.


Arrangement

The notes (of which there may be up to 150, comprising up to five octaves) are arranged according to the Array system, developed by musicologist, performer, and author Bill Wesley.Collings, Ryan
The Mbira
p.4.
The Array system of organizing the notes is similar to the Wicki-Hayden note layout, while offering the advantage of being able to play multiple octaves of the same note with one finger. The Array system is a specific pattern of arranging musical tones. It is both
isomorphic In mathematics, an isomorphism is a structure-preserving mapping between two structures of the same type that can be reversed by an inverse mapping. Two mathematical structures are isomorphic if an isomorphism exists between them. The word is ...
and unimorphic (meaning that harmonious notes are grouped adjacently, excluding dissonant notes). There is only one unimorphic planar (as opposed to linear) system available on a lead instrument at this time, and that is the system used for organizing the Array mbira. Because the Array system is isomorphic, any given chord, scale, or song, no matter how complex, can be played in any one of the 12 keys immediately after the player learns to play it in one key. Because it is unimorphic, common chords tend to fall close together. In the key of C, for example, the F and G major chords can be played by moving the C major chord shape one octave group to the left or right. The same applies to Em, Am, and Dm. The minor chord shape is easier to play with the left hand, while major chords are easier to play with the right hand. There is a row for every possible musical interval, not just fifths, fourths, and octaves but also whole tones, minor thirds, etc. The Array system can be thought of not only as being based on the circle of fifths, but as being based on rows of whole tones. Each whole-tone row is separated by a fifth/fourth.


Technique

The experience of playing an Array mbira is that less shifting around of movement is required for playing a given chord progression. Because of the duplications of all notes available (two to three times for every octave of every note), complex rhythms and fast melodies are easier to play. The Array system allows the player to access the same notes with each hand in different locations. In addition to this, the close grouping of octaves allows large chords to be played that would require four hands on a piano. An mbira with only two or three octaves is better suited to fast, complex melodies while the larger five octave model is better suited to large chords and complex
voicings ''Voicings'' was the last recording by the Minneapolis jazz vocal group Rio Nido. The album was one of the early recordings to feature live "direct to digital" recording techniques. Track listing # "Northern Lights" (D. Karr, L. Ball) # "I'm ...
. The shorter tines sound higher in pitch. This means that any ascending scale travels away from the player toward the back of the instrument. An ascending major scale is played by playing a "three-four" pattern:
do-re-mi "Do-Re-Mi" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''The Sound of Music''. Each syllable of the musical solfège system appears in the song's lyrics, sung on the pitch it names. Rodgers was helped in its creation by long-time ...
, fa-sol-la-ti, do-re-mi, etc., going higher and higher until you run out of notes. The visual/tactile sensation of playing a group of three notes followed by a group of four notes results from the nature of the major scale: two whole steps, followed by a half step, followed by three more whole steps, and ending with one more half step to get back to "do". The minor scale and the five other musical modes work much the same way, as does the major pentatonic scale and its "modes". One possible playing position places both hands over the notes F, C, G, D, A, E, and B, the notes of the C major and A minor scales as well as many other scales and modes. Accidentals (F#, C#, G#, D#, A#) fall immediately between and outside of the hands. This position emphasizes consonant intervals. Moving the hands further apart or closer together yields positions that emphasize dissonant intervals.


Cultural influence

The Array mbira is played by a number of notable musicians, including Sting,#LifeIsMusic: Here are 5 modern musical instruments you’ve never heard of before
''DNA India''. 2015-07-11.
Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...
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Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain ( ur, , link=no) is the name of: * Zakir Husain (politician), an Indian politician and former president of India * Zakir Hussain (actor), Bollywood actor * Zakir Hussain (field hockey) (1934–2019), Pakistani field hockey player * ...
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Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs t ...
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, Shannon Terry, and
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. Array mbiras are also being used by a variety of TV and film composers. The Array mbira has been used on popular American TV shows such as ''
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
'' and ''
True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development. The serie ...
'' as well as the Danish Academy Award winning film ''
In a Better World ''In a Better World'' ( da, Hævnen, "The Revenge") is a 2010 Danish drama thriller film written by Anders Thomas Jensen and directed by Susanne Bier. The film stars Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, and Ulrich Thomsen in a story which takes ...
''.CD Review: IN A BETTER WORLD soundtrack
''AssignmentX''. 2010-11-24.


References


External links

*{{official website, https://www.arraymbira.com/
TEDx presentation by Bill Wesley that talks about the Array Mbira
Experimental musical instruments Comb lamellophones