Mbira Ensemble
Martin Scherzinger, Director
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The Musicology Department introduced an Mbira Dza Vadzimu Ensemble to the Eastman community in 2004. Native to the Shona culture of Zimbabwe, the mbira is an instrument with 22 to 24 metal keys (lamellae) fixed to a wooden soundboard, which is then wedged to a gourd resonator, used to amplify its resonance. Rattling pieces of metal, bottle caps or shells are attached to the instrument, which in turn produce buzzing sounds when the keys are plucked. Plucking the metal tongues produces a range of sounds. Along with the vibrations of the bottle caps, the keys of the mbira tend to produce very prominent overtones resulting in various layers of rhythmic accents and inherent melodies. Mbira players often report that the mbira sounds like more than one instrument being played at once, or that implicit sounds emerge on close listening to the mbira.
The ensemble aims to introduce students to the basic playing techniques of this ancient instrument. The ensemble meetings also explore some of the formal characteristics of this musical form and provide an introduction to the music in its social context. The ensemble meets formally once a week. Students wishing to participate should contact Martin Scherzinger at mscherzinger@esm.rochester.edu.
