Editing Mbira (section)

===Mbira dzavadzimu===
[[Image:mbira dzavadzimu in deze.jpg|thumb|Mbira dzavadzimu in a [[deze]]]]

In [[Shona music]], the mbira dzavadzimu (''"voice of the ancestors"'', or ''"mbira of the ancestral spirits''", national instrument of Zimbabwe<ref>{{cite web|title=Music in Zimbabwe|work=Nordiska Afrikainstitutet|date=March 16, 2006|access-date=December 17, 2007|quote=The instrument is, in slightly varying forms, several centuries old and is found in many parts of Africa, but only in Zimbabwe has it risen to become a national instrument|url=http://www.nai.uu.se/research/areas/cultural_images_in_and_of/zimbabwe/music/ |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071226003847/http://www.nai.uu.se/research/areas/cultural_images_in_and_of/zimbabwe/music/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = December 26, 2007}}</ref>) is a musical instrument that has been played by the [[Shona people]] of [[Zimbabwe]] for thousands of years. The ''mbira dzavadzimu'' is frequently played at religious ceremonies and social gatherings called ''mapira'' (sing. "''bira''"). The ''mbira dzavadzimu'' can be used to play over one hundred songs, such as ''Kariga mombe''.

A typical ''mbira dzavadzimu'' consists of between 22 and 28 keys constructed from hot- or cold-[[forged]] metal affixed to a hardwood [[Sound board (music)|soundboard]] (''gwariva'') in three different registers—two on the left, one on the right.

While playing, the [[little finger]] of the right hand is placed through a hole in the bottom right corner of the soundboard, with the little finger entering from the front of sound board, and the [[ring finger]] and [[middle finger]] reaching around the back to stabilise the instrument. This leaves the thumb and index finger of the right hand open to [[pizzicato|stroke]] the keys in the right register from above (thumb) and below (index finger).  The fingers of the left hand stabilise the left side of the instrument, with most fingers reaching slightly behind the instrument.  Both registers on the left side of the instrument are played with the left thumb. Some mbira possess an extra key in the upper left register which is hit from below by the left index finger.

[[Bottle cap]]s, [[Exoskeleton|shells]], or other objects ("''machachara''"<ref name="williams">Williams, B. Michael. (2001) Learning Mbira: A Beginning. Everett, PA: HoneyRock. {{ISBN|0-9634060-4-3}}</ref>)  are often affixed to the soundboard to create a buzzing sound when the instrument is played.  In a traditional setting, this sound is considered extremely important, as it is believed to attract [[ancestral spirits]].

During a public performance, an ''mbira dzavadzimu'' is frequently placed in a ''[[deze]]'' ([[calabash]] resonator) to amplify its sound.

The ''mbira dza vadzimu'' is very significant in [[Shona people|Shona]] [[Shona religion|religion]] and [[Shona culture|culture]], considered a sacred instrument by the Shona people. It is usually played to facilitate communication with ancestral spirits, bringing the spirit of the dead back on its homestead.<ref name="Reporter">{{Cite web|url=http://southernafrican.news/2016/02/29/the-irony-of-mbira-instrument/|title=The irony of mbira instrument|author=Staff Reporter|website=Southern Times Africa|date=29 February 2016 |access-date=2016-04-15}}</ref> Within the Shona tradition, the mbira may be played with paired performers in which the ''[[kushaura]]'', the caller, leads the performed piece as the ''[[kutsinhira]]'', the responder, "interlocks" a subsequent part.<ref name="Soul of Mbira">{{cite book|last1=Berliner|first1=Paul|title=The Soul of Mbira|date=1978|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley, Los Angeles, London|isbn=0-520-04268-9|pages=17–18|edition=1st Paperback}}</ref> The ritual is known as the ''Bira.'' During these all-night ceremonies, people call upon the spirits to answer questions. The variations of notes in an ''Mbira'' piece aid the participants in going into trance, which in Shona culture aids the spirits in taking over the participant's body.<ref>{{cite book|last=Alves|first=William|title=Music of the Peoples of the World|year=2009|publisher=Schirmer|location=Boston, MA |isbn=978-0-495-50384-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/musicofpeoplesof00alve/page/64 64]|url=https://archive.org/details/musicofpeoplesof00alve/page/64}}</ref>

[[Albert Chimedza]], director of the Mbira Centre in [[Harare]], has estimated that "there are at most ten thousand people in the world who play mbira."<ref name = "bbc2014">{{Cite news
| title = Making music: Zimbabwe's mbira
| work = BBC News
| access-date = 2014-07-09
| url = https://www.bbc.com/news/business-27939869
}}</ref>