Sympathetic Resonances
An online platform for documenting, learning, and exploring mbira music.
Interactive transcriptions
Edit, play back, and watch mbira scores right in your web browser:
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News
Njari
11/2020 Most widespread a century ago, today almost vanished, SR supports this polymorphic member of the mbira family as the sixth instrument type.New tunings
10/2020 Favourite mbira dzavadzimu, hera, and njari tunings by mbira makers and players Fradreck Mujuru, Tute Chigamba, Rinos Mukuwurirwa, Newton Gwara, Chaka Chawasarira, Josam Nyamukuvhengu, Kenneth Kabaya
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Analytic mbira notation
7/2020 A powerful and expressive tool for analyzing and composing mbira pieces, and transforming their harmonic and rhythmic structure.Learn more (click on the "Analytic" tab) »
Timbila sounds for mbira playback
7/2020 Using samples of Augusto Manhiça's mbila (and additional synthesized keys), you can now play back mbira dzavadzimu and matepe pieces with this gorgeous sound and tuning. Demo Video »
Cosmas Magaya / John Kunaka tuning
7/2020 In memory of late mbira master Cosmas Magaya, the sound of his mbira, recorded in Feb. 2020, is now the new default for mbira dzavadzimu playback.
Tuning repository
Currently, 50+ tunings of 6 types of mbira are available.
Explore the wonderful diversity of historical and contemporary scales, and use them for tuning your own instruments.
Archives accessible
In 2017, we started a project at the International Library of African Music (ILAM) to make the great variety of mbiras and tunings in the Tracey Instrument Collection, as well as Andrew Tracey's extensive personal archive of transcriptions audible and accessible to the world.
This site also hosts transcriptions from a number of academic publications, e.g. by Andrew Tracey and Paul Berliner, making those more approachable to non-players.
Your personal library
Sign up to access all public content, and to start a personal archive of transcriptions. It is, and will always be, free of charge.
Everything you create is private, unless you decide to share it with other individuals or groups.
As of today, about 350 registered users have created more than 750 transcriptions (80+ being public).
Learning & Inspiration
Use the public material as a starting point for learning traditional repertoire.
You can use the computer-generated playback for rehearsal at any tempo, and to practice the intricate interlocking between multiple parts.
As a seasoned player, get inspiration from tools to transpose and transform pieces, create variations, or compose new ones. You may also translate scores across instrument types.
Mission & Values
This project wants to contribute to the preservation (and expansion) of diversity of mbira music, with a special focus on marginalized traditional instrument types.
It does so by employing digital technology to make knowledge as accessible as possible, and to connect people. Approaching cultural heritage sensitively and sensibly, it maintains a long-term perspective - considering the next generations of players as well as the economic basis of culture bearers who teach this knowledge in the present.