Mbila dzamadeza #1 G by Mbangiseni Philemon Nemukula (Vho-Netshamutshedzi)

Mbila dzamadeza: "#1"

Reference Key:	G (closest chromatic pitch)
Key Count:	27
Maker:	Mbangiseni Philemon Nemukula (Vho-Netshamutshedzi)
Place Made:	Tshidzini, Thohoyandou, RSA
Made in/before:	2022
Comments:	Ian Garrett bought this mbila from Vho-Netshamutshedzi in late 2022. The instrument is very carefully tuned. The dominant overtones of the B manual keys match the fundamentals of the right hand keys that are two octaves plus two scale degrees higher, e.g. B1,/RT3', B2/RX2''. The tuning of the topmost two keys in the B manual appears quite idiosyncratic. They are about an octave lower than the topmost two in the L manual, (which in turn exactly match the lowest two on the right hand side) The B2 key is only 14ct sharper than the down octave of L1'. The B3 key is 40ct sharper than the down octave of L2', and 111ct flatter than the down octave of RT3'. Thus the sequence of pitch classes in the B manual is much closer to the L manual (top-down 2-1-7-6-4-5-1) than to the common 3-2-7-6-4-5-1. Without knowing Vho-Netshamutshedzi's playing practice, I (S.F.) was initially undecided as to whether it was an instrument with an unusual layout (2-1-7-6-4-5-1 in the B manual), or a regular layout with the B2 and B3 keys tuned extremely flat. From the audible impression, the first option seemed more likely to me, although Andrew Tracey, on a tuning diagram of James Munyai's mbila, also marked these very keys as "flat" (Munyai lived in the same area as Vho-Netshamutshedzi). Therefore, I initially modelled the virtual instrument in this way. However, after Ian and a few friends had visited Vho-Netshamutshedzi and took videos of his playing, it became clear that (what is now) B2 was played together with RT2, and otherwise used as expected in a piece following the 461-462-472-572 standard harmonic sequence. Therefore, in Sept. 2024 I changed B1 to B2, and B2 to B3.
Last known owner:	Ian Garrett
Owner Contact:	Please get in touch.
Last known location:	Swellendam, South Africa

Click on a picture to enlarge.

Mbila dzamadeza G by Mbangiseni Philemon Nemukula (Vho-Netshamutshedzi) #1, 1 of 6

Mbila dzamadeza G by Mbangiseni Philemon Nemukula (Vho-Netshamutshedzi) #1, 2 of 6

Mbila dzamadeza G by Mbangiseni Philemon Nemukula (Vho-Netshamutshedzi) #1, 3 of 6

Mbila dzamadeza G by Mbangiseni Philemon Nemukula (Vho-Netshamutshedzi) #1, 4 of 6

Mbila dzamadeza G by Mbangiseni Philemon Nemukula (Vho-Netshamutshedzi) #1, 5 of 6

Mbila dzamadeza G by Mbangiseni Philemon Nemukula (Vho-Netshamutshedzi) #1, 6 of 6