Mbira dzavadzimu D Locrian-like - sympathetic-resonances.org

Mbira dzavadzimu

Tuning:	Locrian-like
Reference Key:	D (closest chromatic pitch)
Key Count:	23
Maker:	unknown
Made in/before:	2000
Comments:	The mbira appears to have been rewired, as not all holes in the soundboard are being used. [SF:] This is my first "real" mbira. I bought it on eBay in the early 2000s out of curiosity, before I even thought about learning to play. I remember being completely confused by the tuning. I couldn't perceive any clear scale at all in the different octaves, and it was far from the Mixolydian-like mode that I was looking for after reading Paul Berliner's book The Soul of Mbira. Today I believe it might have been some kind of Mavembe tuning with just a few keys of of tune - some had fallen out and were only loosely put back in. But back then I knew nothing about it. Eventually, I started retuning the intervals to a kind of Nyamaropa tuning, and even swapped keys between the left and right sides. If I remember correctly, I also swapped two or three lower bass keys. Over time, I repeatedly retuned the mbira and finally arrived at this tuning, which is reminiscent of a Locrian scale. It makes the instrument "sing" more than the previous versions, and seems intuitively fitting to me.
Last known owner:	Stefan Franke
Owner Contact:	Please get in touch.
Last known location:	Berlin, Germany

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