Mbira dzaVaNdau "Danda" type TIC 134 G from Mozambique

Mbira dzaVaNdau "Danda" type: "TIC 134"

Reference Key:	G (closest chromatic pitch)
Key Count:	25
Sound Info:	Buzzers dampened.
Maker:	unknown
Place Made:	Mozambique
Made in/before:	1960
Comments:	25 keys, large rattle plate with 16 bottle tops all held using 2 white beads. Pine body, H: 23.5, W: at bottom 20, slightly flared sides, depth at bottom 4.2, at top 2.3, bar held with splayed rivets. No standard Ndau tuning, everybody tunes slightly differently as the instr. is not played in duet. The pine body hints that it came from a mine, as the Ndau would not use pine at home. Bought somewhere near Beira by an old lady travelling in Mozambique perhaps in the 50s, kept thereafter on her stoep, so it was very rusty. Gifted to Andrew Tracey c 1982. Painted with Rusist rust sealer. Upper three notes (LU/RU1''-3'') synthesised from their octave counterparts. [S.F. The current tuning resembles Mubati Muyambo's mbira (TIC 272). Given the remarks about the idiosyncratic tuning above, I'm wondering whether it got retuned at some point to match Muyambo's.]
Last known owner:	ILAM
Owner Contact:	Please get in touch.
Last known location:	Grahamstown, South Africa

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