Array mbira: Difference between revisions
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The '''array mbira''' is a hand-crafted modern musical instrument with a bell-like sound. It is made in the USA by its inventor Bill Wesley and manufactured by Wesley with Patrick Hadley in San Diego, California, United States. It is based upon the African mbira [[thumb piano]] which is native to Zimbabwe and is part of the [[lamellaphone]] family. These types of instruments are generally played with the thumbs and sometimes the fingers. |
The '''array mbira''' is a hand-crafted modern musical instrument with a bell-like sound. It is made in the USA by its inventor Bill Wesley and manufactured by Wesley with Patrick Hadley in San Diego, California, United States. It is based upon the African mbira [[thumb piano]] which is native to Zimbabwe and is part of the [[lamellaphone]] family. These types of instruments are generally played with the thumbs and sometimes the fingers. |
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The |
The Array mbira is a radical redesign of the African [[mbira]]. The notes are arranged according to the [[array system]], invented in the [[United States]] by musicologist, performer, and author [[Bill Wesley]]. The array system is a specific pattern of arranged musical notes that is designed from music theory for ease of play. The array system is both [[isomorphic]] and [[unimorphic]] (meaning that all the notes of any given [[key signature]] will be unified into a single area that excludes notes outside that key signature). There is only one unimorphic planar system available on an instrument at this time, and that is the system used for organizing the Array mbira. |
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The instrument consists of |
Two types of Array mbiras are available, an acoustic hollow body and a solid body electric. The acoustic instrument consists of a hollow wooden sounding box made from a variety of domestic and exotic hardwoods which are sometimes embellished with various types of inlaid materials. A large number of bent metal tines(high carbon spring steel)are held down by a bolted crossbar. The names of the notes are engraved into the metal crossbar for easy identification. There are as many as 35 groupings, each containing from three to five octaves, arranged in a diagonal form for playing the corresponding octaves simultaneously. |
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The sequence of the tines are arranged similar to the strings of a bass guitar. The adjacent groups are a fifth interval away in a left to right direction, and a fourth interval away when moving laterally the opposite way. Sounding each grouping of octaves in a side to side direction runs through the circle of fifths, unlike that of a piano which runs laterally up the chromatic scale left to right. The tines are made shorter to sound higher in pitch, so the major scale travels away from the player toward the back of the instrument. On the array system, the major scale is played by sounding every other group of tines and using the location of the chromatic notes contained in the scale to shift the pattern. Usually, the array mbira is built large enough to accommodate three repetitions of all the notes in a scale through all keys in three to five octaves. (For instance, there are 175 tines in a 35 grouped, five octave instrument.) |
The sequence of the tines are arranged similar to the strings of a bass guitar. The adjacent groups are a fifth interval away in a left to right direction, and a fourth interval away when moving laterally the opposite way. Sounding each grouping of octaves in a side to side direction runs through the circle of fifths, unlike that of a piano which runs laterally up the chromatic scale left to right. The tines are made shorter to sound higher in pitch, so the major scale travels away from the player toward the back of the instrument. On the array system, the major scale is played by sounding every other group of tines and using the location of the chromatic notes contained in the scale to shift the pattern. Usually, the array mbira is built large enough to accommodate three repetitions of all the notes in a scale through all keys in three to five octaves. (For instance, there are 175 tines in a 35 grouped, five octave instrument.) |
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Although playing a melody is unfamiliar for musicians who have trained on other instruments which are more commonly arranged similar to the piano, the advantage of playing chords on the |
Although playing a melody is unfamiliar for musicians who have trained on other instruments which are more commonly arranged similar to the piano, the advantage of playing chords on the Array mbira is simplified. The relationship of one classification of chord, (for example a major seventh) holds the same form through all the keys. On the Array mbira, this is true for every classification of chord, even the most complex altered chords. |
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The |
The Array mbira is played by a number of popular musicians, including [[Ry Cooder]], ([[Buena Vista Social Club]] and [[Talking Timbuktu]]), [[Emil Richards]], [[Pharoah Sanders]], Mileece, Shannon Terry, and [[Imogen Heap]]. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Revision as of 18:46, 24 August 2009
The array mbira is a hand-crafted modern musical instrument with a bell-like sound. It is made in the USA by its inventor Bill Wesley and manufactured by Wesley with Patrick Hadley in San Diego, California, United States. It is based upon the African mbira thumb piano which is native to Zimbabwe and is part of the lamellaphone family. These types of instruments are generally played with the thumbs and sometimes the fingers.
The Array mbira is a radical redesign of the African mbira. The notes are arranged according to the array system, invented in the United States by musicologist, performer, and author Bill Wesley. The array system is a specific pattern of arranged musical notes that is designed from music theory for ease of play. The array system is both isomorphic and unimorphic (meaning that all the notes of any given key signature will be unified into a single area that excludes notes outside that key signature). There is only one unimorphic planar system available on an instrument at this time, and that is the system used for organizing the Array mbira.
Two types of Array mbiras are available, an acoustic hollow body and a solid body electric. The acoustic instrument consists of a hollow wooden sounding box made from a variety of domestic and exotic hardwoods which are sometimes embellished with various types of inlaid materials. A large number of bent metal tines(high carbon spring steel)are held down by a bolted crossbar. The names of the notes are engraved into the metal crossbar for easy identification. There are as many as 35 groupings, each containing from three to five octaves, arranged in a diagonal form for playing the corresponding octaves simultaneously.
The sequence of the tines are arranged similar to the strings of a bass guitar. The adjacent groups are a fifth interval away in a left to right direction, and a fourth interval away when moving laterally the opposite way. Sounding each grouping of octaves in a side to side direction runs through the circle of fifths, unlike that of a piano which runs laterally up the chromatic scale left to right. The tines are made shorter to sound higher in pitch, so the major scale travels away from the player toward the back of the instrument. On the array system, the major scale is played by sounding every other group of tines and using the location of the chromatic notes contained in the scale to shift the pattern. Usually, the array mbira is built large enough to accommodate three repetitions of all the notes in a scale through all keys in three to five octaves. (For instance, there are 175 tines in a 35 grouped, five octave instrument.)
Although playing a melody is unfamiliar for musicians who have trained on other instruments which are more commonly arranged similar to the piano, the advantage of playing chords on the Array mbira is simplified. The relationship of one classification of chord, (for example a major seventh) holds the same form through all the keys. On the Array mbira, this is true for every classification of chord, even the most complex altered chords.
The Array mbira is played by a number of popular musicians, including Ry Cooder, (Buena Vista Social Club and Talking Timbuktu), Emil Richards, Pharoah Sanders, Mileece, Shannon Terry, and Imogen Heap.