Matepe
The matepe is a type of lamellophone played in North-Eastern Zimbabwe. It is primarily played by the Sena Tonga and the Kore-Kore peoples which are subgroups of the Shona people.
It is one of the five main types of mbira played in Zimbabwe, and is sometimes also called hera.
The matepe has a different playing style than other mbira in that it uses both thumbs and both index fingers. Four or five independent melodies are played simultaneously in traditional matepe music. The traditional music is used for spirit possession ceremonies, known in Zimbabwe as a bira ceremony.
The music is constituted by interlocking musical parts, creating rhythmic lines of great polyrhythmic intricacy and variety. The harmonic sequences upon which the music is based can be understood in fractal mathematical terms.[1]
References
- ^ Scherzinger, Martin (2013). "Fractal Harmonies of Southern Africa". Analytic Approaches to World Music. 3 (1): 62–90. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
- Tracey, Andrew. (1970). The Matepe Mbira music of Rhodesia. J. African Music Society, 4:4, 37-61. Available at: International Library of African Music and [1]
External links
- Available recordings of the matepe: The International Library of African Music has many field recordings dating back to the mid-1950s. Those recordings are being rereleased on Roots World records.
- sympathetic-resonances.org. A free online tool for transcriptions of various mbira types, like Matepe, Mbira dzavadzimu, or Karimba. Mbira pieces can be auditioned in the web browser, with audio loops synthesized from actual instrument samples.
- Chake Chawasarira: Magore-Kore.
- Rattletree Matepe discussion forum