Helping you to unlock the magic of mbira.

We publish and host books, articles and free resources to support and encourage learners at every stage of their journey

BOOKS 

MBIRA THEORY SERIES

Coming soon... a series of posts that will explore the structure of traditional mbira music. Look out for announcements in our newsletter. 

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Selected free Articles and Downloads

There's masses of useful information here. The advanced papers are quite analytical, take your time, and come back when you're ready for more. Something missing? Let us know. 

For Beginners

• Getting Started with Mbira dzaVadzimu B Michael Williams - read his 'Nzira Ye Mbira' feature and find out about his other resources Here. 

For Teachers in Schools

• Mbiras, Marimbas, and You: Zimbabwean Music for the General Music Classroom Sarah J. Bartolome

Advanced PAPERS/WRITINGS/Forum

• The Game of Mbira Adrian Wagner

• The Art of Mbira Playing / Die Kunst des mbira-Spiels Gerd Grupe

• Portrait of an Innovator: Garikayi Tirikoti and His Mbira Orchestra Curtis Andrews

• The Soul of Mbira Twenty Years On: A Retrospect John Chernoff

• "Mbira" N. Scott Robinson - Note: this article contains an exhaustive bibliography and discography

• Rattletree Matepe Forum - Joel Laviolette's forum contains a wealth of useful information for Matepe and Mbira enthusiasts alike. 'The Matepe Mbira Music of Rhodesia' below is an example of the great content you can find there. 

Andrew Tracey

• The Matepe Mbira Music of Rhodesia

• The Family of the Mbira: The Evidence of the Tuning Plans 

Martin Scherzinger

• Fractal Geometries of an African Music

• Negotiating the Music-Theory/African-Music Nexus

• Phantom Patterns (interview)

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