Mbira

Lamellaphone, also known as mbira in Zimbabwe, made with a wooden board carved out of a single piece of wood, with raised edges, and twenty-six lamellas made of iron alloy arranged in two rows. The pressure bar and the bridge are also made of iron alloy, and while the first is attached to the resonator with metal wire, the latter is inserted into the wood surface. The backrest is made of a wooden strip. On the top of the resonator there is a panel made of iron alloy sheet, onto which are attached shell fragments (some missing) for rattling effect. The panel is attached with metal wire to the board and the shells are attached with twine. The instrument comes with a double metal chain that is attached to the pressure bar end loops. Although this instrument can be played as it is, it can also be paired with a large extra gourd resonator.