How the Array mbira makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Array mbira belongs to the plucked idiophones (lamellophones): flexible tongues or lamellae are plucked – the mbira, kalimba, music box and jaw harp.
More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
The Array mbira is a handcrafted modern musical instrument with a unique harp- or bell-like sound. It is made in the United States by its inventor Bill Wesley and manufactured by Wesley with Patrick Hadley in San Diego, California, United States. Its development began in the 1960s. It is a radical redesign of the Shona African mbira from Zimbabwe and is part of the lamellaphone family.
Other plucked idiophones
Jew's harp
Plucked idiophones (lamellophones)
Mbira
Plucked idiophones (lamellophones)
Lamellophone
Plucked idiophones (lamellophones)
Đàn môi
Plucked idiophones (lamellophones)
Kouxian
Plucked idiophones (lamellophones)
Ōtsuzumi
Plucked idiophones (lamellophones)
Kalimba
Plucked idiophones (lamellophones)
Agidigbo
Plucked idiophones (lamellophones)
Frequently asked questions
What does the Array mbira sound like?
As one of the plucked idiophones, its sound comes from the way flexible tongues or lamellae are plucked.
What type of instrument is the Array mbira?
It is classified as plucked idiophones (lamellophones) (Hornbostel–Sachs 122).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q4795879 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Array mbira – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Kuma San – CC BY 2.0