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Mbira dzaVaNdau "Danda" type: "TIC 134"

G (closest chromatic pitch)
25
Buzzers dampened.
unknown
Mozambique
1960
25 keys, large rattle plate with 16 bottle tops all held using 2 white beads.
Pine body, H: 23.5, W: at bottom 20, slightly flared sides, depth at bottom 4.2, at top 2.3, bar held with splayed rivets.

No standard Ndau tuning, everybody tunes slightly differently as the instr. is not played in duet.
The pine body hints that it came from a mine, as the Ndau would not use pine at home.

Bought somewhere near Beira by an old lady travelling in Mozambique perhaps in the 50s,
kept thereafter on her stoep, so it was very rusty.
Gifted to Andrew Tracey c 1982. Painted with Rusist rust sealer.

Upper three notes (LU/RU1''-3'') synthesised from their octave counterparts.
[S.F. The current tuning resembles Mubati Muyambo's mbira (TIC 272).
Given the remarks about the idiosyncratic tuning above, I'm wondering whether it got retuned at some point to match Muyambo's.]
ILAM
Please get in touch.
Grahamstown, South Africa

Click on a picture to enlarge.