Zimbabwe. Mbira

Mbira music is cyclical music.Its effect is produced by the repetition of specific melodic and rythmical paterns that mesh and interlock like gears.The lead mbira,the Kushaura,establishes a basic melody,while the second interlocking mbira,the Kutshinhira,provides a second variation underscored by the basic rhythms of the hosho,a rattle made from the hollowed shell of a gourd.Music ethnologist ,Andrew Tracey called it kaleidoscopic music due to its constantly changing musical structures and currents.The glassy, spherical sound of mbira dva vadzimu is derived from being playing within the hollowed out belly of a large gourd,used to amplify the resonance.