source file: mills2.txt Date: Sat, 11 Jan 1997 11:27:58 -0800 Subject: RE: building an mbira From: Manuel.Op.de.Coul@ezh.nl (Manuel Op de Coul) > my understanding is that the gourd acts as a air resonator, more than as a > sounding board (mechanical conduction). It can, but commonly it's used as a method of amplifying the sound with mechanical contact. I fix mine with a stick between the end of the board and the top of the gourd. It makes a big difference in volume. If you use it as an air resonator the difference is only small. Other materials are used too. Sometimes mbiras are mounted on large gasoline tins, or tortoise shells or even skulls are attached. The association in Shona culture of the mbira and the gourd resonator is so strong that they have an expression for "calabash resonator without mbira" referring to someone who speaks with "empty words". Manuel Op de Coul coul@ezh.nl Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Sun, 12 Jan 1997 05:27 +0100 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA28759; Sun, 12 Jan 1997 05:30:13 +0100 Received: from eartha.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA28725 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id UAA13034; Sat, 11 Jan 1997 20:30:08 -0800 Date: Sat, 11 Jan 1997 20:30:08 -0800 Message-Id: <199701112327_MC1-E7E-1EA0@compuserve.com> Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu