Spyke
casualconversation·Casual ConversationbyPinkInSlippers

What's one musical instrument locally from your country?

Mine (Zimbabwean 🇿🇼) is the mbira.

For a feel of the sound: https://youtu.be/R5RMYh-n3LU

Jah Prayzah the guy singing is a renowned musician.

They seem to be using the mbira in modernized covers, but the metal pestle order seem the same as the more traditional looking ones.

P/S I'm not self promoting the YouTube link. It just shows how the mbira sounds unedited.

View original on piefed.social

Wow, that's awesome.

Had I only heard it I would've thought some kind of spinet.

Thanks for the link, those young ladies can play!

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piefed.social

Nice! Which country is this and what's the name of the instrument the 2 ladies are playing?

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That's excellent, and those two in particular look to be extremely talented!

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It's an ancient instrument, first depictions are from 600BC Assyria, arrived via Greek and Roman culture to Europe. Common name is hammered dulcimer and it has countless versions for each region of the world, with more or less distinctive features. E.g. Hungarian cimbalom had a pedal, in some regions the strings are vertical,etc.

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yeah they really fill the room when harmonising.

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midwest.social

USA alone is too easy, so I'm gonna go with Ohio. Edison invented the phonograph, which made listening to music anytime and anywhere a reality. The Wurlitzer organ was from Cincinnati, but i should be fair and say that while it was developed in Cincinnati, production was done in New York.

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Also electric guitar, electric bass, and synthesizer are all from the US also

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I didn’t realize the drum set originated in the U.S. but it makes sense with jazz.

And I believe the electric guitar as well! George Beauchamp, along with Adolph Rickenbacker developed the first electromagnetic pickups.

Another unrelated U.S. one that comes to mind is the sousaphone

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lemmy.world

Jouhikko

If you've listened to Nordic metal at all I'm sure you've heard it in some song

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Well yes. There's only so many ways to suspend strings for musical purposes.

From the Kanteles Wikipedia:

It belongs to the southeast Baltic box zither family known as the Baltic psaltery, along with the Estonian kannel, the Latvian kokles, the Lithuanian kanklės, and the Russian gusli.

Plenty of versions of the same thing all over the world.

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I don't know if this counts but in my parent's native Cuba there's the bongo which has African roots. It's a fundamental instrument in Cuba's various local genres such as Son Cubano from which Salsa (not the condiment) derives from. Listening to the mbria I can definitely hear the similarities between native African music and Cuban music.

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I now wonder if the Mbira is related to the Marimba? They sound very similar, though it seems the Marimba is more central African?

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Both mbira and marimba are commonly played in Zimbabwe. They are different. Though I do see the similar sounds. It's sort of like how one can play the same song chords with a piano and a guitar.

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I remember hearing a mbira recording as a young child and loving it. (I didn’t know that word, though, people called it a « thumb piano ».) Then at some point I had the opportunity to try one, but I didn’t know how to play so the result was disappointing, and the metal things made my tiny fingers hurt, ha ha. The video sounds really nice!

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