rekvisita, musikinstrument, parallellsamling, marimba

"The Marimba is a wooden xylophone. It has a rectangular wooden resonator and seven wooden bars arranged according to size on top and held fast with strings. The Marimba is played by striking the wood with two rubber-headed sticks. The Chonyi tribe of the Mijikenda are known as the masters of the marimba.They are also highly skilled musicians and dancers of the Kiringongo genre, accompanied by the Kayamba, Ndonga (in rattle Shakers) and sometimes the Chapuo Drums. The wooden bars are carved from Cedar wood, Bamboo, Mvure, Mubambara, mng’ambo and Mnyala. The marimba is tuned according to the tonality of the vernacular language, and does not follow the pentatonic scale. This instrument is played at a variety of occasions, from weddings and harvests, to the day an infant is first brought out of the house. Marimba music may also feature at funerals and burial ceremonies.

Kiringongo is a dance style which often accompanies the Marimba. To begin learning to play this instrument, students first learn a song’s vocals, which are traditionally accompanied by Ndonga (tin rattles shakers), kayamba, Ndema and Chapuo drums. Only after mastering the intricacies of the songs and at least one accompanying instrument can the student begin to play the marimba itself." excerpt of a text written by Daniel Muhuni.