Lamellophone Collection

Lamellophone/Mbira/Sanza Collection

I began collecting these wonderful instruments quite a few years ago; inspired by a performance I produced by Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited http://www.thomas-mapfumo.com

A lamellophone (also lamellaphone or linguaphone, from the Latin for "tongue", i.e., a long thin plate that is fixed only at one end) is any of a family of musical instruments. The name comes from the Latin root "lamella" for "plate" and the Greek root "phone" for "sound". The name derives from the way the sound is produced: the instrument has a series of thin plates, or "tongues", each of which is fixed at one end and has the other end free. When the musician depresses the free end of a plate with a finger or fingernail, and then allows the finger to slip off, the released plate vibrates. A tongue may be plucked either from above or below.

Please, if you know more about these instruments or see mistakes in identifying them feel free to contact me. This is a work in progress. I am making updates fairly often.

A big THANKS to those that have already offered info.

Links for more info:

http://music.africamuseum.be/instruments/english/congo%20drc/chisanzhi.html

http://www.zambuko.com/mbirapage/resource_guide/pages/music/mbira_shona_spirit.html

http://www.mbira.org/instrument.html

http://www.nscottrobinson.com/mbira.php

Bob Rizzo