Bamboombira

The bamboombira was designed to be played at an octave lower than a regular-sized mbira dza vadzimu, with 22 keys arranged in nyamaropa tuning. As its name suggests, bamboo was used to fashion the sound producing tongues or lamellae. Although large, the bamboombira is quite confortable to play since openings in the wood allows for a familiar grip.

The bamboombira can be amplified by a very large gourd or piezo type pickups installed on the wood at the back.