Sansa

What it means

Sansa is one of the designations for lamellophones, such as are widespread in many regions of Africa; depending on language and area they carry their own names, for instance mbira or kalimba. On a board or a resonating body, narrow tongues of metal or cane are fastened, vibrating freely at one end. The player holds the instrument in both hands and plucks the lamellae downward with the thumbs; on larger instruments such as the Shona mbira, the right index finger additionally strikes some lamellae from below. The pitch depends on the freely vibrating length and is set by shifting the tongue.

Musical use

The lamellae are usually not arranged in scale order from left to right: the lowest lie in the centre and they rise towards both sides, so that the two thumbs share the notes. From this arise interwoven patterns, in which two voices weave into one overall figure. Many traditions connect this music with singing and with ceremonial occasions; traditional tunings are idiosyncratic and vary from player to player, whereas instruments built for export are now tuned more uniformly. On many instruments, metal rings on the lamellae, bottle caps or shells produce a buzz that belongs to the tonal ideal and is not an extraneous noise.

Performance practice

Pluck downward with the thumbnail and let it slip off the nail so that the lamella vibrates freely. Practise the interlocking patterns slowly with both thumbs separately, before joining them — the difficulty lies in the interlocking, not in the speed. The tuning is changed by carefully shifting the lamellae; work in small steps and check by ear. Statements about tunings, names, and manners of playing differ by region and should be inquired about on the concrete instrument and within the respective tradition.

The instruments are quiet, and a more forceful attack does not make them more audible; among the Shona, the mbira is often placed in a calabash resonator, the deze, for performances, which amplifies the sound. With instruments having a resonating body, the way of holding changes the sound, because the hands cover openings; try out different holds. Check the lamellae before playing for a firm seat, since they shift through playing and transport. Metal rings or plates are meant to buzz and must not be removed if they belong to the construction.