this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2025
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Mine (Zimbabwean ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ) 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.

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[โ€“] mech@feddit.org 18 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)
[โ€“] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

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!

[โ€“] PinkInSlippers@piefed.social 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

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

[โ€“] mech@feddit.org 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This is Switzerland.
And the instrument is actually called Hackbrett (translates to hacking board).

[โ€“] bonenode@piefed.social 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Why is it called Salzburg but is from Switzerland? Or is there a Salzburg in Switzerland, I am only aware of the one in Austria.

[โ€“] mech@feddit.org 3 points 2 weeks ago

Sorry, the type of instrument is from Salzburg.
The recorded concert and the musicians are from Switzerland.

[โ€“] watson387@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 weeks ago

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

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.

[โ€“] lime@feddit.nu 16 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)
[โ€“] watson387@sopuli.xyz 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[โ€“] lime@feddit.nu 4 points 2 weeks ago

yeah they really fill the room when harmonising.

[โ€“] Coelacanth@feddit.nu 1 points 1 week ago

Ah, beat me to it! It's a great instrument.

[โ€“] inlandempire@jlai.lu 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

The Valiha ; it's basically a tube guitar lol

Madagascar ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฌ!

[โ€“] ada@piefed.blahaj.zone 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Australia! ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ

[โ€“] BakerBagel@midwest.social 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

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.

[โ€“] metallic_substance@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You could also add the Fender strat and the Gibson Les Paul to that list

[โ€“] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Wait how are those ohioan

[โ€“] perishthethought@piefed.social 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)
[โ€“] Beacon@fedia.io 6 points 2 weeks ago

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

[โ€“] calliope@retrolemmy.com 5 points 2 weeks ago

I didnโ€™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 withย Adolph Rickenbacker developed the first electromagnetic pickups.

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

[โ€“] Dasus@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Jouhikko

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

[โ€“] PinkInSlippers@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[โ€“] idegenszavak@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It has 120 strings and you play it with sticks and a foot: the cimbalom.

A guy in the 19th century Budapest modernized the ancient hammered dulcimer by adding a dampening pedal and rearranging the strings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJiIasbzKqI

[โ€“] GooseGang@beehaw.org 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The cajon in Peru is emblematic of traditional Creole music that is often played in songs during lunch or party meals. Just hearing it makes me hungry!! Btw the mbira has a beautiful sound, do you know if itโ€™s difficult to learn?

[โ€“] PinkInSlippers@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Thank you! I think the mbira requires similar dexterity to a piano if I'm not mistaken.

[โ€“] GooseGang@beehaw.org 1 points 1 week ago

Makes sense. Cool!!

[โ€“] Quilotoa@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 weeks ago

Canada gave us the Ugly Stick and the Sackbut.

[โ€“] Mylemmypt@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Wow.. Portugal

[โ€“] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

The Drumbone was invented in my country.

You asked for one, but I'll try to sneak this in because it actually predates my country by 15 years: the Glass Armonica. Invented in 1761 by Benjamin Franklin himself.

[โ€“] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Wow reminds me of The Hobbit

[โ€“] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

The Kantele

Lot's a of kids learn to play a 5-string version, but it goes up to dozens of strings, and some have a pedal to control sustain.

The origins of the instrument are finnish, but it's also popular in Japan, which is why you'll see a lot of stuff online about it in Japanese. Including the video I linked.

Here's what they can do as members of a orchestra.

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ!! Nice

[โ€“] idegenszavak@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It seems like the local version of the Zither. You can have wildly different playing style on that:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAeYt-swWG0

[โ€“] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

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 kanklฤ—s, and the Russian gusli.

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

[โ€“] myrmidex@belgae.social 3 points 2 weeks ago
[โ€“] noseatbelt@piefed.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[โ€“] mech@feddit.org 2 points 1 week ago

I heckled an Ugly Stick player once, until he hit me with it.

I remember hearing a mbira recording as a young child and loving it. (I didnโ€™t know that word, though, people called it a ยซย thumb pianoย ยป.) Then at some point I had the opportunity to try one, but I didnโ€™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!

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.

[โ€“] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

I'm not Korean, but I've lived here for twenty years. Gayageum is probably the most famous Korean instrument, but I'm partial to the haegeum. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OfsFoUell4Y&pp=ygUSaGFlZ2V1bSBpbnN0cnVtZW50

[โ€“] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_harmonica

I think that one is neat. Apparently the US is also responsible for the Electric Guitar, so there's that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_guitar

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