Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: mbira

(+3 insets!) Are you getting weird weather patterns where you live? It's supposed to be abnormally hot this weekend and it's been very warm all week. Got outside this morning and it was already 67 degrees! I knew it would change from cold to hot in the course of a week or so because that's how it is around here. Southern Oregon jumps into the deep end when it changes seasons and doesn't believe in a slow, gradual change! Sheesh. However, it's been so lovely, we've been trying to ignore the temperature. I've been doing my best to catch up with everyone, so many gorgeous pictures from everyone to enjoy and comment on! I do apologize if I haven't gotten to you yet, I'm trying to make my rounds as best I can. It was a bummer when we were out camping to not have any signal at all. We are hoping to rectify the situation for our next trip but we'll have to wait and see if the booster we get works as promised! :) Today is….SATURDAY SELF CHALLENGE! I really look forward to this group's themes. I often get to take pictures of things I don't normally concentrate on and this week was no exception! The theme is "Music" and I knew exactly what I'd take a picture of when the time came. About 10 years ago, Steve and I were down in Ashland which is about 30 miles away. There just happened to be a artist street fair going on that we hadn't been aware of, what fun! Don't you just love going from stall to stall and looking at the creative genius of each artist or vendor?! As we wandered along, we found ourselves standing in front of a fellow's lovely display of thumb harps, all made with knobbly gourds. Each was a different size and shape and all of them were expertly tuned by this man who was both an artist and musician. He played some music with the harps and we were absolutely enchanted. Looking over his beautiful instruments, we picked out a favorite and walked away with our wonderful prize! When we got home we found the perfect spot to display it in our living room and every once in a while we take it down and play "chopsticks" on it if we're able to manage! :) (By the way, these African-based instruments are also known as kalimbas, thumb pianos, or mbiras.) My main image shows our wonderful thumb harp and since I can never seem to share just one picture of a challenge subject, I have several insets as well! Each of them are macros and I had such fun showing off the wonderful keys in different ways. :) I hope you enjoy the show! Pam, I looked up "music" on your stream and found your awesome shot of the Trans Siberian Orchestra . It's such fun with the fire blasting out in the background! You obviously had a fabulous time at this concert, what a wonderful memory to look back on. For me it was Genesis: Invisible Touch and Peter Gabriel: So. Talk about LUCKY…they are known to be two of the very best concerts and they are the only ones I've ever been to! :) Yay for us!! :D Oh, thank you for your words of wisdom to live in the moment like our happy hounds. They do know what's important, don't they? I hope that you had a nice day, Pam…*BIG HUGS* from southern Oregon! Explored on 5/12/19; highest placement #4.

2 more pictures above in notes! :) A few years ago, Steve and I went to an art festival in Ashland, Oregon, and met a man who had an amazing display of these unusual and beautiful musical instruments. We loved the way they looked and bought one to display as artwork in our home, though we do enjoy making our ears bleed from time to time while we try to pluck our way through Chopsticks. From Wiki: The thumb piano or kalimba is an African musical instrument, a type of plucked idiophone (lamellophone) common throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Also known as a "sansa" and "mbira", it is popular throughout central, western and eastern Africa. It was formerly known as the Negro piano. (Note from Janet: grrrrrrrrr!!!!!! I detest racism!!) The kalimba is played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs. (For the entire article, please visit Wiki: Wikipedia: Thumb Piano If you would like to hear a beautiful piece of music played on this instrument, please watch and listen! Soothing Musical Instrument Kalimba This is another piece of music to listen to! Danny Boy on a Kalimba Dubonnet found this lovely piece too! The Butterfly - Celtic music on Kalimba . Thanks for the recommendation! :)

From Wiki: Various kinds of thumb pianos have existed in Africa for thousands of years. The tines were originally made of bamboo but over the years metal keys have been developed. The instrument is known by different names in different regions of Africa, including mbira, mbila, mbira huru, mbira njari, hurdy gurdy, mbira nyunga, marimba, karimba, kalimba, likembe, and okeme, as well as marímbula (also called kalimba) in the Caribbean Islands. If you would like to hear a beautiful piece of music played on this instrument, please watch and listen! Soothing Musical Instrument Kalimba This is another piece of music to listen to! Danny Boy on a Kalimba

1 picture in a note above! :) I have included this version to meet the requirements form the group theme I'm putting this in, which requests very little or no processing! :) Here is a lovely homemade kalimba with a bit of overdubbing which is wonderful to watch and listen to! :) 15-tined Kalimba Here is a 7-tined homemade kalimba accompanied by a small drum and tamborine!! LOVELY! Homemade 7-tines Kalimba - Bliss