On these pages you will learn how to build a matepe.
Over the course of a week, we recorded the entire process in which Sekuru Chawasarira builds an instrument and explains the steps involved, and edited it into 57 instructional videos.
During the recordings, we noticed that although you learn a lot when a master craftsman shows and explains his work, he does everything correctly from the start and does not run into the same problems as a beginner.
Therefore, Kuda Samora Nyaruwabvu afterwards built his own instrument and asked Chawasarira for advice whenever he encountered difficulties (“Matepe Clinic” videos)
Sekuru explains how to build a matepe
If you consider building your own mbira, watch this video about tools and materials used in the process:
Chawasarira’s showing everything you need to make matepe.
We only left out the anvil, a piece of railroad track mounted on a tree stump
Matepe clinic
This section is work in progress.
- Cutting soundboard
- Fitting the bridge
- Making pillow
- Making the bridge
- Making the pillow from a log
- Modelling soundboard
- Fitting the pillow
- Making the bar, brace and washers
- Cutting the wires for keys
- Making the keys
- Straightening the wires
- Fitting placeholder keys
- Hammering the keys
- Fitting the keys
- Burn decoration
- Final product