Kuvachenjedza (Rega kuvachenjedza kuchadoka ~ Don’t forewarn them until it gets dark) is the most important song for the Mhondoro spirits in the Diwa / Makusengwa area, according to Chawasarira. Ceremonies are usually started with this song.
He says it is his favourite song, for which he knows six parts “in and out”, all of which can be played simultaneously by different players. Plus one part called Dimbotimbo, that is incompatible with the others, and is played at the climax of a Mhondoro ceremony, when the spirits speak.
Kuvachenjedza seems to have a similar position in the matepe repertoire as Nhemamusasa for the nhare (mbira dzavadzimu): it is played in numerous versions by players from every region.
Basic version (player #1)
This is the variation that Chawasarira teaches first to any student. He starts with a simplified version and then moves on to various levels of embellishment.
Chapters (select on video):
00:00 Full basic version (demonstration)
00:54 Simplified version
02:31 Left thumb
03:49 Left thumb, Right thumb
04:33 Left thumb, Right thumb+index
05:04 Adding left index finger
09:05 Minor changes of the right hand
About Kuvachenjedza
Each music lesson in our tutorial comes with a second “About …” video in which Chawasarira talks about the pieces and shares what he wants students to know about them.
This is what he has to say about Kuvachenjedza Basic version, and the song in general.
Chaka Chawasaira explaining about Kuvachenjedza
Chapters (select on video):
00:00 Challenges for learners
05:10 How quickly can someone learn?
06:26 Growing up with Mbira
07:55 Playing faster
08:40 Lyrics?
09:25 Meaning of “Kuvachenjedza”
09:59 Players singing
11:00 Ceremonial use of the song
12:43 Speed of playing
14:07 Regional repertoires
14:58 Mauya mauya
15:23 “Big” songs of different areas
Variation 1: Gunguwo harina munda (player #2)
“Gunguwo Harina Munda” ~ “The crow does not have a field, it survives on scavenging” – These are just poetic words thrown in during playing. It’s like the mbira itself is singing those words. The playing is on a climax and everyone is enjoying the ceremony. Anyone can throw in different poetic words.
Chapters:
00:00 Full variation 1 (demonstration)
01:15 Simplified version
02:04 Left thumb
04:06 Left thumb, Right thumb
05:05 Adding left index finger
06:06 Adding right index finger
07:04 Minor changes of the right hand
About Variation 1
Chapters:
00:40 Lyrics?
04:33 How to teach synchronisation of fingers and matepe parts
09:59 The singing
11:13 Minor changes to the patterns
11:57 Chawasarira’s additional left thumb key
Variation 2: Mapirigada (player #3)
“Mapirigada” ~ “going here and forth, or freestyling”
This variation is Chawasarira’s creation.
Chapters:
00:00 Full variation 2 (demonstration)
01:03 Left thumb
02:52 Left thumb + right thumb
04:05 Coordination between left and right hand
05:06 Minor changes of the right hand
About Variation 2
Samora Nyaruwabvu (left) and Chaka Chawasaira (right)
talking about Kuvachenjedza Variation 2
Chapters:
01:18 Name and character of the variation
01:44 When to play Mapirigada
02:36 Difference to Variation 1
03:52 Mixing variations
04:33 Use of the mbirimiro extra key
09:13 Sekuru’s teacher Mathias Jackson Chidavaenzi
11:22 Singing Mapirigada
12:08 Challenges when learning Mapirigada?
Variation 3: Nhundura (player #4)
“Nhundura” (a deep Shona word, probably Korekore ~ “To enhance the melody”.
Chapters:
00:00 Full variation 3 (demonstration)
02:24 Left thumb
03:32 Adding left index finger
04:44 Coordination between left and right hand
About Variation 3
Chapters:
00:00 Character of the different variations
00:44 How to call this variation
02:08 Swapping variations between players
Variations 4 and 4b: Kukoromora (player #5)
“Kukoromora” ~ “To rearrange the melody already being playing by sort of bringing discord, in a way it is going against other players’ melodies”.
While revisiting variation 4 in the About Variation 5 video in the next section, Sekuru pulled out another beautiful variation that appears to go another way harmonically, but that he insists goes together with the basic version.
While editing we decided to call this variation 4b and append it to the following Kukoromora tutorial:
Chapters:
00:00 Full variation 4 (demonstration)
01:45 Left thumb
02:21 Left thumb; Left index finger
03:17 Left thumb; Right Thumb
04:20 Variation 4b: Another way of playing Kukoromora
About Variation 4
Chapters:
00:31 Name and character of the variation
08:12 Bringing discord into good music and yet not
Variation 5: Nyanduri (player #6)
Nyanduri ~ Poet. A playing style bringing out the poetic feel of the song.
Chapters:
00:00 Full variation 5 (demonstration)
01:52 Simplified version
03:42 Left thumb
04:40 Left thumb + left index finger
05:46 Adding the right index finger
07:03 Minor changes of the right hand
About Variation 5
Chapters:
00:00 Name and character of the variation
04:04 When to play Nyanduri
04:40 Provoking the spirit
06:17 Transitioning to Dimbotimbo
07:53 Revisiting Variation 4 (introducing Variation 4b)
11:50 Sekuru’s “best” variation
Dimbotimbo (Kuvachenjedza Variation 6)
“Dimbotimbo” ~ “Deep playing of mbira to provide a background that enhances the energy as the spirit speaks to the people”.
Though incompatible with the other variations, Chawasarira considers it still a variation of Kuvachenjedza. Played on its own, even by multiple players in unison.
Chapters:
00:00 Full version (demonstration)
02:15 Left thumb
03:35 Left thumb, Left index finger
04:39 Adding the right index finger
About Dimbotimbo
Dimbotimbo, according to Sekuru, means the deep playing of [any kind of] mbira for the purpose of keeping the spirits present.
Chapters:
00:00 When and how to play Dimbotimbo
01:34 Purpose of Dimbotimbo
02:59 Relation to other variations
05:05 What comes after Dimbotimbo?
07:38 Playing Dimbotimbo in a group
08:53 Who taught Dimbotimbo?
Combining parts
Chapters:
00:00 Basic (player #1 part)
00:36 Variation 1 (player #2 part)
01:05 Basic + Variation 1
02:32 Variation 2 (player #3 part)
03:01 Basic + Variation 2
04:37 Variation 3 (player #4 part)
05:10 Basic + Variation 3
06:50 Variation 4 (player #5 part)
07:26 Basic + Variation 4
09:08 Variation 5 (player #6 part)
09:37 Basic + Variation 5
11:21 Clapping
12:00 Basic+Clapping
13:35 Drumming
14:16 Basic+Drumming
All parts combined
Just for the fun of it, here is @samora’s split-screen montage of all the instrumental parts.
Beat placement (conversation)
When playing several matepe parts together, are you guided by a common notion of “beat“, e.g. as played on hosho or as danced? Or do you learn the parts in relation to each other?
Different mbira and matepe players have different practices.
Chapters:
00:00 “Beat” placement in matepe parts?
02:39 No Hosho in Diwa area
03:32 Types of ceremonies and appropriate accompaniment
About Kupandutsa Kuvachenjedza
Pandutsa (infinitive kupandutsa, imperative panduka) is a musical announcement of a matepe player to start playing, or change into a new pattern.
Chapters:
00:00 About Kupandutsa Kuvachenjedza
02:54 Kupandutsa on Kuvachenjedza
13:50 Combining variations
15:28 Starting song by kupandutsa
17:04 Retaining the flow
17:35 Returning to the same version
18:28 Showing off
19:22 Giving each other chance
20:39 Evolving the song
24:07 Correcting another player
31:05 How to join when there are many players
34:25 Can you play the same part one pulse behind?
35:56 Fixed relation of parts
40:33 Pandutsa landing point
41:57 Bridging gaps
43:30 Kupandutsa phases
Kupandutsa Combining parts
This video shows Sekuru going into a number of variations on top of the basic version.
Chapters:
00:00 Basic + Variation 1
00:45 Basic + Variation 2
01:27 Basic + Variation 3
01:52 Basic + Variation 5