Abstract:
For this research an experiment was done in an attempt to establish a method for
recording the mbira of Southern Africa. This work is important because it seeks to
address some gaps in knowledge pertaining to recording practices of indigenous
instruments. The idea was to bridge the gap between ethnomusicology and music
technology to improve studio practices for recording African musical instruments,
specifically the mbira. An experiment was carried out to determine how the acoustic
properties of the mbira together with well-known standard recording techniques
could assist in providing practitioners with information about best-practice for
recording such an instrument. A recording technique to record the mbira was
established. A mixed methods approach was implemented so that both qualitative
and quantitative data could be obtained. This included the collection of quantitative
data using investigative techniques and conducting interviews with participants to
collect qualitative information. A summary of the findings may be found in the final
chapter of this dissertation.
