33 play where the library writes them; the other 1 fit in another key or an octave away, and each page is set up in the reading that works. Nothing here is marked by guesswork: a song is listed only if every one of its notes is a note this instrument can sound, and the line under each title gives the range it covers on the mbira.
Nursery rhymes & first tunes for mbira
The short tunes most people learn an instrument on.
Christmas songs & carols for mbira
Carols and winter songs old enough to belong to everyone. See the Christmas songs for mbira with the first line of each →
Folk & traditional songs for mbira
Songs passed on by singing long before anyone printed them.
Classical melodies for mbira
Themes from the concert hall that fit under one hand.
What each tuning can play
Counted over the 34 songs above. “As written” is where the library puts the tune; “moved” is songs that fit only in another key the mbira offers, or an octave up or down; “cannot” is songs with a note that size does not have.
| Tuning | As written | Moved | Cannot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nyamaropa | 16 | 0 | 18 |
| Dambatsoko | 33 | 1 | 0 |
| Katsanzaira | 0 | 0 | 34 |
| Mavembe | 0 | 0 | 34 |
Songs the mbira cannot play
2 songs in the library are left out, because no size, key or octave here has every note. These are the notes each would need in its closest fit:
- O Holy Night — needs F♯4.
- Carol of the Bells — needs F♯4, G♯4.
Songs that are not here
Everything on this page is public domain — traditional melodies and pieces old enough to belong to everyone. Film, game and pop songs are still in copyright, and an arrangement of one is a copy of the melody whatever notation it is written in, so they are not published here. The online mbira has a tab editor instead: write your own, and the notes travel inside the link you share rather than being uploaded.
Every song, on every instrument · Christmas songs for all instruments