SonicCouture Array Mbira KONTAKT DVDR  英文版  DVD



TheGrand(Thumb)Piano.TheMbiraisoriginallyafolkinstrumentfromAfrica.SometimescalledaThumbPiano,Sanza,orKalimba,theyaregenerallyhome-madeandconsistofseveralmetaltinesattachedtoagourdorpieceofwood,whicharethenpluckedwiththethumbs.Theyaremostlysmall,withahandfulofnotes.ArrayInstruments,aU.S.companystartedbyBillWesleyandPatrickHadley,havetakentheconceptofthisancientAfricanidiophonetoawholenewlevel,notonlyintermsofinstrumentdesignbutalsoinpurityofsound,andrangeofpitch.TheArrayMbiraisnotoy,it’sahighlyadvancedmusicalinstrumentbuilttoexactingspecifications.

Adifferentnotesystem

AllArrayinstrumentsaredesignedwithauniquenotearrangement,inventedbyBillWesleytofacilitateplayingharmonically.Whereasachromatickeyboardplacesharmonicnotesatsomedistancefromeachother,theArraysystemplacesthemostharmonicnotesbesideoneanother.

Thisalsomeansthatalloctavesofasinglenotearebesideoneanother,allowingforoctave“strumming”ordoubling,whichwouldbemuchmoredifficultonachromaticnotelayout.TheSoniccoutureMbirainstrumentisofcoursechromaticallymapped,butweincludeaKSPStrummerscripttoemulatethisaspectoftherealinstrument.

VeryLowBass

OneofthethingswelovethemostabouttheArrayMbiraisitslowend.Thismaysoundunlikelyifyou'veonlyeverseenatraditionalthumbpiano,butjustlistentothedemos-allthebassyouhearthereisfromtheMbira-there'snoadditionalbasssoundslayeredthere.

Thelargesoundbox(thismodelisabout77cmacross)allowsformuchdeeperpitchestobeheardacoustically(thelowestfundamentalonourmodelisintheregionof33Hz).

AllArrayMbirascomeequippedwitha2-channelpiezopickupsystem,allowingforeasyamplificationandline-outrecording.Thelowendfromthepickupsaloneissurprisinglysmoothanddeep;combineitwithmicsandit'sbooming.

Versatile,ExpressiveandDeep

ThesoundoftheArrayMbiraisatoncefamiliarandunusualtoourears,andthisisthesecretofitsappeal.Sometimesyoucanhearsomethingreminiscentofapiano,andyetitispluckedandstrummablelikeaguitar.

Achimeorgong-liketimbreisalsointhere,takingitfurtherfromeitherofthoseinstruments.Becauseofthesecomfortablesonicreferencepoints,theMbiracanbeusedinawidevarietyofmusic,fromjazztoelectronica.ThedepthandrangeoftheArrayMbiraalsomeansitcancomfortablyholditsownplayingcomplexsolopieces.

Itistrulyanessentialadditiontoanymusicianscolorpalette,andsomewellknownusersincludeRyCooder,EmilRichards,andImogenHeap.