Peacticing Lazaro Vinho’s Njari Mbira style

Last month(November 2025) I built this njari borrowing the layout of Lazaro Vinho. All of the reeds on this mbira have tuned overtones.

The njari, as a type of mbira, has many variants that are dialect-based. Lazaro Vinho’s right-hand notes are closely related to those of the matepe, and his right-hand thumb often plays strokes that matepe players typically execute with the left index finger.

In Ndalamba Milandu, his right hand articulates a 6-against-4 rhythm. For the past month, I have been practicing this articulation, which is still new to me.

Learning Lazaro Vinho’s style has been humbling. Both his playing and singing display a level of musicality that I have not encountered in any other mbira player or recording. I have listened extensively to recordings from ILAM Heritage and many other sources, and I have also studied the transcriptions uploaded about a year ago by Sympa Thetic Reso Nances . There are many learning resources available, yet they do not make his style any easier to play, because he was beyond what humans would call “a master.”

I remember Chaka Chawasarira telling me stories about Lazaro Vinho being invited to play in Rushinga. My neighbor, who is from Changara, shared more stories about how, while growing up, Lazaro Vinho was already famous across Central Mozambique, Northeast Zimbabwe, and Southern Malawi. I have also asked many questions about Vinho from Tatenda Lenade Cangola .

This work is centered not only on writing about or discussing mbira styles and layouts that were nearly lost, but on building and playing these styles, teaching them to the upcoming generation, and exploring the ancient Black mathematics embedded within this intricate musicking.