hosho

Although a separate "instrument", the rattles that accompany mbira are so integral to mbira music it makes sense to group them with the mbira and its gourd resonator.

Made from the dried and emptied hollow pods of mapudzi or maranka gourds, boiled in salted water to harden them, and filled with dried seeds (hota seeds of a specific variety of canna lily or dried maize kernels), the sharp cracking percussive sound of well-played hosho provide a strong sense of time and polyrhythmic energy to the music.

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Playing hosho is deceptively difficult—a delicate art. Producing the desired snap and crack, the hosho player plays a critical role in driving the beat for both the mbira players and the dancing and singing participants. The most common rhythm played is the triplet pattern that is inherent in the mbira melodies and brought out by the hosho's distinctive sound.

For more on the rhythmic patterns the hosho helps create see the rhythm page

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