Matepe
The matepe is a type of lamellophone played in North-Eastern Zimbabwe. It is primarily played by the Sena Tonga and the Kore-Kore peoples which are subgroups of the Shona people.
It is one of the five main types of mbira played in Zimbabwe, and is sometimes also called hera.
The matepe has a different playing style than other mbira in that it uses both thumbs and both index fingers. Four or five independent melodies are played simultaneously in traditional matepe music. The traditional music is used for spirit possession ceremonies, known in Zimbabwe as a bira ceremony.
The music is constituted by interlocking musical parts, creating rhythmic lines of great polyrhythmic intricacy and variety. The harmonic sequences upon which the music is based can be understood in fractal mathematical terms.
