The mbira is an idiophone with metal reeds attached to a board which are plucked when played. The instrument is similar to the kalimba from Zambia that was introduced into jazz music in the U.S. in the early 1970s and is often improperly referred to as a thumb piano. There are at least eight different types of mbiras found in Zimbabwe, having from eight to fifty-four keys.
Mbira music continues to influence contemporary artists in Zimbabwe and musicians performing African music around the world Mbira pieces are often played on one or two mbiras, but consist of a multitude of musical lines. Translating the compositions for marimba requires extensive experience to decipher the melodic and rhythmic components of each song and to create interlocking marimba parts which accurately reflect the original version.