The CHIPENDANI is known as the instrument of young herdsmen. It is a simple shaped bow, with a thin metal string tied to the ends. The string is kept taut by a special string, placed at about the level of the grip of the bow (about 2/3 of the total length of the instrument). The instrument is plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum of plant origin and is beaten with a thin stick. The music produced with the CHIPENDANI is often accompanied by modulated whistles or by the voice. The instrument is common in the SHONA and NDBELE populations. The musical bow is probably the most common of African chordophones. Various forms exist, some of which are extremely simple. This is the case of the MUKUMBE (below), the "mouthbow", so called because one of the ends of the bow is placed on the mouth, resting on the half-open lips. When the bow is beaten on the string, the cavity formed by the mouth acts as a soundbox. In the CHIMAZAMBI, on the other hand, the bow has a string made from a dry leaf of the MURARA (a special palm). The instrument, common with the VENDA populations, presents, along the wooden profile, a series of notches on which a special stick is moved (rubbing). This is a genuine percussion instrument, and is usually counted as an idiophone. The CHIMAZAMBI is traditionally used by the N'ANGA healers, who live near the ruins of the "GREAT ZIMBABWE".
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