Today's Google Doodle is casting into the spotlight one of the most central instruments to Zimbabwe's traditional music scene—the mbira. Often referred to as a "thumb piano" in the West, the mbira is responsible for the distinct melodies in a lot of the traditional music among the Shona people in particular. While traditional Zimbabwean music is arguably not as popular as its Afro-jazz, rumba and dancehall contemporaries, it is a fundamental genre in many rituals, traditional ceremonies and some church services in Zimbabwe. The instrument is made using the wood from the Mubvamaropa or "Bloodwood" tree in addition to steel wire...