What do Sungura musicians record first?

[floating vibes]

What instruments do Sungura musicians in the Republic of Zimbabwe record first when making a song?

Do they start with the rhythm, lead, or bass guitars?

 

[Oxtail]

Below is the general music production process for Sungura music. This also applies to Jiti (or jit), a fast-paced, high-energy Zimbabwean popular dance music style that originated from Shona traditional drumming.

Audio recording process for Sungura music​

• Mic up the drums, with a mic each for kick, snare, high hats, cymbals, toms, and percussion instruments.
• The whole band plays the song through (to ensure a more 'natural' take), but only records the drums.
• A couple of takes, quick review, check for any missed hits (edit: missed hits in a DAW), and replace if necessary.
• Next, insert the bass guitar straight into the mixing desk or audio interface, connecting to the digital audio workstation.
• A couple of takes, check all is well. Then pass it through an amp and record the amplifier.
• Then on to guitars. Rhythm or lead guitars through pedal effects to the mixing console.
• Check and fix. Then back out through the amp and microphone, back into the recording console.
• Record vocals. Plenty of takes, get the best bits from each take.
• Finally, any synths, piano, or whatever, before mixing and lastly audio mastering.