Born into a traditional Shona family of the Mazumbakupa (Zebra) clan, Garikai started playing the mbira Dzavadzimu at the age of 4. By the age of 7 he was already a well regarded performer at Biras (all-night ceremonies in which mbiras are played to call upon the spirits for healing, help, or guidance). Garikai has a very distinctive style and is considered to be an innovator of mbira music. He created his own mbira style after one of his ancestral spirits visited him in a dream.