Video. “It’s a constant question-and-answer game. »: Tu Ku Tun modernizes the txalaparta

Originally, nothing musical. Only one or two boards were placed on the ground, on which the apples were crushed using large sticks. This work was carried out with large sticks fitted at their end with a heavy piece of wood. “The instrument was used to make cider,” explains Jon. Then, by hearing these rhythms, people began to create melodies. »

It was an opportunity to practice a rhythmic game with two or three people, called “kirikoketa”, whose rhythmic principles recall those of the txalaparta. From these repetitive sounds a musical practice was born little by little.

On some farms, this was also used to warn those around you that a meal was going to be shared once work was finished. A way of making the “auzolan†resonate, this tradition of Basque mutual aid where neighbors came to help during the pressing of apples.

Wood meets wood

Today, each board has its own sound. “The more we cut, the sharper the sound becomes and when it’s too sharp, we plane,” explains Patxi, handling the long pieces marked by time. All are made of American oak wood, a species chosen for its robustness, and they are more than fifteen years old.

Visually, the instrument resembles a giant xylophone. Here, everything is based on a precise dialogue: the “Txakuna” starts the rhythm, the “Herrena” responds. “It’s a game of constant questions and answers,” smiles Patxi, placing the wooden sticks on the trestles.

To remember the pieces, the three Basques use a method similar to that of a musical score. Each piece of wood has a number corresponding to a note. The moves played by the Txakuna are transcribed on paper, then allowing the Herrena to respond and improvise around this base.

Rehearsals sometimes leave some memories on your hands. “If we take them a little too roughly, we come away with lots of splinters,” laughs the same Patxi.

Tradition in motion

The txalaparta almost disappeared in the 1950s and 1960s. A few families in Gipuzkoa maintained the tradition before it was reborn in the 1970s thanks to the Artze brothers and the Basque cultural movement led by the Ez dok amairu group.

With Tu Ku Tun, this tradition continues to evolve. Created around twenty years ago by Jon Galdos, the group was built around numerous musical and faithful encounters. Patxi then played percussion in the Begirale dance group from Saint-Jean-de-Luz and his teacher was none other than Jon Galdos. “I arrived at school with a friend in 2004. Jon said to me: ‘’You play so well, come with us…‘’, explains Patxi.

Since then, the musicians have met every Tuesday on Jon’s father’s farm in Oiartzun. Between two rehearsals, discussions often shift to upcoming concerts or workshops organized in schools and recreational centers.

The Basque trio today plays on txalapartas with five, seven, even twelve boards in order to produce melodies over more than one octave. A way to push the limits of this once purely rhythmic instrument. Tu Ku Tun is also experimenting with a stone txalaparta with a crystalline sound. “We tried different materials like iron, but we didn’t like it,” says Jon. “We still don’t know their exact composition of these stones,” he adds.

“Some say it looks more like a xylophone than a txalaparta.”

These massive blocks of stone came from a friend. The latter had given them to them during the construction of his house. “We still have a small stock of these mysterious stones, we still take care of them because they break very quickly,” says Patxi.

The group fully embraces this modernization. Djembé, alboka and even collaboration with DJs recognized on the House scene now accompany their creations. A development which sometimes arouses criticism among purists. “Some say it looks more like a xylophone than a txalaparta,” Patxi attests. But we are in 2026, we want to evolve the instrument without making it lose its soul. »