As a pianist, it was a very interesting challenge for me to work with the very special sound and tuning of Matchume’s Timbila, which is not at all a well tempered instrument. So I spent a lot of time finding preparations on my piano, getting out of the strict 12-tone tuning and finding sounds that match well with the Timbila on one hand and with Judith’s percussion on the other hand. It was very inspiring to suddenly find new melodies and colors on the twelve keys I thought I knew already.

Another thing we tried to bring in from our Eeuropean world was to find different harmonisations, to create structure and also to make reflections on Matchume’s melodies on the Timbila always in different colors and emotions.

 (Jul Dillier)