Historically it is believed that the Txalaparta was used as a means of communication between remote farmhouses.
Playing the Txalaparta. Photo: EITB
The txalaparta provides us with a typical Basque sound. It is an instrument made up of one or more thick wooden boards played by two people. The players, called txalapartariak, use short wooden sticks about 10 inches long and an inch and a half in diameter to hit the boards following a set of rules for rhythm.
It is part of the shepherding heritage when in past years shepherds would use the pieces of wood which make a txalaparta as a means of communication between farmhouses or when they were up on the mountain slopes with their flocks of sheep.
Each txalapartari has his or her own space of time that can't be invaded by the other txalapartari. This period can become longer or shorter during a session of playing and this respect for the other player's space is what keeps the rhythm from breaking down.
There would have been a special rhythm used to signal that cider was ready, or that a death had occurred, for example. Today, though, it is used more as a musical instrument.
The basic "hits" or kolpeak that can be used are the "txakun" (the most basic) 2 "hits" close together, the "herena" one hit within the space of 2, the "hutsunea" or "blank" when a player does not hit during their space and the "hiru kolpeko txakuna" 3 within the space of 2 and so on...
Some players write down their music and create rhythms on paper while others play more spontaneously.
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