Dzil Duet

The dzil, a xylophone with calabash-wood keys, is featured in many forms of dance music with drums and other percussion instruments thoughout West and Central Africa. The name by which it is known in some African communities, madimba, would suggest that it is the ancestor of the South American marimba. In this resording, one dzil is played simultaneously by two men who sit facing each other on either side of the instrument. On eplays melodically with his right hand while accompanying himself with arpeggiated patterns in the lower register with his left hand. The other player provides a purely rhythmic accompaniment, striking the ends of the keys where only overtones of the fundamental pitch are produced.