“Handpicked”

marimba

for Keith Ng

The impressive complex of Adams Musical Instruments is located in Ittervoort. A family-owned business, it was founded in 1970 by grandfather André Adams to meet the high demand for instruments from Limburg’s wind ensembles. Adams has since gained worldwide fame. Every month, multiple containers filled with timpani, xylophones, marimbas, trumpets, trombones, and tubas are shipped from Ittervoort to top musicians and orchestras around the world. At this musical industrial park, Keith and Ramon meet in the sound chamber adjacent to the woodworking shop.

Rosewood

Keith’s eyes light up when a huge cart loaded with hundreds of Honduras rosewood slats is wheeled in. There are 61 marimba keys to select from. For each key, there’s a choice of twenty slats. Adams’ tuners have already tuned them to perfect pitch. But wood is a natural product, and due to its varying hardness and elasticity, each key has a slightly different timbre and resonance. Over the next few hours, Keith and Ramon will strike more than 1,200 keys to assemble a marimba that comes as close as possible to Keith’s ideal sound. A unique opportunity, but painstaking work.

Yes, we got a D!

One by one, Keith and Ramon pull the bars out of the cart and place them on the marimba. Strike, listen, strike, listen… with the utmost concentration. It’s wonderful to see them working together. Keith takes the lead. Every now and then, Ramon takes over and lets Keith listen from a distance with his eyes closed. Promising notes are set aside for a second round of testing. Sometimes they can’t decide until after endless tapping and deliberation, and sometimes they agree very quickly: “Yes, we’ve got the D!”

After a good hour, there are seven keys on the marimba. Fifty-four more to go. At this rate, it’s going to be a late night, you can see Keith thinking. Ramon is confident: “Choosing the first bass bars is the hardest part and takes the most time. Once you have a good foundation to build on in terms of harmony and timbre, it gets easier.” And indeed, after the first octave, things start to pick up speed.

One instrument

By the end of the afternoon, all the pieces he personally selected are laid out on the marimba. Keith is exhausted, Ramon more than satisfied: “Keith has done a truly fantastic job. He listens very closely to every detail and has a wonderful imagination. I think he’s put together a beautiful, warm marimba with plenty of resonance. I’m very curious to see how the instrument will continue to develop under his playing. Slowly but surely, all the individual keys will come together to form a single instrument. In that respect, it’s just like a violin or a grand piano.”

Next to his bed

A few weeks later, the “handpicked” marimba was delivered to Keith’s home. He had to completely rearrange his apartment to make room for it. The instrument now stands right next to his bed. “When I open my eyes in the morning, the first thing I see is the amazing marimba! I used to get up very early to go to the conservatory to practice before classes started. Now I can get started right away. That makes playing so much easier and more enjoyable. I feel very privileged.”

Of course, the instrument comes along on tour as much as possible. The marimba made its debut at the Percussion Friends Festival in September, organized by Ramon. In November, Keith will perform in two concerts as part of the Princess Christina Competition, following his second-place win in 2020. In February, the marimba will cross the border into Luxembourg. With the BANG Percussion Trio (Béatrice Picard, Ambro Golachowski, Keith Ng), Keith will compete in the International Percussion Competition. Keith: “And before then, we’ll definitely be doing a few tryouts. I want to reach as many people as possible and promote the marimba and percussion. I’d like to invite everyone to come!”

There’s just one little thing left. How does the marimba get to all those concert venues? Keith: “I’m actually completely dependent on others to transport the marimba. It would be great if I could get my driver’s license soon…”