If you are a beginner you must understand that music is as important to capoeira as the ginga.
Perhaps more important, in fact, because without the berimbau to lead, there could be no jogo.
And without the jogo, there is no true capoeira

For some people, the musical aspect of capoeira comes very easy. For others, it’s the hardest part for them to learn. But the fact remains, if you want to be a well-rounded capoeirista, and truly participate in the roda, you need to learn the music.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive resource of all things capoeira music. This is meant as an introduction; a way to give beginners (and those for whom music isn’t a strong point) a place to get a feel for capoeira’s beautiful melodies.

The series is split into 5 Parts:

Part 1: THE SINGING

Part 2: THE BERIMBAU

Part 3: THE ATABAQUE, PANDEIRO AND CO.

THE BATERIA

For as long as capoeira has been around, instruments have accompanied the game. The area of the roda where the musicians stand is commonly referred to as the bateria.

The bateria is made up of three basic instruments:

The berimbau is a bow-like instrument that (many people believe) originated in Africa. It sets the pace of both the music and the game, and thus, is the most important instrument in capoeira.

The atabaque is a tall Afro-Brazilian drum that provides the basic rhythm and beat for the capoeira game. It is not necessary in all rodas, and is usually omitted in more spontaneous rodas or outside demonstrations because of its size.

The pandeiro, on the other hand, is a Brazilian tambourine that will be found in almost every capoeira roda due to its small size (easy to carry with you) and because it’s quite easy to play.

There are other instruments involved in capoeira, and you’ll learn more about all of them later in the series.

MUSIC AND THE GAME

If you’ve played capoeira for any decent amount of time, or even if you’ve only witnessed a roda or two, you’ve no doubt realized that music controls the capoeira game.

This can happen in more ways than one…

The most obvious example of music’s influence on the game is that the game follows the pace of the music. If the berimbau and atabaque play slowly and the singing is subdued, the players follow along and slow themselves down. If the berimbau speeds up, the singing becomes louder and faster, and the atabaque player’s hands seem like they might fall off, the game heats up as well and the kicks start flying in a blur.

But another way that music can influence the game is less obvious to anyone who doesn’t speak Portuguese, unfortunately. What I mean is, whoever is leading the songs (usually a mestre or high cord) can improvise and start talking about what’s happening in the game. He can comment on the game, telling a player what to do, or poking fun at some mistake. If the game is getting violent, he can tell the players to calm down, and if it’s too slow, he can tell them to pick up the pace.

Part 1: SINGING – Call and Response

Most capoeira songs (corridos) are sung in a form of call and response. That is, one person sings a verse (this is commonly whoever is playing the berimbau, but it certainly doesn’t have to be), and the rest of the roda sings a chorus in response.

An exception to this rule comes in capoeira angola, where, at the beginning of the roda, the mestre will sing a solo called a ladainha. Ladainhas can be songs written by mestres of old and passed down through generations, or they can be made up on the spot to fit the mood of the mestre and the roda. As I said, the ladainha is most often found in capoeira angola, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen in capoeira regional.

Sometimes the songs are simple and easy to remember, and other times they are long and difficult to learn. When you are taking your first crack at capoeira songs, you’d do well to try and memorize some of the more basic songs until you get the hang of it. I’ll give you some ones to start with in another post.

One of the things that makes it hard for many people (especially non-Brazilians) to get the hang of capoeira songs is that they are all sung in Portuguese. If you don’t understand what everyone is singing, it’s hard to make out the individual words.

The BEST thing you can do is ask your mestre or other more experienced students to write down the lyrics of any songs that you practice, so that way you can follow along and actually know what you’re saying. The next best thing is to find capoeira music online, or on a CD, and search around online (or, again, ask other capoeiristas) for the lyrics, and practice with that.

By the way, your progress will be painfully slow if you only sing during class. You’d do well to get some CDs or MP3s and practice as much as you can on your own time.

PART 2: THE BERIMBAU

The berimbau is a one-stringed instrument that originated in Africa. It is integral to capoeira, yet it is also used in many other musical styles and cultures. In capoeira, whoever plays the berimbau controls the pace of the music, and thus the pace of the game.

There are three types of berimbaus: gunga (low), medio (middle), and viola (high). The three sizes work together and provide rhythm, improvisation, and harmony. Traditional angola rodas use all three, while it is common to use only one berimbau in a regional roda (though, this is not a strict rule, and it is usually up to the mestre).

If you want to learn capoeira, you must learn the berimbau. Like anything in capoeira, and any instrument for that matter, learning how to play the berimbau takes dedication and practice. You will not master the berimbau over night. But the more you play the better you will become, and that’s what’s important.

Berimbau Anatomy

The berimbau is played by striking the string with a stick while a rock or coin is pressed against the string to change the tone. It may sound simple, but anyone who has seen or played a berimbau knows that it is nothing of the sort.

Before you start playing the berimbau, you should know what you’re working with.
[Insert picture of a Berimbau and write down the parts]

The berimbau is made of three main parts:

Biriba: The biriba is a wooden bow, four-to-five feet long. It is traditionally made from biriba wood, which grows natively in Brazil.

Arame: The arame is a steel wire that usually comes from the inside of a car tire.

Cabaca: The cabaca is a hollow gourd with a hole in one end that is tied to the main body of the berimbau and acts as a resonator. You can create a muffled sound by pressing the cabaca to your stomach.

To play the berimbau, you need:

Baqueta: The baqueta is a wooden stick used to strike the arame.

Pedra or Dobrao: The dobrao is a coin or rock used to change the tone of the berimbau.

Caxixi: The caxixi is a woven shaker held in the same hand as the baqueta, and is used to enrich the berimbau’s sound.

Berimbau Basics

The berimbau is a unique instrument that takes time to learn, and a lifetime to master.

The first thing you need to do is string the berimbau.

The second thing you need to do is get used to holding and balancing the berimbau. Your pinky goes under the string holding the cabaca (and yes, your pinky will be in pain and maybe go numb at first, that’s normal), your ring and middle finger curl around and grip the verga, and you hold the dobrao with your thumb and pointer finger. The best thing you can do is have someone show you the correct grip, because it’s tricky to explain.

Berimbaus are pretty long and end up being top-heavy, so you need to learn how to balance the berimbau and train your wrist to keep it straight. If you don’t balance the berimbau well, it will tip and sway all over the place, and make it a lot harder to play anything. Practice tilting the berimbau up and down and side to side with your wrist, without playing, so that you can get used to the way it feels. When you get really good, you can use this practice to show off

Once you get the basic grip, you can start to make some sounds (I say sounds, because unless you’re an uber talented musician, I don’t think you’ll be playing crazy good music the first time you hold a berimbau).

Each note comes from striking the arame with the baqueta, which you hold in your opposite hand with the caxixi (to hold the caxixi, rest it in your palm with the loop facing your fingers, and stick your middle two fingers through the loop). The different tones (closed, open, and buzz) come from pressing, lifting, and gently touching the dobrao to the arame.

Mixing up these tones can create an infinite number of toques (rhythms) and improvisations. But, you’re gonna want to start with the basics.

PART 3: The Atabaque, Pandeiro, and Supporting Instruments

The berimbau may be capoeira’s most famous and unique instrument, but capoeira’s sound is not truly complete without the accompaniment of the atabaque and pandeiro (and in some cases, the reco reco and agogo).

The atabaque and pandeiro are rhythm instruments more commonly known as a drum and tambourine, respectively. The capoeira game can be played without these two instruments, but it probably won’t be as lively or energetic if they are missing.

Hopefully when you’re done reading this post, you’ll know a little more about each instrument, and you’ll be able to take some basic rhythms with you to practice.

Atabaque

The atabaque is a drum typically made from Brazilian jacaranda wood and animal skin. You play the atabaque with your hands, and most of the time while standing.

The basic rhythm is pretty easy to start with (definitely easier at first than the berimbau, in my opinion), but it gets a bit tricky when you are playing with the rest of the instruments and singing in a frantic roda. Like everything else: practice makes perfect.

This is a basic atabaque rhythm:

Once you get the hang of the basics, you can move on to other rhythms like maculele and samba de roda. And when you really start progressing, you can begin adding flourishes and improvisations to the basic rhythms.

Here are some things to keep in mind while playing the atabaque:

• Keep your hands relaxed while playing.
• There should be a distinct difference in sound when you hit the middle of the atabaque head and the edge.
• The atabaque should not be played so loud that it overpowers the berimbau.
• When switching atabaque players, try to switch quickly and not miss a beat.

Pandeiro

The pandeiro plays essentially the same part as the atabaque: it keeps the rhythm.

Its smaller than the atabaque, but don’t let the pandeiro’s small stature fool you; it still takes time to master, and could even be considered harder to learn than the atabaque. But because it is small (not to mention less expensive) it’s more practical to learn on in the comfort of your own home. And you can then take what you learn on the pandeiro and apply it to the atabaque when you’re in class.

It takes a bit of dexterity to play the pandeiro well, because truly getting the most out of the instrument requires you to use the fingers, thumb, palm, and heel of your hand.

These are some basic pandeiro rhythms:

You probably noticed that it sounds a lot like the basic atabaque rhythm. Good obvservation! The basic rhythms are the same, you just play the pandeiro with one hand instead of two. And just like the atabaque, once you get good at the pandeiro you can improvide and add your own flourishes.

Here are some things to keep in mind while playing the pandeiro:

• Hitting the middle of the pandeiro should produce a tone different from hitting the edge.
• You can change the tone of the rim hit by pressing your thumb against the skin.
• Try to practice the pandeiro on both hands so you can switch if you start to get tired.
• “Don’t spank the pandeiro. Enough said.”

Supporting Instruments

These final two instruments are not played in all capoeira rodas, and in my experience, are more likely to be found in angola rodas than regional.

Reco Reco

The reco reco is a a bamboo instrument played by scraping a stick across grooves in the body.

I couldn’t find any video tutorials, but here are a few good tips:

• The rhythm is 1-2-3 (rest).
• Don’t make all the scrapes in the same direction. Try towards you (1), away (2), towards you (3).

Agogo

The agogo is a high pitched bell. It is played by tapping a stick against the bells.

Again, I couldn’t find any video tutorials, but I offer you a few words of wisdom

• The agogo has a high sound that can be heard above the other instruments, so stay on the beat.
• Some groups play high-low-high, while others play low-high-low.