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| brazilian percussion | |
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The berimbau is a single-string Percussion Instrument , a Musical Bow , from Brazil . The berimbau's origins are not entirely clear, but there is not much doubt on its African origin, as no Indigenous Brazilian or Europe an people use musical bows, and very similar instruments are played in the southern parts of Africa. The berimbau was eventually incorporated into the practice of the Afro-Brazilian martial art '' Capoeira '', where it commands how the capoeiristas move in the ''roda''. The instrument is known for being the subject matter of a popular song by Brazilian Guitar ist Baden Powell , with lyrics by Vinicius De Moraes . The instrument is also a part of Candomblé -de-caboclo tradition. DESIGN The berimbau consists of a wooden bow (''verga'' – traditionally made from ''biriba'' wood, which grows in Brazil), about 4 to 5 feet long (1.2 to 1.5 m), with a steel string (''arame'' – often pulled from the inside of an automobile Tire ) tightly strung and secured from one end of the verga to the other. A Gourd (''cabaça''), dried, opened and hollowed-out, attached to the lower portion of the Verga by a loop of tough string, typically a hard shoe lace, acts as a resonator. Since the 1950s, Brazilian berimbaus have been painted in bright colors, following local Bahian/Brazilian taste; today, most makers follow the tourist consumer's quest for (pretended) authenticity, and use clear varnish and discrete decoration. To play the berimbau, one holds it in one hand, wrapping the two middle fingers around the verga, and placing the little finger under the cabaça's string loop, and balancing the weight there. A small stone or coin is held between the index and thumb of the same hand that holds the berimbau. The cabaça is rested against the abdomen. In the other hand, one holds a stick (''baqueta'' – usually wooden, very rarely made of metal) and an optional rattle ('' Caxixi ''). One strikes the arame with the baqueta to produce the sound. The Caxixi accompanies the baqueta. The dobrão is moved back and forth from the arame to change the tone of the berimbau. The sound can also be altered by moving the cabaça back and forth from the abdomen, producing a Wah -like sound. Parts and accessories of the berimbau:
Capoeiristas split berimbaus in three categories:
These categories relate to sound, not to size. The berimbau's quality does not depend on the length of the verga or the size of the gourd, rather on the diameter and hardness of the verga's wood and the quality of the gourd. SOUND The berimbau, as played for capoeira, basically has three sounds: the open string sound, the high sound, and the buzz sound.
Other sounds may appear in a berimbau performance, but only these define capoeira's rhythmic patterns (except Iuna). Closing and opening the gourd while the string resounds produces a wah-wah effects, which depends on how large the gourd opening is. Whether this effect is desirable or not is a matter of controversy. Pressing the dobrão after striking the string is a widely used technique; so is closing neatly the gourd while the string resounds to shut off the sound. A specific toque requires the open string sound with closed gourd. Musicians use whatever sound they may get out of the string. It is often considered bad practice to strike other parts of the instrument. As with most aspects of playing the berimbau, the names of the techniques differ from teacher to teacher. Most teachers, and most students, worry more about producing a nice sound than about naming the individual sounds. Of course, the strength (velocity, accent) with which one lets the vaqueta hit the string is paramount to rhythm quality. The open sound is naturally stronger (meaning that, for a constant-strength strike, the other two sound weaker), but the musician may decide which strikes to stress. Also, the sound tone shifts a little with the strength of the strike, and some sophisticated toques make use of this. USE IN CAPOEIRA In Capoeira , the music required from the berimbau is essentially rhythmic. Most of the patterns, or Toques , derive from a single 8 unit basic structure: xxL.L.L. (Note: all characters, including the '.', denote equal time: 'x' = the buzz sound; 'L' = tone; 'H' = high tone; '.' = a rest, no action.) Notation Key . rest x buzzed note L Low tone H Hight tone (...) Bar (music) of 2 to 4 beats, 8 - 16 subdivisions/units | ||
| São Bento Grande De Regional (or Simply Regional): An Innovation Of | "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Mestre_Bimba" class="copylinks">Mestre Bimba , is often played in the two bar pattern (xxLxxHxxLLH) |
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