Berimbau tocou na capoeira
Berimbau tocou eu vou jogar

Photo by Allison McCarthy (Flickr)

Welcome to the third part of the Introduction to Capoeira Music series, where we will learn a bit more about 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.

Image from worldartswest.org

The berimbau is made of three main parts:

Verga: The verga 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. Check out this post on how to make your own berimbau arame.

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.

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. Luckily for you, I made an earlier post on how to string your berimbau, so check it out.

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. Here are some more tips for getting the hang of playing the berimbau.

Here are two basic toques that you can try:

Sao Bente Grande de Angola

Sao Bente Grande

These are two of the most common toques in capoeira, and if you learn them, you’ll be well on your way to learning many more. There are many more examples on Soul Capoeira’s YouTube channel.

So, there you have it. I haven’t told you everything there is to know about the berimbau, but I think I’ve given you enough to be dangerous with. You can’t get better unless you play, so grab a berimbau and PLAY!

Be sure to check out Part 4 of this series where we discuss capoeira’s other instruments.

“[The singer] ought to emit a feeling of capoeira.” - Mestre Moraes

Photo by pleaseknock (Flickr)

Welcome to the second part of the Introduction to Capoeira Music series, where we will learn a bit more about singing.

Let me begin this post with a preface, something I’ve said many times before: I’m not a very good singer. I have been improving lately, but it still gives me the most trouble of anything in capoeira. There are people out there, people reading and commenting on this blog, who are much more qualified than I to be giving you lessons on singing in capoeira.

But, the point of this series is to introduce you to the world of capoeira music, to give you a bit of background information and something to work on, and I think I can do that. I heartily encourage you to learn all you can from your mestre and more experienced capoeiristas in your group. Those lessons, and the experience that comes from hands on practice, are invaluable.

First, let’s go over the basic types of capoeira songs so we know what we’re dealing with. Songs in capoeira come in a few different forms:

• Ladainha - a solo sung at the beginning of the roda. The ladainha usually occurs in capoeira angola, but can be found in regional too.
• Quadra - a four-verse song in the call-and-response style.
• Corrido - songs with one or two verses that are also answered by the chorus in call-and-response.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of capoeira songs out there. Some are more well known than others, some written by famous mestres, and some written anonymously. Lyrics might be different from group to group, but most of them stay very similar across the capoeira world.

As long as you have a basic understanding of how to sing in capoeira, and you don’t stand there with your mouth slackjawed open not trying, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to follow along.

To get an overview of singing in capoeira, why it is important to participate in the songs, and how to improve your singing, read this guest-post by Patrick. There’s no sense in me repeating everything he already went over in detail, so I’ll just give you some basic points:

• The roda needs energy. Singing gives the roda its energy, it’s axe. So, SING!
• Sing all the time. Sing in the car, in the shower, walking down the street, whenever you can. Don’t just sing in the roda.
• You don’t have to be a good singer to be good at singing in capoeira. What matters is your passion and energy, not your tone.
• Your singing should come from the stomach; don’t force it from your throat. This will save you from getting a sore throat!
• Try to learn a bit of Portuguese, or at least learn the meaning of each song you learn, because you’ll be better able to keep up with the singing if you know what the words are.
• Practice with capoeira CDs and MP3s on your own.
• For more tips, check out Shayna’s wonderful list of singing tips on responding to the chorus and leading the songs.
• SING!

So, now that you know why singing is important, you might be wondering how you can get started (especially if you have no one to learn from). Well, fortunately for you I’m psychic, so I’m gonna help you out.

First, check out these top five sites for capoeira song lyrics. Try to find some that you may have heard, or that you have on CD, or that you can find a sample of, and get to practicing! This is another good lyrics site.

Don’t go overboard and try to learn 10 songs at once. It’s just like learning movements; you don’t jump into florieo the first day. Start slow, and you’ll get there in no time.

Some of the best songs to start with are the ones with very simple lyrics, words repeated over and over, or even just sounds and calls. For example,

Oi sim sim sim, Oi não não não
Oi sim sim sim, Oi não não não
Oi não não não, Oi sim sim sim
Oi sim sim sim, Oi não não não
Mas hoje tem, amanha não
Mas hoje tem, amanha não
Oi sim sim sim, Oi não não não
Mas hoje tem, amanha não
Olha a pisada de Lampião
Oi sim sim sim, Oi não não não

Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no
Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no
Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no
Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no
Today you have it, tomorrow you don’t
Today you have it, tomorrow you don’t
Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no
Today you have it, tomorrow you don’t
Look at the footprints of Lampião
Oh yes yes yes, oh no no no

See? Not that hard at all.

Another common song with easy lyrics is usually sung at the end of a roda:

Adeus
Boa viagem
Adeus, adeus
Boa viagem
Eu vou
Boa viagem
Eu vou, eu vou
Boa viagem
…

Good bye
Good trip
Good bye, good bye
Good trip
I go
Good trip
I go, I go
Good trip
…

Now that you have some lyrics under your cord, let’s learn how to sing them.

For a very good intro to singing in capoeira (and another song you can learn), we need look no further than Soul Capoeira. Chan put together a three part tutorial on capoeira singing that I definitely couldn’t have done better myself. Here’s the first video:

And when you’re done with that, learn how to sing accompanied by the pandeiro, and berimbau.

By the way, it is quite difficult at first to get the hang of singing and clapping at the same time (nevermind singing and playing an instrument). Even once you think you’ve got it, you’ll be trying to learn a new song and then your clapping will get all messed up. It happens to everyone. Don’t get down about it. Just practice!

So, there you have it. A little foray into the vast ocean that is singing in capoeira. I hope I’ve given you some good basics to start from. And remember, like all things in capoeira, becoming good at singing takes time, dedication, and practice. You won’t become a pro overnight. But stick to it, and you’ll be sure to bring your axe to the roda!

Be sure to check out Part 3 of this series where we discuss the berimbau.