Percussion Tips
By: Megan E. Thomas
Berimbau
On our tour of percussion instruments of Brazil, our next stop is at the Berimbau. We will discuss the Berimbau's origins, descripitions, and some basic playing techniques and patterns.
The Berimbau is originally from Angola, Africa and came to Brazil through Capoeira music of the Bantú slaves. Capoeira is a combination of a martial art, dance, acrobatics and music. The Berimbau has worked its way into other forms of music such as jazz, pop, and world.
The Berimbau (beh-rin-ba-oo) is a wooden shaft that looks like a bow. It has a metal wire attached from one end to the other. There is a gourd that is slid up the wire and bow. The gourd actually touches the wooden part on the bow and the string is touching the wire. There is also a small basket shaker, caxixi, that is held in the right had along with a wooden stick. The thin wooden stick is held much like a pencil and the caxixi (ca-she-she) is held by sliding the ring finger and middle finger through the loop on the basket. The left hand holds the Berimbau under the string from the gourd (the bridge) with the pinky finger while the ring and middle fingers push the wooden bow against the palm. There is also a stone or coin that the left hand holds between the thumb and index finger to change the pitch of the note. The gourd acts as a resonator. You touch the gourd to your body to achieve a more closed sound and away from your body to get a more open sound. The stick strikes the metal wire in different rhythmic patterns as well as the caxixi being shook at the same time. Finding an instructor may be helpful at first.
Following is the notation for the different sounds on the Berimbau.
Following are a few patterns to start off with. The "o" in number two refers to pulling the gourd away from the body to achieve an open, resonant sound.
The Berimbau is a difficult instrument to understand without having an instructor to show you how to assemble it and at least some basic technique. Once you get the basics down it is a beautiful instrument whether you are playing it for yourself, in a traditional setting, or in the style of music you choose.
Book Resources:
The ABCs of Brazilian Percussion by Ney Rosauro
The Essence of Brazilian Percussion and Drum Set by Ed Uribe
Rhythm & Beauty by Rocky Maffit
Meg Thomas Bio
Meg Thomas, percussionist from Chicago, is an active performer and teacher who received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Millikin University. Meg performs and teaches several different percussion instruments such as congas, drum set, bongos, timbales, djembe, tabla, cajon, darbuka, berimbau, cuica, bodhrán, and other percussion instruments.
Meg is involved in several original music projects as well as being an avid performer in the festival and jobbing band circuits. Meg has played in numerous bands over the years, playing in venues that range from House of Blues to Alpine Valley to The Park West to The NBC/Disney Holiday Parade to thousands of clubs, festivals, and bars. Meg has performed on local and national TV, and has also been on local and internet radio. She has experience in a plethora of genres: rock, soca, pop, calypso, blues, punk, fusion, latin-jazz, metal, salsa, world, folk, classical, reggae, disco, R&B, percussion groups, dance ensembles, etc.
In addition to being an active performer, she plays sessions at recording studios, puts on world percussion seminars, facilitates drum circles, teaches private lessons, and writes the Drum and Percussion Tips of the Month column for the webzine, ChicagoMusicGuide.com. Meg is part of the Vic Firth drumstick and mallet company's Education Team as a Vic Firth Private Drum Teacher and has a Sabian Cymbal endorsement.
Visit Meg's website:www.MegThomasPercussion.com
Visit Meg's myspace page:
www.myspace.com/mtpercussion