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BERIMBAO and CAXIXI

The Berimbao is an instrument consisting of a flexible rod of wood but the strength biriba which is approximately half a meter and curved like a bow with steel wire attached to its ends, a gourd tied to the lower end that functions as sounding board, a stone or coin to the different tones to change the length of wire cut to a certain height, a bamboo vaqueta vibrating wire hitting; caxixi always accompanied by a small basket filled with seeds. Currently used is the main instrument in capoeira as a stem. There are three berimbaos: Gunga, that tone is what gives most serious violation, which gives more treble tones, and the middle, giving the two tones. The Gunga berimbao is usually commands a stem, that can say who comes and who does not, in what way and speed is going to play, the length of a stem.

            

  History berimbao

The first problem we face is the probable origin of a musical bow in Brazil. The knowledge of indigenous cultures in Brazil before the eighteenth century is almost nonexistent and the writings of the early chroniclers make no mention of a musical bow. That the possibility of its existence before its discovery by the Portuguese in 1500 is almost zero.

With the colonization and growth of large farms in a country so rich, the need for workers was great, that need was fulfilled with the use of slaves. Began to import slaves from Africa at the beginning of the sixteenth century, but unfortunately with the destruction of documents on slavery is not known when the first slaves were taken and that African nations were coming. These slaves had a great impact on the entire Brazilian culture. With this we can conclude that the origin of the African berimbao is introduced by the slaves.

El conocimiento que se tiene sobre el aspecto musical está limitado a las narraciones de antiguos viajeros y cronistas Encontramos las siguientes:

1. Batalha, Ledislau. Angola. Lisboa, 1889. “El humbo es un instrumento de cuerda. Consta generalmente de la mitad de una calabaza, hueca y bien seca. Hacen un arco y amarran en una extremidad la calabaza con una cuerda, y pegando el instrumento al pecho que sirve de caja sonora, hacen vibrar la cuerda del arco por medio de un palito.
2. Batalha, Ledislau. Costumbres de Angola. Lisboa, 1890. “Un negro toca su humbo, especie de guitarra de una sola cuerda en la que su cuerpo sirve de caja sonora”.
3. Carvalho, Enrique Augusto Dias de. Etnografía e historia tradicional de los pueblos de Lunda. Lisboa, 1890. “El rucumbo, constituido de una cuerda distendida por un arco de madera flexible, que tiene en una de las extremidades una calabaza pequeña que sirve como caja de resonancia; el arco está entre el cuerpo y la mano izquierda, y los diferentes sonidos son obtenidos con la mano derecha con una varita que corta la cuerda a diferentes alturas.” “Los luandas lo llaman violam. Lo tocan cuando pasean o cuando están descansando”.
4. Redinha, José. Álbum etnográfico. Luanda, s.f. pag. 85. Contiene un diseño de “un monocordio, lucungo, con una caja de resonancia constituido por una calabaza.”
5. Cascudo, Luis da Cámara. Folclor de Brasil. 1967. Menciona que, de acuerdo a Albano de Neves e Souza, de Angola, que Cascudo consultó, el instrumento típicamente pastoril, está todavía en uso de Angola hasta el litoral oriental, y tiene los nombres de hungu o m´bolumbumba, dependiendo de la región.
6. Oliveira, Albano Marinho de. Berimbao – El arco musical de la capoeira. Salvador, 1958. Describe un arco musical usado por los indígenas de Tongo, en África. “Un arco tensado por un alambre de punta a punta. Ésta es interceptada por una perpendicular, llamada pestaña, que va ligada a una especie de caja acústica. Los ejecutantes lo tocaban en una posición horizontal, con la cuerda cerca de la boca. Dedeaban la cuerda con la mano izquierda y pegaban con un pedazo de fierro con la mano derecha.

Brasil
1. Debret, Jean Baptiste. Viaje pintoresco e histórico a Brasil. São Paulo, 1972. (1834-1839). “El urucungo se compone de la mitad de una calabaza adherente a un arco formado por una vara curva con un hilo de latón, sobre el cual se golpea ligeramente por medio de una varita.
2. Pohl, Juan Emanuel. Reise im Innern von Brasilien. Wien, 1832. “Los negros difrutan mucho de la música... del sonido de una cuerda estirada en un pequeño arco descansando sobre una calabaza vacía, que da máximo tres tonos...”
3. Rodríguez, Nina. Los africanos en Brasil. São Paulo, 1935. Se hace referencia a lo que dice Pereira da Costa en un artículo sobre la introducción de esclavos a Pernambuco en 1645. “La marimba formada por dos arcos semicirculares con una tecla de madera en la base sobre la cual golpeaban con una vaqueta; y el marimbau, instrumento parecido o igual al anterior”. Rodríguez adiciona que existe en Bahia ese instrumento pero que escuchó que llamaban así al rucumbo “instrumento de los angoleros, un arco de madera flexible curveado por un hilo grueso que hacen vibrar con los dedos o con una varita. En la parte inferior tiene una caja de resonancia, que en contra del vientre es como se regulan las vibraciones.”
4. Ramos. Artur. El folclor negro en Brasil. Rio de Janeiro, 1935. “Me resta hablar del urucungo, también llamado gobo, bucumbumba y berimbao de barriga, que es el mismo rucumbo descrito por Dias de Carvalho, entre los lundas.”

ocimiento that is on the musical aspect is limited to the stories of ancient travelers and chroniclers found the following:

1. Batalha, Ledislau. Angola. Lisbon, 1889. "The Humb is a string instrument. Usually consists of half a pumpkin, hollow and very dry. Make a bow tie and pumpkin in a limb with a rope and hitting the tool chest that serves as a sound box, make the vibrating strings of the bow by a stick.

2. Batalha, Ledislau. Life in Angola. Lisbon, 1890. "A black plays his Humber, sort of one-string guitar on which his body serves as a sound box."

3. Carvalho, Enrique Augusto Dias de. Traditional history and ethnography of the peoples of Lunda. Lisbon, 1890. "The rucumbo, consisting of a bow string distended by a flexible timber, which is one of the limbs in a small gourd that serves as a sounding board, the arch is between the body and the left hand, and the sounds are different from with the right hand with a wand that cuts the string at different heights. "The call violam Luanda. I walk when playing or when resting. "

4. Redinha Jose. Ethnographic album. Luanda, s.f. pag. 85. Contains a "design a monocordio, lucungo with a sounding board consists of a pumpkin."

5. Cascudo, Luis da Camara. Folklore of Brazil. 1967. Mentions that, according to Albano Neves e Souza, from Angola, who consulted Cascudo, the instrument typically shepherd, is still in use in Angola to the eastern seaboard, and the names of hungu om'bolumbumba depending on the region.

6. Oliveira, Albano Marinho de. Berimbao - The arc of capoeira music. Salvador, 1958. Describes a musical bow used by the natives of Tonga, in Africa. "An arc of a wire stretched from end to end. This is intercepted by a perpendicular called tab, which is linked to a kind of cabinet. Performers played it in a horizontal position, with the rope around his mouth. Dedeaban the rope with his left hand and beaten with a piece of iron with your right hand.

Brazil

1. Debret, Jean Baptiste. Picturesque and historic trip to Brazil. São Paulo, 1972. (1834-1839). "The urucungo consists of half a pumpkin adherent to an arc formed by a curved rod with a brass wire, which had just beaten by a stick.

2. Pohl, John Emanuel. Reise im Innern von Brasilien. Wien, 1832. "Blacks enjoy a lot of music ... the sound of a string stretched on a small arch resting on an empty pumpkin, giving up three tones ... "

3. Rodriguez, Nina. Africans in Brazil. São Paulo, 1935. Referred to as Pereira da Costa said in an article on the introduction of slaves in Pernambuco in 1645. "The marimba made of two semicircular arches with a key in the wooden base on which to beat a vaqueta and the marimbau instrument similar to or same as above. Rodriguez adds that such an instrument exists in Bahia, but they called and heard the rucumbo "instrument of angoleros, an arch of flexible wood curved by a thick wire that vibrates with your fingers or with a wand. At the bottom is a sounding board, which is against the belly as governing vibrations. "

4. Ramos. Artur. Black folklore in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro, 1935. "I talk about the rest urucungo, also known as gobo, bucumbumba and berimbao belly, which is the same rucumbo described by Dias de Carvalho, the Lund." 

The berimbao basically consists of 3 sounds: escreshado, sharp and severe. The sharp firm is accomplished by pressing the stone against the wire and beat him with the stick above the stone, with detached pumpkin abdomen. The grave is produced by striking the wire with no pressure just above the string of the gourd. Pumpkin is also removed from the stomach. Finally the escreshado is weakly pushing the stone against the wire and beat him with the stick above the stone. The pumpkin in this sound is attached to the abdomen. Unlike the other two sounds, this is a dry sound without resonance, it seems like high-pitched sound but poorly executed.  

 Accompanying the berimbao always found caxixi, which is basically 2 ways of playing a while it sticks to the stick and the second is berimbao alone, without the berimbao. Sometimes you can also hit the pumpkin, stick the wire below the cord of the gourd, and all that noise. All these elements are normally used in improvisations, increase or rings of berimbao viola. To avoid the complications of a staff, we will use only one line.

A figure above the line mean escreshado top of the line and below severe acute. If the notation rather than circular shape is "x" means that the caxixi playing solo.

If for example we have means that we're going to start playing squash with the sharp punch to the abdomen and off we go little by little during the performances that cover the sign. Conversely, if we is that the pumpkin will be off and we slowly hitting the abdomen.

RHYTHMS FOR BERIMBAO

ANGOLA

Curfew angola is one of the basic touches of capoeira. This is used to make, as its name says, yogos of capoeira angola. You have certain conventions which include the type of battery that is used to its full implementation. For a touch of angola battery consists of three berimbaos, two tambourines, a Agogo, a recognized - and recognized a atabaque. The kind of songs for this particular tap are Ladainha and Chulas Corridos sing but also in other touches.

SAO BENTO PEQUENHO

Sao Bento Pequenho, also known as "Sao Bento de Angola pequenho" or inverse of Angola, is used for a guided or led Yogo, namely that an advanced student or other individual to play with greater of lesser degree for students teach achieve a particular objective or to practice one or several movements. Some of the particularities of this Yogo, there is no control games, and that the mark berimbao both input and output for yogos. Another of the uses of this touch is to accompany the berimbao Gunga angola in touch, this is done by berimbao meio. During the execution of this touches on the Gunga berimbao usually no songs.

SAO BENTO GRANDE

This is the main tap of capoeira Regional today. Capoeira allows the development of this art, faster and more acrobatic. Battery as in capoeira Angola consists of 3 berimbaos, two tambourines, a Agogo, a recognized - and recognized a atabaque and clapping more saturated than for angola. The songs that are sung during the touch and are Corridos Cantigas. During the tap if there is against yogos from the foot of the berimbao and from the stem.

SAMBA

The touch of Samba is implemented in some schools at the end of a round dance known as "Samba de Roda", which combined the customs capoeirísticas and cons of yogos to feature dance called Samba Brazil . This tap is implemented by three barimbaos, two tambourines, Agogo, atabaque, clapping and chorus, and of very rhythmic and upbeat songs.

CABALARIA

At a time when capoeira was banned, the capoeira endorse in any way needed little obvious that the police approached, so listening to this touch is understood that some police were prowling the area and was more convenient to stop practicing capoeira and maybe a little better Samba dance or just finish the round at that time. Today, capoeira as an art is no longer forbidden to use this touch was relegated to just one touch you have to know how the general culture of capoeira.

AMAZONA

Some say that the touch of Amazona by mestre Bimba was used as the anthem of his school, although this information expand the ....

SAO BENTO GRANDE DE BIMBA

This touch is a masterpiece and the creation of Mestre Bimba. Mestre Bimba was the creator of Capoeira Regional. This man used his playing for the teaching capoeira. today Sao Bento Grande de Bimba is used for two types of yogos. The first is to make the 8 sequences Bimba, the second is to play what is known as a hard Yogo, or very Mandingo and sometimes even beating well given. The battery to touch this changes dramatically compared to the previous touch as only a touch berimbao and is accompanied with two tambourines and something very important is that the only one who can sing who holds berimbao. The songs you hear this tap are Quadras, the Chulas and Corridos.

IUNA

This touch is very important because it is used to view yogos virtuous, or two people doing capoeira in an exceptional way. One of the unique features of this touch is that the only sound is the berimbao nor palms nor the rest of the drums sound, let alone sung during these games because all the attention should be placed in yogando who are virtuous.

PREPARATION FOR PERFORMANCE BERIMBAO

First was strained arch berimbao. It builds the basis of berimbao on the floor, then half of the arch supports the knee, and on top of berimbao making it firmly with your other hand you take the rope that is supportive to the rope. Doing knee lever sink about half of the club while arching the hand that holds it, while the rope is passed by the upper end and the knotted rope on the same arc. Normally there are three simple knots and tension is calculated without breaking the stick around and making the distance between the middle of the stick and the rope is about 20 cm or "palms" (the distance between the open hand thumb and little finger).

Once the voltage berimbao was introduced at the bottom pumpkin, calculating a distance from a palm of the hand between the base end of the stick and the string of the gourd. The cord runs through the pumpkin and squash string is pressed to the pole berimbao. This way the bow is ready to be executed.

Now to sustain berimbao taken with the left hand, passing the little finger on the string of the gourd. The remaining fingers are attached to the pole except the index finger and thumb as they hold the stone or coin. The stone or coin is so able to touch the stone with the rope and released. The ability for the player to manipulate berimbao is touching the stone and releasing the string while the pumpkin rests on our abdomen and also the remoteness of our body.

The right hand is holding the stick of bamboo to strike on the string, it must be held about half of it only with the fingers thumb, index and middle, in the same way that he holds a pencil. Moreover, with the same hand holding the caxixi half with your fingers, ring and little finger. By striking the string with the stick caxixi must sound. The traditional caxixi always rings, although there are other schools like Nana Vasconcellos caxixi running independently of the coup stick. Berimbao can also run without the use caxixi.

If the stone does not press or currency rope, the stick should strike the string, but very close to the string of the gourd. If the stone is being supported on the rope, then hit the stick on the string must be above the stone, but also a very close distance.

The coup stick can be soft or hard as the rope is steel and not at risk of cuts.

When you stop playing berimbao recommended the pumpkin and remove the slack of the rope to keep the stick tension. Avoid dropping or blows to the pumpkin as it can suffer cracks.

It is advisable to note here are the pictures while listening to recordings of berimbao to shape our sound.