The Boot Knife of Love and Mercy ([info]amp23) wrote in [info]global_capoeira,
@ 2005-11-02 14:37:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
DaRua Berimbau Basics
My buddy with a camera and video skills ([info]cjottawa) got together with me yesterday and we filmed the basic elements of playing a berimbau, with exercises that have helped me develop (I've been playing seriously for 4 years now, busking over the last year). we recorded without the caxixi first to make it clear what a bow by itself will sound like, another round of videos with more tocques and caxixi will be following after we tackle capturing some of our movements.

For those interested in learning/practicing the berimbau:
(wmv files to keep the size managable)

3 Basic Berimbau Tones: (first things ya gotta know)

Open - Low - "DOM" (dom)
Closed - High - "DIM" (deem)
Half-closed - Buzz - "SH" (sh)

5 Basic Berimbau Exercises: (things to practice)

Combo Buzz/Low - "SHSH DOM"
Combo Buzz/High - "SHSH DIM"
Combo High/Low - "SHSH DOM SHSH DIM"
Alternating Triplets
Stone Work

5 Basic Tocques (Rhythms) (the first five I learned)

Sao Bento Grande de Angola
Sao Bento Pequeno
Cavalaria
Santa Maria
Iuna


Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.


(Post a new comment)


[info]phrawzty
2005-11-02 08:16 pm UTC (link)
Awesome, mate!

Axé!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]amp23
2005-11-03 03:15 am UTC (link)
Thanks mang!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]icariancypher
2005-11-02 10:28 pm UTC (link)
That's awesome! Thank you for sharing this!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]cjottawa
2005-11-02 10:34 pm UTC (link)
;) Remember us when we start making full DVD's... :D

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]icariancypher
2005-11-02 10:41 pm UTC (link)
Just keep us posted! And keep up the good work!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]amp23
2005-11-03 03:16 am UTC (link)
Thanks for the feedback.
I hope you find them useful!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]xkazokux
2005-11-02 11:04 pm UTC (link)
This is probably the most helpful thing involving the Berimbau I've encountered so far, outside of hands-on learning.
By far the most awesome post of the month!
Do you mind if I download them to my hard-drive for further analysis/studying? I figured I'd better ask first, just in case.
Thanks!
xtonyx

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]amp23
2005-11-02 11:27 pm UTC (link)
Go ahead. Download and share. Just don't try to profit from it other than becoming a better bow player :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]capkitty04
2005-11-03 04:38 pm UTC (link)
awesome. i'm definately going to be using those 5 basic berimbau exercises. thanx for sharing this with us :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]amp23
2005-11-03 07:04 pm UTC (link)
thanks for using them!
share with your bow playin friends :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]shadowcat170
2005-11-03 05:10 pm UTC (link)
LOL, I remember hours of practicing the combo high/low "TCH DOM TCH DIM" - that was key for me.

Very nice work; this will be a great resource for those learning how to play.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]amp23
2005-11-03 07:02 pm UTC (link)
Thanks man, really.

I'm nervous being the one putting my technique up for scrutiny and not having an official teacher beyond my cds/friends/practice, but the feedback I've been getting lately suggested maybe I should be sharing what I've learned. Givin back to the culture and all that.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]elektrafying
2005-11-03 06:38 pm UTC (link)
WOW! I watched a few and they look great! Good job, guys!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]amp23
2005-11-03 07:05 pm UTC (link)
Thanks, baby!
*smooch*

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]capoeira_addict
2005-11-04 02:20 pm UTC (link)
Okay, I finally got around to checking these out and they're GREAT. excellent camera positioning so you can actually see what the hell you're doing!

Muito obrigado, this will be a help.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]amp23
2005-11-04 02:26 pm UTC (link)
all the camera/lighting is to [info]cjottawa's credit and his experience making training videos.

all i did was sit there and play,
oh and describe what i wanted to capture.

i'm just glad they're useful :)
thanks for the feedback!

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]capoeira_addict
2005-11-04 03:22 pm UTC (link)
there are no academies where i'm from and my mestre lives on the other end of the country, so I don't get a lot of actual INSTRUCTION. I like that you also recorded it in slow motion. Seriously, I'm impressed. Now maybe I'll spend more time with a berimbau in my hand and less time sitting on my head!

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
XD
[info]cjottawa
2005-11-04 04:52 pm UTC (link)
LMAO.

Buddy, we need to switch spots... I'll get on my head (for a change!) and you can 'bau. LOL!

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: XD
[info]capoeira_addict
2005-11-04 04:59 pm UTC (link)
You know you're a mestre when....

you can actually play the berimbau while standing on your head.

That day, I retire.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: XD
[info]amp23
2005-11-04 05:02 pm UTC (link)
you just gave me a new goal to reach for.

thanks! :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]ronarons
2005-11-04 07:31 pm UTC (link)
wow!! amazing amazing!! =) thank you very much!

(Reply to this)

Great!
[info]_tr1x_
2005-11-12 03:36 pm UTC (link)
Obrigado!
That's awesome, really.


(Reply to this)


[info]sovietico
2005-11-18 03:25 pm UTC (link)
Your idea is very good and very well done! Your berimbau sounds great!
However, I'd like to point out that the names of the toques you play are wrong!!! The exception is Santa Maria...
Moreover, IMHO your Iuna is wrongly played...
References for my statements are (besides my own capoeira experience with some Mestres) Great Masters' cds as Bimba, Caiçara, Moraes, Gato Preto etc...
Bye
Sovietico

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]amp23
2005-11-18 03:37 pm UTC (link)
Thank you for your feedback. :)

There is apparently little consensus on the names of the tocques, judging by the notations that are available and how they're labeled at a variety of sources online. I've seen the same rhythms called up to four different things and notated several ways, which makes determining a name to go with quite difficult. Iuna as I play it was picked up from the Angolieros I occasionally played with back in Texas, who I believe were affiliated with GCAP (that or FICA, I forget). I also used to study the samples from capoeira.com.mx when it was up.

Do you have any resources you could point me to for Bimba's or Pastinha's tocque names? Do you have a recording of Iuna correctly played?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]sovietico
2005-11-18 03:49 pm UTC (link)
Definitely agree with you on the differences in names of the toques.
However, what you call Sao Bento Grande de Angola, is nearly universally known as Toque de Angola. I'd swear on it.
I've studied the issue a bit, and even if it's true that there are different opinions on names, there's a certain convergence on some names for the most famous toques (angola, SBGrande de Angola, SBGrande de Regional, Iuna...)
I knew that http://www.capoeirista.com/ and http://www.agogo.nl/MultiMedia/sound/sound.htm provided some good and quite trustworthy samples

Enjoy!

(Reply to this) (Parent)
what about pandeiro?
[info]jogistar
2006-11-27 01:15 am UTC (link)
This is definitely the best berimbay resource that I have found (today I spent hours in internet). Thanks a lot.

Do you happend to know any similar resources for pandeiro, or would you with your friend be willing to make some?

Thanks again, this is really good.

(Reply to this)

Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…