CAN ANYONE BECOME MUSICAL?

But is everyone born to sway? is music something that is within everyones grasp? I believe so. For me, it is like being in high school again. The subjects I tended to like and be good at, were not because of the subject itself, rather it was how well I responded to the teacher that taught it. The better I fell in tune with the teacher, the more I liked the subject, the more I wanted to work at it, and the easier it was to learn. I believe music is very much the same. If you can find a teacher that can guide you through your own mind, anything is possible.

There are so many ways people connect; it is a teachers job to find those connections and use them to empower and encourage the student to believe they can do it, as well as being able to do it.

CHECK OUT THE TUTORIAL!

Within the small tutorial below, is a few variations on the instruments of capoeira. They are basic, and with each instruments three variations are provided from easiest to more difficult. I will endeavor to create more to help you find that inner rhythm, but for now this should help you get going. I am sorry if it is too easy/hard for some people to pick up, I am just trying to reach a broader scope of people, with what I have. I do not have a recording studio, nor a mic, so the sound is pretty deadpan, but hopefully I will be able to afford better equipment in the future. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please let me know!

axe!

Chan Griffin.

This rhythm is called the hino da capoeira regional, or, the capoeira regional anthem.
Some people call this rhythm Santa Maria too.
This rhythm is highly subjective, and often changes subtly from group to group, from teacher to teacher.
This is they way that Formado Cacador from the Associacao de capoeira Mestre Bimba taught me.
Thanks Cacador!

I have broken it down into parts to make it easier to understand and learn.

In our academy, we usually play this rhythm at the beginning and the end of class.

Just a few pointers:

1. I believe the objective of this rhythm is for people to have time to reflect on capoeira from the past, present and future. It is to also help give time to pay homage to capoeiristas who have helped build the art.

2. Usually a formado or someone competent at berimbau will be assigned to play the rhythm. We usually all line up in order of rank facing a picture of Mestre Bimba.

3. Everyone will place there right hand on their heart, stand upright and reflect on capoeira whilst the berimbau plays the rhythm. When the rhythm is finished, the teacher will lift his hand from his heart and clearly say “salve!” Then, everyone in unison will follow by doing the same gesture and repeat, ‘salve!’.

4. They will call this the “saudacao” which means to pay homage. At the end of class before the saudacao, it is common for the teacher to talk and reflect about the class, and for the students to comment on the class. It is also an open forum for people to talk about certain events or things that are happening at the time.

Here is a breakdown:
H= High note, rock pressed on wire
L= Low note, rock not on wire, solto
T= Rock loosely pressed against wire, tich.

1st Part
L L / L L L L / L L L H L H
T T H H H H / H H H L H L

T T L L L L/ L L L L H L H
T T H H H H/ H H H L H L

2nd Part
T T L T T L / T T L H L H
T T H T T H / T T H L H L

3rd Part
T T L L L L/ L L L L L L
T T L L L L / L L L H L H

T T H H H H/ H H H H H H
T T H H H H/ H H H L H L

4rth part a.
T T L T T L / T T L H L H
T T H T T H / T T H L H L

4rth part b.
T T L T T L / T T L H L H
T T H T T H / T T H L H L / L L H L H L/
L L H L H L / L L H L H L / L L L H /

here is a video of Mestre Bimba playing the ‘hino’.
As you may notice it is played differently, but, what I find is important in all of the berimbau rhythms is to find the heart of the rhythm, the pulse. As long as you have the pulse the notes in between are just extra ‘flavours’.

This is a way I was taught on how to make a caxixi.
I am by no means a professional, but at least this is one way, and you can develop/discover other ways from here. Or simply ask your Capoeira instructor how! The best thing you can do is follow this tutorial, have an already made caxixi next to you and work it out!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1. Reed/Wicker/Rattan Skin/Basketweave
2. Dried Gourd Shell at least 12cm-12cm in surface area.
3. A screw driver or scissors
4. Rough Sandpaper
5. A bucket half filled with luke warm water
6. Varnish (preferrably marine grade)
7. Some seeds (preferrably pau brasil seeds or beads if cannot source good seeds)
8. Stanley Knife

STEP 1.
Soak the weave in the bucket of water for 10 minutes or so, it can sit in their for a while so don’t get paranoid if you leave it in their for a long time.
If you are finding it hard to find wicker/reed/basketweave, try looking in:
Florist/Decoration Shops, Garden Shops, Arts/Crafts Shops, or Cane Furniture Shops.

STEP 2.
Cut out a large piece of gourd using your stanley knife. Preferably a little bigger than you think you’ll need.

STEP 3.
Make 7,9,or 11 holes in it using your screw driver or scissors. Make sure the holes are not too close to the edge, sometimes the gourd piece will crack and you don’t want that. It must be an odd number, as when you weave the reed around it has to be one in and one out to keep the basket closed. ( you’ll understand what I mean later).

STEP 4.
Make sure you have the inside of the gourd on the bottom of the caxixi before you start, do not have the piece of gourd dipping down, or else your caxixi will look really wierd and saggy. Begin to weave a peice of reed through the holes, trying to weave each piece evenly.

STEP 5.
The last hole, you have to weave it through double. If you have this piece a little longer as well, you can fold it back and use that piece as the handle later on.

STEP 6.
Begin to weave the basket. Start so that the reed is on the inside first, so that the end does not pop out. Try and keep the weave tight without gaps or holes, and try and push it down so that the weave is flush with the gourd.
Note: It gets easier the higher you get with the weave, initially the structure is not their so it is harder to weave. You can tie all the strands up the top to make it easier to maintain its shape but it isn’t necessary.

STEP 7.
When you get to the end of your first reed strand, make sure you end it facing in, otherwise it will create a gap. Make sure that each layer going up is alternate to the last. This is to keep the shape/pattern and strength.

STEP 8.
Once you get to a reasonable height you can put some seeds/beads into the caxixi. You begin to close it off and create the handle. To close it off you just weave the strands of reed from one side to the other, and back through the weave. You get smaller pieces of reed and weave extra bits into the top to close it off.

STEP 9.
The Extra long bits you made at the start, weave it through the other side, and get another peice of reed and wrap it tight around the handle strand to make the handle thicker. Tuck it in the start and at the end.

STEP 10.
Sand the edges of the gourd to make the base round. Varnish the whole thing once it has dried. Once the varnish has dried you have made your first Caxixi!!!!

From my understanding, deeper sounding Caxixi’s should go with higher pitched Berimbau’s, for higher pitched Caxixi’s they should go with lower pitched Berimbau’s.

Feel free to ask any questions or provide more comments! and Good Luck!

RIGHT LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT LEFT
RIGHT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT LEFT

MIDDLE EDGE EDGE EDGE MIDDLE EDGE EDGE
MIDDLE EDGE EDGE EDGE EDGE EDGE

This rhythm is sometimes used in Puxada de Rede, and also near the end of contemporary rodas when they start to speed things up.
This is the basic beat, but if there is another drum the other will play variations which will make the rodas sound great!

RIGHT LEFT RIGHT (hand)
MIDDLE EDGE MIDDLE (hit on drum)

This is the basic maculele beat. It is usually played with many variations, more drums and a lot faster. But this is just an example so that you will be able to learn it.

The hit of the sticks comes in on the first two beats (in the verbal annotation).

VERBAL ANNOTATION:

LEFT RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT RIGHT (HAND)

EDGE EDGE MIDDLE MIDDLE EDGE EDGE MIDDLE (HIT ON DRUM)

VERBAL ANNOTATION:
DOUBLE RIGHT LEFT RIGHT DOUBLE
DOUBLE RIGHT LEFT RIGHT DOUBLE DOUBLE

EDGE MIDDLE EDGE EDGE MIDDLE
EDGE MIDDLE EDGE MIDDLE MIDDLE

This is a simple drum rhythm that is used all over the world.
The drum is not traditionally used in the traditional regional roda. It is used in mainly contemporary and angola rodas.

ANNOTATION:
RIGHT LEFT RIGHT RIGHT (HAND)
EDGE EDGE MIDDLE EDGE (HIT ON DRUM)

Remember not to go too loud with the drum, if you are playing the drum you must be able to hear the head berimbau clearly at all times. Otherwise you are playing too loud.
Remember the third note is the loudest out of all the notes.

This rhythm is the ‘hino’ de capoeira, the anthem of capoeira. In the associacao de capoeira mestre bimba, bahia brazil, we play this anthem before every class to pay homage to the mestres of the past, and of course mestre bimba. There are many variations that can be added, but it is generally played with a different timing than that of Apanha laranja no chao tico tico.

VERBAL ANNOTATION:
TICH TICH DOM DOM DOM DOM DOM TICH TICH DOM DOM DOM DOM DIM
TICH TICH DIM DIM DIM DIM DIM TICH TICH DIM DIM DIM DIM DOM

Apanha laranja no chao tico tico

VERBAL ANNOTATION:
TICH TICH DOM DOM DOM DOM, TICH TICH DOM DOM DOM DIM
TICH TICH DIM DIM DIM DIM, TICH TICH DIM DIM DIM DOM

This rhythm can be vastly varied and is very similar to SANTA MARIA in the regional section.
However this is more of an angola toque, and is usually played in street rodas when the capoeiras are busking for money.

When they busk they collect money and then put the money either inside a bandana or just have the money in the middle of the roda. They then battle it out to try and get the money, but can only pick it up with their mouth.

they usually sing this song too:
Apanha laranja no chao tico tico
Se meu amor for si embora eu nao fico
Apanha com a mao ou com pe ou com bico

grab the orange from the ground tico tico (tico is the sound of the berimbau)
if my love went away I will not stay.
Grab it with your hand or your foot or your mouth

here is a video that loosely represents the game courtesy of bantus capoeira, belo horizonte brazil.