Berimbau is a accessory of capoeira, a Brazilian art that combines traditional dance, fighting, music, singing and code of honor.

It is said that its distinctive sound was originally used to inform capoeira fighters/dancers that some unwanted person was arriving. A berimbau consists of a wooden bow (at best Beriba wood) with a (tyre cable) string, and a gourd attached to the bow, near the lower end. The gourd has a hole on its exterior side and acts as a resonator. It is played with a stick and a small stone (sometimes a piece of metal) used produce the different sounds  and distinctive rhythmic patterns and variations.

A berimbau player stands, holds the instrument in one hand, wrapping his/her fingers around the bow, except for the little finger, which is placed under the string loop where the gourd is fixed to the bow. The player must be able to hold the berimbau upright, in balance just this way. A small stone or coin (pedra or dobrão) is held between the index and thumb of the same hand.
The other hand holds a thin, hard stick and a caxixi (shaker) and hits the string with the stick, shaking the caxixi in rhythm. The coin is moved back and forth, touching the vibrating string to change the pitch of the produced note.
The instrument is hold at belly height and moved back and forth to "open" or "close" the gourd with one's abdomen, thus modifying the sound ("wah wah" effect")
 
There are 3 types of berimbau:
- A Gunga Berimbau has a large gourd; it is loud, plays a basic pattern, rarely improvising. The player is, then free to sing along loud!
- A Medio Berimbau has a smaller gourd and plays some variations.
- A Viola Berimbau's sound is high-pitched, plays lots of variations and therefore uses a small gourd.

This contemporânea "natural" model was designed in perfect accordance with the making traditions of Brazil. It perfectly meets the needs of any kind of player, duly playing its part inside the "roda" (capoeira performance).

Height: 59 in
Weight: 0,85 kg
Delivered with a "viola" gourd (about 6 in in diameter) + a metal dobrao + a stick + a caxixi

See more instruments from Brazil ! & Check out our methods !