How to Identify Capoeira Music Rhythms

Capoeira is a unique mixture of martial arts and dance that originated with slaves in Brazil. Artists perform to unique music played by instruments such as the berimbau and the atabaque. Here are some steps on how to identify capoeira music rhythms.

Instructions

1. Play the Angola rhythm on the berimbau by playing high and low beats. While shaking the caxixi, hit the upper part of the rod twice, and then strike the lower rod once. Finally, strike the upper rod one more time but a lot harder than the first time. When it all comes together, it is a 1-2-3-4 rhythm.

2. Tap the rhythm of the pandeiro consistently. The pandeiro rhythm is almost always a 1-2-3-4 rhythm with the third beat over emphasized. The rhythm of the pandeiro never changes. It is consistent throughout the entire song.

3. Identify the Amazona rhythm by listening to the Master Bimba. The Amazona is a rhythm used by the Master Bimba for musical variations.

4. Understand that the Banguela is a faster capoeira rhythm. It is a medium game.

5. See who plays the capoeira music. For example, only graduated capoeira students can play the Iuna rhythms. By knowing who is playing the music, one will be able to more easily identify the type of capoeira rhythm.

6. Dance the capoeira very fast to the Sao Bento Grande de Regional Santa Maria. This is the fastest capoeira rhythm.