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! (more…)

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.

AO PE DE MIM TEM UM VIZINHO
AO PE DE MIM TEM UM VIZINHO
QUE ENRICOU SEM TRABALHAR
MEU PAI TRABALHO TANTO
MAS NUNCA PODE ENRICAR
NAO DEITAVA NUMA NOITE
QUE DEIXASSE DE REZAR HA HA
AGUA DE BEBER…

Close to me there was a neighbour
Close to me there was a neighbour
that became rich without working
My father worked very much
but he could never become rich
their wasn’t a night where he laid
without forgetting to pray ha ha
water to drink..

Regional quadras generally tell stories or are used to give advice.
There are always many layers to songs such as these, where there are so many possibilities for intepretation that many a time have I thought one year a song means this, only to be told that it actually means something completely different. Then, two years down the track, be told that it means something completely different again.

This song is a very common quadra. Most quadras in regional range from 4 to 6 to 8 verses long. (not including the repeated verses). Thus within the short amount of communication they rely on references to the past, metaphors, loose intepretations, and deceptiveness to give the song its layers.

This song on the surface is singing about a man who was both jealous and annoyed with his neighbour for getting ‘lucky’ and becoming rich.
within the next layer, it is singing about the inequality that many of the brazilian people have to deal with and come to terms with in their everyday life.
within another layer, he is singing about the fake capoeirista, that may seem to stand proud and tall and all of his students may see him in a big light, yet he is really hollow inside.

within yet another layer, he is singing about humankind, how regardless of who you are, you will forever think the grass is greener on the other side, you will forever have obstacles and others that may feel like a threat, yet, regardless, you keep the faith, the faith in yourself to keep going, and keep ‘praying’ every night.

Just a few intepretations but I am sure you could think of many more.

When to come in

If you are playing with the pandeiro, when you enter into each line the timing of the entry interchanges.
the first line comes in on the first beat. (as you’ll notice in the video above).
The second line will come in between the first and second beat of the pandeiro, and so on so forth.

With the berimbau, its a bit tricker.
REGIONAL VERBAL ANNOTATION:
TICH TICH DOM, TICH TICH DIM, TICH TICH DOM DOM DIM.
the first line begins on the first DOM, which is the third hit in the regional rhythm. Or sometimes (depending on your timing) can start on the first Dom in the second half of the regional berimbau rhythm.
The other lines that do not come in on those notes, come in in between the Dom and the Tich or the second and third hit.

POINTERS

Just a few things to point out:
1. Think about the tone of your voice. It is important to try and keep the structure of the tone. You may notice that on each bar there is a certain pitch that comes out, try and stick to it as much as possible.
2. Find the rhythm. Once you find it, it will be easy to know when to come in and out of it, but until you look, it is really hard to find.
3. Watch the pronounciations of the words. It is really easy to accidently change something and the word could come out completely wrong.
4. Pe in this context does not mean ‘foot’ it is a shortened way of saying perto, which means close.

Good luck, would love to hear your thoughts on whether these tutorials were easy to follow and if there was any suggestions on how to make them better.

BARRAVENTO

VERBAL ANNOTATION:
DOM DOM NNN

(The NNN is when the pedra or dobrao is pressed against the wire but the vaqueta itself does not hit, it is in the act of pressing the dobrao on the wire that makes a note).

Barravento is the state just before a candomble follower will be taken over by a trance. It is the inbetween state.
The rhythm is not a traditional rhythm, I have only heard one mestre ever play it before, everyone else I have asked had never heard of it being played on the berimbau before.
The guy who introduced this rhythm to me played it a lot faster and better, but this will have to suffice for now until I can get better myself at this rhythm.