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Caixa (ka-sha)
The word caixa comes from the Portuguese for box. It evolved from
the Portuguese military snare drum and is made of lightweight metal. Traditionally
the caixa was held on the shoulder but today it is more typically slung over
the shoulder with a strap. Using drumsticks, the caixa plays a difficult contra
rhythm and has to work quite hard! The caixa is perhaps the strongest part
of a batteria and the driving-force of the group.
Agogo (a-goh-goh)
The Agogo comes in many shapes and forms;
sometimes they are made of wood, but are mostly metal and always with a minimum
of two tones. Some are flexible and you can squash the two bells together,
to play ghostnotes between the main beats.
Chocalho (cho-kal-yoh)
The Chocalho has three rows of jingles on an aluminium frame. They
can be played rhythmically but are also shaken in short bursts; adding colour
and intensity to the rhythm.
Surdo (sur-doo)
The large surdo drum is the heartbeat of the samba sound,
forming the foundation upon which the other instruments build. It is held
by a strap around the neck and is played by striking the head with the a fluffy
felt mallet in one hand and by damping the sound by placing the other hand
on the head. Although it is a sizeable drum, the surdo is not at all heavy,
which is a necessity for use in a samba street procession! There are usually
at least three surdos, each playing a different pattern.
Repenique (reppen-eek)
The repinique can either be played with two light sticks or just
one with the other hand dampening the skin or accenting certain beats. The
Repinique's drumhead is always highly tensioned and its sound is rather like
that of the timbales, which you may have heard in Cuban music. The Repenique
gives the calls and breaks during a performance.
Tamborim (tam-bor-im)
The Tamborim is a small drum, hit with a plastic
splitstick, which requires a certain amount of technique: on the second and
third notes the drum is turned around, so different sounds are produced by
being hit from two directions: down and up, giving a 'machine gun' effect
(the technique is called Virado). The agility of the 'Tam' players is something
to behold!
Under1Sun provides all the equipment needed for its workshops. Mouse over the picture above to find out more about each instrument.
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