An Overview On Capoeira Music
Music is an inherent element of Capoeira. Arranging the rhythm the energy of the game and the style of play music commands how fast or slow passively or aggressively the Capoeiristas move in the roda and do the maneuvers.
The African philosophy of Capoeira accumulates the mythological narrations of the developmental roots of the Brazilian martial arts form. Through the music that addresses the AfroBrazilian experience Capoeira glorifies the persistence and talent of Africans to endure slavery and poverty under the Portuguese drawing a Latin American influence to the sound.
The role of music in Capoeira is more than surrounding sound. Any Capoeirista learns also to play an instrument in addition to the Capoeira moves. The main instrument of Capoeira is the berimbau. Having its roots in Africa the berimbau is a onestring percussion that looks like a single string bow with a flexible wooden string bearer. The tension of the string is adjusted by the dobrau a large thick coin that is being pushed into the string making thinner or thicker. In addition a shaker sets the rhythm. Berimbau was integrated into Brazilian culture in the mid 1970s when more and more practitioners became attracted by Capoeira thus broadening its players to a multicultural base.
Other instruments used in Capoeira music are the pandeiro tambourine the agogo cowbells the atabaque drum the caxixi maracas and the reco reco which is a wooden curved object with a grating that produces sounds when rubbed with a thin stick back and forth.
In its most traditional form Capoeira uses three types of songs that have great historical and philosophical significance. Echoing the emotions of the African slaves in a form of group dynamic and harmony each song sends a particular message expressing anger joy sadness pain or any other feeling. All the songs and rhythms have been orally transmitted from one generation to the other until the 20th century that they began to be recorded.
The ladainha litany expresses lament. According to the ritual the singer stands in front of the berimbaus attentive and waiting. On the first sounds of the song the players enter the roda to begin their game. The ladainha can be sung by anyone who plays any of the Capoeira instruments but the Master is always given priority and is always asked for permission to sing.
The louvacao eulogy communicates gratitude to the Master and pays tribute to the heroes of history. Similarly like the ladainha in louvacao the singer must listen respectfully.
The corridos songs are callandresponse verses that the singer sings and the chorus has to respond. The singer tries to arrange the speed of the game with the way he sings motivating the Capoeiristas to play aggressively or friendly.
Creating a sacred atmosphere through the roda that reflects a spiritualized game itself and an aural environment that brings the world of sprits and the world of living together music in Capoeira addresses a religious importance to the social memory of the Africans. Through this exhilarating experience all participants reach a new level of consciousness.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;I work as a financial and investment advisor but my passion is writing music and photography. Writing mostly about finance business and music being an amateur photographer and a professional dj I am inspired from life.Being a strong advocate of simplicity in life I love my family my partner and all the people that have stood by me with or without knowing. And I hope that someday human nature will cease to be greedy and demanding realizing that the more we have the more we want and the more we satisfy our needs the more needs we create. And this is so needless after all.
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