The berimbau is an instrument belonging to the most ancient type of string instrument — the musical bow. It is a wooden bow with a single metal string, to which a hollow gourd resonator is attached. The player strikes the string with a stick, changing the pitch by pressing a stone or coin against it, and controls the timbre and “wah” effect by moving the gourd toward and away from the body.
The berimbau was brought to Brazil by enslaved Africans, and it became the heart of capoeira — the unique Afro-Brazilian martial art-dance. It is the berimbau that sets the rhythm and “commands” the play of the capoeiristas in the circle (roda), determining its speed and character. Its hypnotic, “flowing” sound is inseparably linked to the energy and spirituality of capoeira — a living symbol of African heritage and freedom in the culture of Brazil.
