Berimbau solo

Just messing around with the berimbau while testing out our new camera.

My berimbaus are modified in several ways. The"bass drum" is the gourd of the berimbau thumping against my chest. Other than that, we've added tuning mechanisms and some ways to amplify the instruments.

On the couch in the background is a bamboo rainstick that was taken out because, sadly, it needs fixing.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• berimbau
• guy mendilow
• berimbao
• musical bow
• musical bow and arrow
• guy mendilow band

[001Tara1]

Sempre esperando e tentando de tocar este instrumento dificil! The hardest thing about it is balancing the durn thing. Great video.

Building one, someone comments? In Salvador, they tell me that the wire part is made out of the wire in radial tires. You can't just go to your hardware store and use plain old wire. Kinda hard to get radial tires stripped for the wire here, so I bought a bunch of extra strings (arame) there and brought 'em back.

[gmendilow]

@001Tara1 yes, nowadays the arame is from the inside of a car tire. You can also use piano wire but it doesn't sound quite the same. Tire wire is difficult to get out of the tire - it takes a lot of work with a knife. You can get old tires at a junk yard, or just find them on the side of the road somewhere.

Or your neighbor's driveway.

Don't tell them I said this.

[001Tara1]

Fala serio! I actually asked Big O Tires if they could strip those tires you turn in when you're getting new ones -- they laughed and said it would cost way more than the value of the tire. So, I guess ya just gotta go to Salvador, to the Mercado Modelo, and get some for around $2 each. While you're there, listen to the berimbau music and watch the capoeira on the back (west) side of the market building, and sip a caipirinha.

Or, find one in your neighbor's driveway!

[gmendilow]

@001Tara1 I know which one I'd pick.

See you on the beach!

[gmendilow]

Hey, thanks all for checking this video out. Had no idea it would get watched at all. I feel like I owe you guys another one now...this feels like a long time ago.

Thanks for taking the time to view.

[TheSiteOffice]

this is capoeira!! are u a cowboy? you'll play naked dude

[gmendilow]

@TheSiteOffice wow! Thanks for the great post!! Definitely made me smile.

So, you got it right man - the berimbau is the principal instrument of capoeira. But as an instrument it is also much older and very much more prolific - the musical bow is the oldest and most common string prototype on the planet!

No, not a cowboy. Sometimes I feel like I herd cats though. Cat boy?

As for playing naked: they don't allow that sort of thing on Youtube. You'll have to come to a show to see for yourself.;-)

[cobaiatemorozo]

Brazilian instrument

fucking awsome

[gmendilow]

@cobaiatemorozo yeah!!

Did you know the musical bow is not just from Brazil though? It's the oldest and most common string instrument on the planet. Just about every place that ever used a bow and arrow (short bow, long bow, etc) also made music with it.

That said, I did learn to build in Brazil. These ones were built in Salvador. I got my start through Capoeira...

[MrJDFrog]

Do you have any details on the tuning mechanism modifications you made posted online anywhere? Listening to this has got my inspirational juices flowing this morning! I'm especially impressed by the way you used the mic stand to stand up the bass tone berimbau, as this has got me thinking of all kinds of possibilities with a couple tuned berimbau on stands for adding grace notes. Thanks so much for putting this out there.

[001Tara1]

Eu tambem! O mais importante e a caipirinha; claro. (com apologia a berimbau!)

[MegaSathan]

eu so brasileiro eu toco biribau a 15 anos acho engraçado ver um gringo tocando nosso strumento

[DickieM92]

Berimbau rock n roll? Cool!

[radiooctaves]

Excellent job