The berimbau is the single-string bow that drives every capoeira roda. It is not just an instrument — it is the voice of the game. Mestre Bico Duro shows how it is built.
The wooden bow, usually cut from biriba — a flexible Brazilian hardwood. Sets the body of the instrument.
The metal wire (often the inner steel from a car tire) stretched along the verga, tuned by tension.
The hollow gourd resonator tied near the base of the verga. Pressed against the body to shape tone.
A small stone or copper coin. Pressed against the wire to bend the pitch — the berimbau's two notes.
The thin stick used to strike the wire. Held in the same hand as the caxixi.
A small woven shaker filled with seeds. Rattles in counter-rhythm to the berimbau's pulse.
In a capoeira roda the berimbau is not background music — it is the conductor. The lead berimbau (berimbau gunga) sets the rhythm, calls the players to start or stop, and signals shifts between angola, são bento pequeno, and são bento grande. When the berimbau slows, the game becomes more grounded; when it accelerates, the players play sharper. Listening to the berimbau is the first thing a capoeira student learns, before any kick.