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In capoeira, music sets the rhythm, the style of play, and the energy of a game. Though we may consider the music traditional, because it has been passed orally from one to the next until the early-mid 20th century when songs and rhythms began to be notated and recorded, there is no record of to what extent and exactly how the music has evolved over time.
Capoeira's African heritage plays a heavy role in the way capoeira is perceived by its practitioners and understood at a subconscious level. In this context, the roda (circle) and the music are used to create a sacred space in which the capoeirista expresses its spirituality through the physical game. The religious dimension of Capoeira exists more as a social memory to most Capoeira groups. It appears through: - the use of sacred ngoma drums (the atabaques of Yoruba candomblé)
- the berimbau, whose earlier forms were used in rituals in Africa
- the ever-present term axé which signifies force that gives life to man, animal, and spirit
- the invocation of both African and Catholic spiritual objects and people
- certain semi-ritualized movements used in Capoeira Angola that bring "spiritual protection" up from the ground, from the instruments in the bateria, and from the sky and heavens.
- up to 3 berimbaus
- up to 2 pandeiros
- 1 agogô
- 1 reco-reco (notched wooden tube similar to a Guiro)
- 1 atabaque or conga
Not every roda will contain all these instruments. Mestre Bimba, for instance, preferred only one berimbau and two pandeiros in his rodas, but there will always be at least one berimbau in any roda. The berimbaus preside over the roda, and specifically the Gunga, the lowest sounding of the three berimbaus. The roda begins and ends at the discretion of the Gunga, who may determine who plays next, can stop games, set the tempo of the music, and calm the combatants if they get too rough. |
Music & Instuments 
