Monday, April 05, 2004

Trapped nerves and rhythms

Three lessons in and I'm starting to play the berimbau - badly. But at least it's something.

The berimbau is the main instrument in capoeira. It looks like a bow with a gourd attached and held close to the body. You strike it with a stick and gain variations in sound by holding a coin to it. It sets the rhythm of the game, being played slow or fast, depending on the mood of the participants.

It sounds easier than it looks actually. You have to balance the berimbau on your little finger. Three weeks on from that first class with Fantasma, I still have pins and needles in it - what I think is a trapped nerve.

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