Glossary
afoxê (a-fo-shey): an Afro-Brazilian gourd instrument covered with a net of seeds. The sound is made by agitating the net to create friction against the gourd.
afoxé (a-fo-sheh): originally a Yoruba word meaning to divine. In Brazil afoxé came to be associated with a Candomblé religious procession and rhythm performed during carnival in Salvador, Bahia.
agogô (ah-go-go): Afro-Brazilian double bells struck with a stick
atabaque (a-ta-ba-kay): cylindrical drum with one head
baião (bye-yow): popular rhythm from north-eastern Brazil
batucada ( ba/tu/ka/da): A samba percussion group
bendir (ben/dir): Middle Eastern frame drum
berimbau (bee-rim-bau): a Brazilian instrument of African origin which looks like a bow and arrow with a gourd attached for resonance. The arrow is the stick which strikes the metal string of the bow - a stone is held in the left hand against the string and the right hand holds both the stick and a shaker (caxixi). This instrument is traditionally played to accompany the Afro-Brazilian marital art/dance form capoeira.
candomblé (can/dom/bley): religion practiced by the Afro-Brazilian Jeje-Nagô of Bahia
capoeira (ka/po/where/ah): Afro-Brazilian martial art/dance form
caxixi (ka-she-she): small basket shaker
coco (ko/ko): a popular round dance originating from Alagoas (Nordeste)
didgeridoo (didge/er/ee/do): Aboriginal Australian wind instrument made from Eucalyptus tree branches which have been hollowed out by termites. They are usually painted with motifs of mythological origin.
embolada (em/bow/la/da): a form of comic and satiric spoken rhythmic improvisation
frêvo (frey/voh): A carnaval dance from Recife, Pernambuco. Musically the frêvo is in the form of a march but is distinguished by its characteristic fast syncopation
fulêjo (fu/lay/jo): small billy goat in the Nordeste dialect
ganzá (gan-zah): cylindrical shaker
Gnawa (now/ah): a sufi brotherhood in Southern Morocco. The followers are of western Sudanese origin. Dancing and music (a mixture of secular black African and sacred Islamic songs) are involved in the Gnawa trance ritual.
jongo (jong/go): a form of samba in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo
kalimba (ka/lim/ba): thumb piano
kanjira (kan/jeer/ah): single-headed tambourine made of a wood frame and lizard skin from south India
khalal (ka/lal): A small square double-headed Moroccan frame drum
kora (kor/ah): West African harp
mouth harp: small slitted bamboo instrument held between the teeth and struck with the finger. Played in the same manner as the metal, lyre-shaped, Jew's harp.
nagô-yoruba (na/go/your/oo/ba): a people and language from the West African coast; the language is still in limited use in Brazil today in Afro-Brazilian religious rituals such as Candomblé
nay (neigh): an Arab oblique flute
nconfi (nn/con/fi): A 5-stringed lyre of Congolese origin
orixá (or/ee/shah): Divinity of the Yoruba pantheon. Candomblé saint
palmas (palm/ahs): rhythmic clapping of the hands
pandeiro (pan-day-rro): Brazilian medium-sized tambourine with jingles
pipa (pee/pa): a lute shaped Chinese stringed instrument
qaraqeb (kare/ah/keb): Moroccan metal castanets
quarado (kuar/ah/doh): metal sheet used in Brazil to bleach clothes in the sun.
reco-reco (heku-heku): Brazilian cylindrical scraper
samba (san-ba): Popular dance and rhythm all over Brazil. The term originates from semba, an African word for navel. Traditionally a circle is made with a solo dancer in the centre. In the samba's rhythm there is a syncopated note which is the cue for the soloist to touch with her navel, the navel of the chosen person to replace her in the circle.
senzala (sen/za/la): A group of houses for slaves in the fazenda grande (plantations, colonial farms) in Brazil.
sertão (sir/tao): country side
sintir (sin/teer): Moroccan three-stringed, camel skin faced lute. The body is hollowed out from a single piece of wood. It produces a percussive sound as the right hand taps on the skin face while simultaneously playing the strings.
surdo (suer-du): Brazilian bass drum; referred to as the heart beat of the samba
tamborim (tan-boo-reen): Brazilian small metal tambourine with no jingles
tamburello (tan-boo-reh-low): large southern Italian tambourine with jingles
tammora (ta-mo-rra): large southern Italian frame drum
tarantella (ta-ran-tel-la): dance from southern Italy
triangulo (tree-an-goo-lu): metal triangle viola
violã caipira (vee-ola-kai-peera): a ten string (five double string) guitar originally brought to Brazil by the Jesuits. Viola caipira translates as country mans guitar. It is popular for folk music in both north and south Brazil.
violão (vee-o-loun): acoustic guitar