Berimbau - Products

The berimbau is a single-string percussion instrument from Brazil. The berimbau was eventually incorporated into the practice of the Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira, where it commands how the capoeiristas move in the roda.

The berimbau consists of a wooden bow that is about 4 to 5 feet with a steel string tightly strung and secured from one end of the bow to the other. A gourd is dried, opened, and hollowed-out then attached to the lower portion of the bow by a loop of tough string. This acts as a resonator.

When musicians play the berimbau, a small stone or coin pressed against the string to change the tone of the instrument, and a small stick is struck against the string to produce the sound.