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 By Kurt Rasmussen with Special Thanks
to His Brazilian Instructors, Carlines De Our
Pandiero, Padre Miguel, Marcello
Marigini, Tobias de Vai-Vai, Adieu de Vai- Vai,
Mark Lamson, Marcos Suzano, Carlinhos Brown,
Dr. Michael Carney, NenÈ Repinique and
Alessandro D' Agostini Miranda
The word Caixa (pronounced
ka-sha) simply means box in Portuguese. In musical terms the Caixa is
a Brazilian snare drum which may have originally been a Portuguese military snare
drum and is made of lightweight Aluminum. The Caixa is used
in the Bateria of an Escola de Samba (The percussion section of a samba school)
for playing Samba Enredo (Carnaval Samba). In the past the Caixa was held on
the shoulder (photo 1). Today it is typically slung over the shoulder with a
strap(photo
2) and played with a pair of drumsticks. The Malacacheta is
a type of Caixa usually 8" X 12". The Caixa
I'm playing is a Malacacheta and is the Caixa usually used
in the Bateria. The Tarol is another type of Caixa and
is usually 4" X 12" or 14" and usually has a natural head and
is often played in more folkloric styles of Brazilian music.
The Sticking
In Section 1 of the video will
show you the sticking. The sticks can be held either with traditional or matched
grip. I prefer matched grip (photo 3). The Caixa is traditionally played with
the snare on the top. The ride used for this article is one of the most basic
patterns. This ride is mounted in 3/2. Check out the Repinique
article for
more information on what this means. I'm also
exaggerating the movement of my hands and the sticks but you'll
want to refine the technique as you learn. There are other rides used by
the different escolas (schools) but the feel will be similar. Most of the
work is done with the right hand, while the left hand gives rhythmic support.
If you are just learning to play Brazilian percussion, I suggest practicing
slowly at the beginning till you get used to the sticking pattern. Practice
this until you are really comfortable with it.
The Rim shot
In Section 2 of the video I'm going to add
the rim shot. The rim shot is done with the right hand. A rim shot is done
by striking the drum rim and drum head at the same time. Start slowly and
gradually increase
the tempo till you're really comfortable with both the sticking and
the rim shot. This ride and other Caixa rides also can contain
little ruffs and rolls incorporated into the pattern but in this article
I prefer to concentrate on the sticking and the feel.
Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't
Got that Swing
Brazilian's refer to the feel or the swing as swingui
(pronounced swinggee). The swingui is felt by all the percussion instruments
in the Bateria. I suggest that you listen to any recordings of Carnaval you can
find. You may find the listeningsuggestions in the Repinique article
helpful.
 In Section
3 of the video I've added the swingui. I'm
playing it exaggerated so hopefully you'll find it a little easier
to feel it. You'll have an easier time if you already know the sticking
and rim shots. In Section 4 of the video I've
added Alessandro D'Agostini
Miranda on Surdo so you can get an idea of what the ride will
sound like when it's
played in context . We're playing this at a fairly slow tempo
You'll want to work up to playing this at approximately 150 bpm
which is about the tempo that is played at during Carnaval. Lastly,
I suggest that you enlist the help of a teacher knowledgeable
in Brazilian percussion techniques to help you further your studies.
This article only scratches the surface and my goal is that it
inspires you to further your knowledge. This Caixa example has
a slightly different ride.
Attention All Drummers!
Drum set playersÖ yes, I'm talking to you! Even if you are
not interested in playing traditional Brazilian music,
please do yourself a favor and checkout a Caixa. They sound great in
many forms of music. For one of the funkiest sounds around, just turn
the drum snare side down (please see photo 4) like a traditionalsnare
drum. You can also use an Caixa as a second snare drum. Add one to
your collection, you won't be sorry!
Sou Branco y Preto
Kurt Rasmussen
(Kurtinho do Pandiero)
Kurt Rasmussenhas been a baptized member of
the Brazilian Escola de Samba Vai-Vai since 1997. He has participated
in four Carnavals, and is a four time Carnaval Champion. He has toured and
performed with many notable Brazilian artists, such as Moacir Santos, Sergio
Mendes, Tania Maria, Kleber Jorge and L.A. Samba led by good friend and fellow
LP artist,
Ron Powell .
Kurt is also teaching at UNLV and is Director of the University's Escola
de Samba Mocidade Rebelde.
Kurt is also currently playing percussion with Cirque du
Soleil in their production of "O" in
Las Vegas .
For more lessons by Kurt Rasmussen, please visit
our Tech Support section.
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