how to play a cuica

From: adario (adario@thingsburnup.com)
Date: Tue Apr 10 2001 - 16:09:01 CEST

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    hey jazzeiros,
    i picked up a mid-size cuica several weeks ago thinking it would be obvious how to use the funky thing. i can get it to heave, moan and hiccup but it's kinda monotone. i can't elicit any pitch changes. yet all the dope dom um ramao jams have upper and lower tones playing off eachother.

    does anybody have any experience with this instrument? is it a matter of applying more pressure with the fingers on the dowel inside the instrument? or do you apply pressure to the skin? or do baterias commonly use two different sized cuicas?

    probably i should be asking some percussion discussion list somewhere but it thought i might be fun to lay this question on all yous.

    obrigado,
    aaron dario

    ps while i'm on the subject, ron carter's percussionist had this instrument that looked like something out of fantastic planet. it was made of copper or some kind of brassy looking metal. shaped like a gourd without about a 2 foot stem and a 1 foot diameter bowl. the bowl was sealed and had water inside of it. and it had spokes running up the sides, tangent to the bowl and parallel to the stem. and he played the spokes with a bow!! what the hell is this that thing?!



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