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Tambourine

Small percussion instrument, the tambourine is usually present in urban groups such as the samba schools during the carnival.

How does it work?

The tambourine has a circular membrane usually made of animal skin or plastic, that is played with a wooden stick producing the sound.

A bit of history...

Tambourine is a generic term for two types of Brazilian drum: the first is made by hand, cylindrical and wooden body on which the membrane, usually animal skin, is stretched. This is used in popular dances such as congada in the interior of São Paulo State; the second type is the industrialized tambourine, made of metal or acrylic and with rounded shape. It is widely used in samba schools and urban percussion groups.

Both types are still used in instrumental ensembles for rural sambas, such as umbigada or samba de morro.