5" x 6 1/2". Nickeled brass with goatskin head. The Cuica is also known as a puita, boi or onca. Cuica, in various forms, are found world-wide. However they are most closely associated with Brazilian Samba music. It is believed that the cuica was used in Africa as a call for the male lion since the sound mimics the roar of the female lioness. So if you have any lions that want to samba- this is the instrument for you. If you are short a lion, you will still enjoy the great sounds that can be derived from the cuica.
History:
Cuíca (pronounced KWEE-kah) is a Brazilian friction drum often used in samba music. The tone it produces has a pitched squeaky timbre.
A thin bamboo stick is attached to the centre of, and perpendicular to, the drum head, stretching into the drum's interior. The instrument is held under one arm at chest height with the help of a shoulder strap. To play the cuíca, the musician rubs the stick up and down with a wet cloth held in one hand, using the thumb of the other hand to press down on the skin of the drum near the place where the stick is attached. The rubbing motion produces the sound and the pitch is increased or decreased by changing the pressure on the thumb.
The cuíca plays an important rhythmic role in samba music of all kinds. It is particularly notable as a fixture of Rio de Janeiro's Carnival groups, which feature entire sections of cuíca players. It is so commonly used in radio-oriented samba music that in the absence of a cuíca player, Brazilian singers or other musicians imitate the sound of the cuíca with their voices.
Examples of the cuíca in popular music include:
Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard"
Quincy Jones's "Soul Bossa Nova"
The Millennium's "To Claudia On Thursday"
Beck's "Tropicalia" on the album Mutations and "High Five (Rock The Catskills)" on the album Odelay, starting at 2:10 and finishing at 2:30
Barenaked Ladies' "Enid"
Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved"
Fishbone's "The Warmth of Your Breath" on the album Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe
Jamiroquai's "Music of the Mind" from the album Emergency on Planet Earth
Miles Davis's later work, such as the Black Beauty: Live at the Fillmore West album.
Jarabe de Palo's music Bonito
Dido's Thank You
Gruff Rhys's "Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru" from the album Candylion
Os Mutantes' "Adeus Maria Fulo"
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