Friction Drum

I was listening to samba music this week and I wanted to learn about the instrument that makes a high-pitched squeak characteristic of the musical style.

It’s called a cuíca (“kweeca”). It’s a Brazilian “friction drum”. The sound is made by changing the tension of the drum skin. The drum has a stick through the centre of the skin, which the percussionist moves with a wet/resined cloth/fingers.

The sound is such a part of samba that some bands without a cuíca player will mimic the drum vocally. Before doing any research I wondered if it was a kind of rattle or whistle. The noise sometimes reminds me of cheering or laughing. In fact, the cuíca is also called a laughing gourd, and the word is Portuguese for a possum, which makes a high-pitched sound. The drum is thought to have originated in Africa. Historically, friction drums have also been played in Asia, and found in Europe in the 16th century.

Here are 5 songs I like featuring the cuíca.

1) The cuíca immediately makes me think of ’60s lounge music - it’s no wonder since Quincy Jones’ famous song Soul Bossa Nova is from 1962. It was also on the Austin Powers soundtrack.

2) Teresa Cristina’s cover of Meu Mundo é Hoje (Eu Sou Assim)
Cristina is a very popular samba singer in Rio.

3) Pascal Parisot’s Je reste au lit
Parisot combines Latin rhythms, lounge style and ironic lyrics. The song sounds sweet and mellow, but is about the narrator’s feelings of futility. I played this for my Dad and at first he thought the cuíca was a dog barking.

4) Seu Jorge’s Convite para vida from the City of God soundtrack.
Jorge is a musician well-known in North America, especially for the soundtrack of The Life Aquatic, which I still have yet to see!

5) Gruff Rhys’ Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru
A departure from the traditional style of music with the cuíca. Rhys is frontman of the Welsh psychedelic rock band Super Furry Animals.