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Posted:
Wed Nov 15, 2006 12:16 pmby Charangaman
Greetings all,
I went to see Seu Jorge at the weekend and he was awesome but the percussionists totally blew me away..
The fella on Cuica was too cool for christmass so the next day I went and bought one by Gope..
Needless to say I have been annoying the natives, any tips from the pro's?
Mil gracias
Posted:
Thu Nov 16, 2006 5:58 amby OLSONGO
Charangaman, make sure the skin is nice and tight, rub the stick and do not push on it. Some players use a water damp cloth to rub, I use a piece of sponge soaked in kerosene , water dryes fast; kerosene takes way longer to dry. Also make sure the stick is thin enough, most of the time you have to sand some thickness off.
Paz OLSONGO
Posted:
Thu Nov 16, 2006 9:49 amby Charangaman
OLSONGO,
Many thanks for your input, very useful.. I was using a wet rag and it was drying out too quick and it was too big..
My Cuica is only small and I'm getting the nice high pitch squeals but when I tighten more - losing the deeper growls.. I'll try different things..
Funny thing is, for years listening to Samba I thought this noise came from human voice! 
Thanks again bro..
Posted:
Mon Nov 20, 2006 12:06 amby Berimbau
To get a proper cuica sound hold the bottom of the drum towards your belly with the head side facing outward and away from you. Your left hand (assuming a right handed player) should rest lightly on the rim without actually touching the skin. To facilitate this, the collar of the head should be as high as possible so that the rim of the cuica is an inch above it. This should enable you to hold it so that it will vibrate properly. I use a small 1 1/2" by 2 1/2" inch sponge wet with water. I don't like the idea of toxic kerosene on my hands! Now I keep two spare moistened sponges jammed between the tuning lugs if the playing sponge should dry out.
Tuning is also important, of course make sure that your drum is equally tensed all around, not too high, not too low. Now to change pitch I press with my left hand fingers using varying amounts of pressure in the skin area right next to the cuica's belly button, where the stick is tied in. A lower sound and lesser interval can be obtained by moving the fingers to a spot further away, and a cool dog bark glissando can be achieved by sliding the left hand across the head as you rub the stick. Sometimes I sing along with the cuica, as Nana Vasconcelos taught me. Sometimes in unison, or sometimes in harmony. The cuica is a real show-stopping axe!
Saludos,
Berimbau
Posted:
Mon Nov 20, 2006 2:50 pmby Charangaman
Warmly appreciated Berimbau, 
After the first couple of days playing with it I'm now beginning to understand the possibilities and complexity of the cuica.. I'ts actually quite physically demanding but this is probably due to my as yet poor technique...
I read somewhere online about Armando Peraza (one of my favourite bongocero's) being a vitrtuoso on Cuica..??
Many thanks fella..
Posted:
Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:10 pmby Berimbau
Hey Charangaman!!
Not too sure if Armando, who is after all, a master conguero and bongosero, is equally chopsy on the cuica. He recorded with that axe at least once on Santana's Caravanserai lp in 1972. Itwas on the Jobim tune, "Stoneflower." That performance reminded me much of what Airto was doing on cuica with Miles Davis. Low end gutteral sounds, more for color than for rhythm. Quite dramatic!
As to great cuicueros, I would mention Nana Vasconcelos and Guilherme Franco, both expatriate Brasilians whom I got lucky enough to study with in my NYC days. Not to forget LA by way of Rio percussion great Paulinho da Costa, who I greatly admire but somehow never met. In Brasil, there's many GREAT players including Oswaldo da Cuica, and Carlinhos de Cuica. In the US Ron Powell does a great job with it. Now just keep practicing and you will soon be a stellar cuica player!
Paz,
Berimbau
Posted:
Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:45 pmby torelli
I have a Bauer 10" cuica that I love. It's well made and there is no seam in the shell.
When I first began playing it I was given this expert advice. "Cut the rod so it is half to two thirds the size of the original. This makes it far easier to play."
This advice has worked well for me.
If you play it outdoors, be prepared to have many wailing and barking dogs accompany you.
Posted:
Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:07 amby sambababe
Probably the most important rule for your cuica is this -
DONT let people who can't play try it out.
Sequence goes like this:
'oooo that looks interesting, can I have a try'
'sure, but be careful'
'oh dear this stick thing seems to have gotten loose, sorry'
And now you have reached the beginning of a whole new pilgrimage - how to put the stick back into the cuica skin - which is likely fill your conversation with fellow cuiceiros for years to come.
In the long run you will never be able to replicate the range and depth of tone you hear from a top professional cuica player if you are using a gope, bauer or remo cuica - their tin can construction makes them muddy in tone, lacking both depth and range. I have seen a 30 year old gope instrument that is very good but with the modern ones you get what you pay for, which is not much. The Artcelsior cuica is what you need, and if you continue for long down the cuica route you will probably end up buying one.
A top player can make a Gope or Bauer instrument sound good, but they can make an Artcelsior one sound MUCH better. Mestre Marcal made his own cuica which I believe his son is still using. Ze da Cuica also uses very old ones, and tells me that none of the modern ones are up to scratch, but his instrument is constructred out of solid aluminium like an artcelsior - not a thin aluminium can like the modern Bauer, Gope and Remo.
Posted:
Fri Dec 08, 2006 12:10 amby Berimbau
I have to agree that the new cuicas leave much to be desired. Many times they have a loose seam which will buzz during play. A little duct tape can stop that, however.
I have one old Brasilian 10" cuica that I bought in the 1970's and another that I made out of a 12" metal flower can with a REMO head, T shape timpani tuners, and a REMO cuica stick. Quite funky!! Incidentally, I do like having a plastic head and replaceable stick on my cuicas these days. It means no more sanding bamboo sticks, gluing beads on the ends, getting out the dental floss, soaking a slunk head, and scaring the cat with my cussing!!!
Saludos,
Berimbau