Electronic Berimbau

2010
120x4x9cm
Wood, bass G string, guitar tuning peg, piezoelectric pickup, mono bridge, female Canon x P10 cable
Private collection

The Electronic Berimbau is an instrument made of wood. Its design is based on the traditional berimbau used in capoeira and in music by percussionists. It has a tuning peg, its string is the G string used in electric bass, it has a piezoelectric pickup with a very low noise level and its body is made of three strips of wood with braided fibers, which makes the object extremely flexible and resistant. Because it has a single wooden body, the vibration of the string has a long sustain. It does not have the gourd traditionally used on the instrument. A wah-wah pedal can be connected to the output of the instrument, resulting in an effect similar to that of the gourd’s muffler.

The electronic Berimbau was exhibited at the CNI SESI Marcantonio Vilaça Visual Arts Award in 2012 and 2013.