This musical case study examines new pieces created by Adriano Adewale for solo berimbau, as part of his second doctoral concert, Hidden Sounds: Reconnected Identities, 18 April 2023 in Helsinki, Finland.
Core working methods included:
- Improvisation
- Active exploration to uncover the hidden sounds of the berimbau.
- Developing new playing techniques, including using a bow on the string and exploring parts of the instrument that are not typically played, etc.
The process of investigation has proved rich and challenging. There are always new sounds and new techniques emerging from the improvisations that were scheduled during the preparation process. Sounds, techniques, approaches to music making and challenges to Adriano’s own musical skills are shaping a new ‘Adriano,’ the way in which he expresses himself and understands his own artistic identity. The awareness of the body and how it is part of the playing techniques is another key factor.
As part of the doctoral research, Adriano has lessons with Professor Salloma Salomao, who introduced him to the cosmogram of the Bakongo people, from Congo (Fu-Kiau, 2001). In the shape of a circle, this cosmogram refers to the cycle of life, and has aspects of the philosophy of the Bakongo people. That same shape is found in many Afro-Brazilian traditions, such as capoeira, Jongo and Samba de Roda. The circle shape became an integral part of the way Adriano understands music, composes, and organises his thoughts based on this cosmogram. It has reshaped Adriano’s identity, connecting him to his ancestors from the Bantu people. Music making gained a new thinking and logic to the way of existing. Circles and cycles were understood under a different light, which provided a wider comprehension of the ways that as a human being, Adriano could communicate to others. He was not being guided only by Western concepts, but through his ancestor’s ideas, concepts, and traditions.
Furthermore, the sounds that Adriano is exploring on the berimbau are not typically played within a traditional context. Although non-western cultures do often contribute with contemporary sounds and approaches to music making, these new approaches often only become valid when viewed through the lens of Western context. The case here is not asking or belonging to any Western legacy, but rather the berimbau creates a sound world and stands on its own dynamic, forward-thinking, thought-provoking tradition.
All this has empowered Adriano as a person. Even his approach to holding the berimbau has changed, resulting in the berimbau feeling at the same time more fragile and stronger. There was more depth to it even before he started playing it. Moreover, an instrument with apparently so few components is capable of offering such a rich variety of sounds and at the same time provides a wide range of possibilities for artistic expression.
The following audio-visual elements document and unpack the music arising from the artistic research process.
The wood-string garden
Fast, delicate, and precise wooden sounds are coherently organized in rhythmic patterns drawing on a slow pulse interjected with pauses, silent moments that create contrast, questions, and answers. That same rhythmical material is played on the string, below the bridge, producing harmonics which work as an introduction to the introduction of the full opened string sound. The new texture combines all these elements creating an extra dimension and therefore a new possibility for expression. The interplay between wood and string are features of this piece, that do not belong to the traditional ways of playing berimbau. A new language emerges here from within the same instrument, which provides an alternative path of communication. This style of berimbau playing utilizes all parts of the instrument equally. Through this process, Adriano is acknowledging the tradition, and at the same time moving beyond it. The colonial thinking that denies this instrument an opportunity to be viewed as a source of new knowledge is challenged here. The new discoveries reveal how berimbau can be a source that generates new knowledge, a powerful tool of communication, and create new approaches to artistic expression.
Berimbau Invertido
Adriano often plays with a medium to large scale set up, including various percussion instruments. The fact he did not have other instruments to play, made him deepen his understanding of the berimbau. As there were no solutions outside of the context of the berimbau, he began to try and find new sounds and techniques, including a realisation that even the way you hold an instrument can shifts one’s perspective. For example, holding the berimbau upside down enabled him to find new sounds and combinations of tones he had never played before. These new sounds were also outside of the equal tempered tuning system, which belongs to a western way of thinking about tuning. The effects of having to adjust all instruments to match the equal tempered system can also be seen as an aspect of colonisation. The impact of this approach becomes apparent when several non-western traditional instruments are forced to modify to be able to play within Western tuning standards. Rotating the berimbau upside down also revealed new possibilities of multiple pitches on one string. The movement of the stone up and down the string allows for unexpected combinations of tuning, both within the tempered system as well as with sounds that are not part of the tempered system, creating a well of imaginable and unimaginable sonic elements. This rich sound world outside of the tempered system is connected and belongs to the sonic world of the berimbau.
Double Sticks
Experimenting with bows and different strings was also a way to find diverse sounds in the berimbau. Adriano started experimenting with a variety of wooden sticks, followed by bows, inspired by the augmented double bass bowing techniques used by Nathan. Eventually, as Adriano wanted to play faster phrases, and changed the position of the berimbau. Instead of holding it in the traditional way with one hand, he placed it on his lap, securing It firmly with his legs. Discovering this approach enabled him to free his hands and use two sticks to produce an entire new sonic dimension. The intense vibration of the loose string resonates while the string is being played by the double sticks. It creates a double-layered texture with a continuous sound and detailed rhythmically driven pattern occurring concomitantly. This approach makes it possible for fast transitions involving the different parts of the berimbau, combining fast and slow sudden changes of tempo and the use of ornamentations.
Tradition
The traditional Afro-Brazilian approach to playing berimbau encompasses the caxixi shaker, as well as the stick and the stone. It features the caxixi as an intrinsic element of the berimbau’s sonic palette played on the strings as well as emphasizing some of the pauses playing off beat and phrasing a parallel rhythmic pattern to the one played on the string. Both complement each other, creating a rich and unique texture. This approach utilizes the wah-wah effect, by moving the berimbau gourd back and forth against the belly creating a type of vibrato on the string sound. Discovering the tradition is like finding a treasure that has been near you for a long time, but you had never seen it clearly. Drawing on tradition, the approach in this piece is similar to the technique played by most capoeira players, using a stone, a caxixi, and the sounds of the string combined with the opened and closed gourd. Playing traditionally, however with an open-minded approach, made it possible to uncover the depth of what seemed to be common. Berimbau is an instrument that represents the sound of the diaspora, it emerges as a resistance against colonialism, and its emblematic sound refuses to adapt. It persists and affirms its identity by being true to its own tradition. It evolves by being a channel for new perspectives and interpretations of its original form. Furthermore, there are different traditions interacting to form the way the berimbau is conceived of today: the addition of the stone, the metal string and the shaker are characteristics which were added outside of Africa, and therefore represent diversity and the creation of a new sonic space.
This sonic space echoes the history of the diaspora and constantly reinvents itself, representing new meanings and shaping new ideas. In this way, the berimbau can be seen as a manifestation of the third space theory, as outlined earlier.
Knock on Wood 1 and 2
The wood of the berimbau’s bow is percussively played with a wooden stick. The different positions of the wooden stick touch the berimbau and provide a complex and rich texture of melodic elements.
Rather than playing berimbau within the traditional approaches used in Capoeira, Adriano wanted to find ways to transcend and actively explore the unique qualities of the instrument and highlighting its own characteristics. This requires constant reflection and questioning. The collaborative work as a duo also fed into this process, where they constantly reminded each other of the importance of remembering this core approaches within decolonisation.
This composition offers a fresh perspective on how the berimbau can serve as a vehicle for musical expression. Historically, the focus of the berimbau outside its traditional Afro-Brazilian context has primarily centred on its idiomatic sounds, which encompass the techniques and sonic effects utilized within Capoeira. While these sounds constitute the vocabulary of Capoeira, the question arises: how can the berimbau transcend these boundaries and evoke new artistic expression.?
With this in mind, Adriano started to explore parts of the instrument he had not done before. He started playing with the stick on the wooden bow of the instrument and discovered he could hear different subtle textures and pitches emerging. It was a great discovery when he was able to articulate defined pitches which could be turned into a singing pattern, an expression of an idea or feeling. He began exploring the different harmonics that could be found along the string of the berimbau. By placing a finger at different points of the string, a variety of harmonics could be played, resulting in a range of sonic colours and contrasts created by the different harmonics, enabling the creation of musical loops, combining several types of sounds.
Moreover, the duo collaboration has inspired both musicians to draw ideas and approaches from each other’s perspectives. This approach is not about imitating each other’s playing, but rather to create new approaches to music making. For example, in one session they explored what would happen if the berimbau took the double bass bow and the double bass took the berimbau stick. Through playing the bass bow on the string of the berimbau, Adriano discovered new harmonics and textures, and Nathan uncovered new rhythmic and sonic possibilities enabled by the berimbau stick striking the strings of the double bass. This led to mutual new musical discoveries inspired by their intercultural dialogue. As a result of this process, Adriano continued to further explore the different harmonics that could be found on the string, by striking the string with the stick in different ways, such as playing close to the bridge or below the bridge, for example.
Exploring this new realm of possibilities, including the potential sounds produced on the wooden body of the instrument in combination with harmonics and string manipulation, unveils an entirely new dimension where the berimbau plays an exquisite sonic gesture in its own non-Western way, using its wooden stick played on the wooden bow of the instrument. This aspect of the instrument is broadened and enhanced to generate a plethora of distinct sound qualities, thus expanding its sonic capabilities exponentially. This artistic research process introduces the capacity for berimbau to explore and broaden its range of expressive sounds, allowing artistic expression to reach new heights.
To achieve this, Adriano embarked on a profound journey of internal exploration, deconstructing the traditional roles and models associated with the berimbau. By reimagining its positioning and purpose, a transformative process unfolds, enabling the performer to conceptualize an artistic framework centred around the berimbau. This results in a fresh mode of communication and a novel avenue for conveying emotions and ideas. The resonance of the wood emerges as a new voice, through which the berimbau can sing, complementing the array of sounds and voices inherited from its ancient tradition.