Tambores

There are three tamboriles (drums) that together build Candombe. They are of different sizes and tones. All of the tambores are played with a stick in the right hand and a free left hand hanging on a shoulder strap.

You can find music examples in the playlist provided to you.

Performers

PIANO: The piano tambor is the largest drum in diameter. Therefore it produces the lowest sound. Its rhythm is the foundation of the performance joined by the chico. The piano is a fundamental element to identify the different neighborhoods in Montevideo due to their specific rhythm (Sutton 56). Piano players take part in the call and response practices with different piano players during the llamadas. This tambor has the possibility of improvising its rhythm making it possible to also call and respond with repique drum players (Plan Ceibal, 2016).

REPIQUE: The repique ranks between the piano and the chico tamboriles in sound and size. Its name reflects its sound, repique means the ringing therefore the players repeat their strokes the most making it similar to a ringing. The repique can be used for improvisation, but has also some specific rhythms to provide stability during moments of improvisations, such as tocar madera (playing the wood) (Sutton 57).

“A second manner in which the repique contributes to the overall group dynamic is through the use of a rhythmic formula called a repicado(...). As with the piano this term applies to moments of greater rhythmic density.(...) Moreover, as with the accented notes of the chico, the strokes of the hand (in this case, slaps) are always stronger than those of the stick.” (58)

The repique provides signals to the group for certain moments during a performance.

There is also a fourth tambor called bombo, but its use has been declining in the past decades. Due to its big size (bigger than the piano) not many players were able to carry it for the duration of a performance. Additionally, the drum makers have made the piano drums larger making it possible to provide a stronger sound replacing the bombo (Silva 2006, 6).

The tambores have changed in form over the centuries, the way they are played, their names and the sounds. Before they were called “Macú, Bombo and Congo” and were played together with other instruments in a Candombe. Oscar D. Montaño explains the new names as following

“Hoy los nombres de Chico, Repique, Piano y Bombo designan a los tambores de esa tradición heredada de Àfrica de LLAMAR, de transmitir sentimientos y emociones. ¡Y cuánto han comunicado y tienen aún por hacer a través de su ritmo!” [Today the names Chico, Repique, Piano and Bombo mark the tradition inherited from Africa to CALL, convey feelings and emotions. And how much have they communicated and have yet to do through their rhythm] (Portal Candombe, Montaño, 2010)

The tamboriles remain hand crafted, a tradition often passed along generations. In the beginning the drums were made of hollow trunks with studded leather on top. Later whiskey barrels were used. Today, the craft of drum making has become more sophisticated, the madera (the wood) is chosen differently by each craftsman. Some add fiberglass to strengthen the instrument and then the studded leather called ‘lonja’ on top (La Nación, 1998).

For the llamadas drums are tuned by heating the lonja and the wooden body. Therefore, bonfires are built in the neighborhood and the instruments are placed around it (Sutton 39).

The family of the three different tambores is then called cuerda. A cuerda consists of at least three people, each playing one of the tree tambores. The comparsas nowadays feature more than 20, up to 70 drums (due to Carnival regulations requiring between 40 and 70 drummers). The jefe de cuerda (head of the cuerda) is responsible for the organization of the drum corps from rehearsal to parades. Cuerdas rehearse throughout the year. These rehearsals are often spectacles to themselves when performed in the neighborhoods leading to community interactions. The cuerda is part of the entire comparsa (42).

CHICO: The chico is the smallest drum as its Spanish name indicates. It has the highest sound and serves as a guide for the entire group how to maintain the beat due to a constant rhythm (Plan Ceibal, 2016). This constant rhythm has two variations, liso (smooth) and repicado (ringing). Chico players use a forceful motion with their hand using the entire forearm (Sutton 55).