Atabaque
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The atabaque (Brazilian Portuguese: [ataˈbaki], English pronunciation: /ɑːtəˈbɑːkiː/) is a tall, wooden, Afro-Brazilian hand drum. The shell is made traditionally of Jacaranda wood from Brazil. The head is traditionally made from calfskin. A system of ropes are intertwined around the body, connecting a metal ring near the base to the head. Wooden wedges are jammed between this ring and the body and one uses a hammer to tighten or loosen the ropes, raising or lowering the pitch of the drum.
The atabaque is used in Capoeira, Maculelê and the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé. It is considered sacred in Candomblé.
There are three types of atabaque: rum, the tallest with the lowest pitch; rum-pi, of medium height and in the middle pitch range; and lê, the smallest and highest-pitched.
In Maculelê and the rituals of Candomblé, as many as three atabaques are used (usually one of each type), but in Capoeira, traditionally only one is used.
