Capoeira is an extremely unique martial art, and one of the things that makes it so special is its focus on music. As opposed to other more well recognized martial arts, Capoeira is always trained to music, and more often than not, live music. This is part of the reason why people talk about Capoeira as being "dance fighting" and can make it instantly recognizable even before you see anyone playing. But why is music so important to Capoeira, and why should we learn more about it?

The Capoeira game is in many ways dictated by the *bateria*, or the people playing instruments at the base of the *roda*. The pace at which the musicians play, and even the details of the specific rhythms that they are playing dictate both implicitly and sometimes explicitly how the capoeiristas should be playing. In some cases this is just by effecting the speed at which the *bateria* is playing, in others the *berimbaus* will change their rhythm to tell the players to adjust how they approach their game. The players must be very in tune with the music to register these changes and know how to respond appropriately.
The songs themselves are also rich with meaning and history. The cultures that created Capoeira in Brazil were various groups of peoples taken from Africa as well as people indigenous to South America. A common thread between these cultures is the use of oral history which often manifested in songs. Many of the songs we still sing today tell of people, moments, and general experiences in the history of Capoeira, and those songs are meant to preserve that history. Some songs are so old that we don't even know when they were written, but we continue their tradition to carry forward that history and honor those who suffered to maintain and grow this art.

Songs are also occasionally used to communicate directly with the people playing or the entire *roda*, either to teach a lesson or to change how the game is evolving. Here's one simple example of this:
Solta a mandinga ê
Solta a mandinga
Solta a mandinga ê capoeira
Solta a mandinga
Se voçe não tem mandinga
Então não sabe jogar
É preciso ter malÃcia
É preciso improvisar
Mandinga is a kind of magical energy, and represents the expressiveness in Capoeira play, so when the singer says to "Solta a mandinga", they are instructing the players to relax and be more expressive. The subsequent verse then instructs: *If you don't have mandinga / Then you don't know how to play / You must be tricky / You need to improvise*. In this way the singer is conveying a lesson to both the players and the entire audience about the importance of play and *mandinga* in their games. Again, in order to pick up on these instructions, the players must have very good ears.
For these reasons, music is absolutely central to the art of Capoeira and it is very important for us as capoeiristas to study and preserve those musical traditions. But where can you start? Our Capoeira classes include lessons on how to play the various instruments and sing various songs, but there is a wealth of information that can be found online as well. Find a song that you either like the sound of or like the message of (will require some Portuguese learning) and practice it. Memorize the words and try to play along with your desk or lap as a drum. You might be surprised by what it feels like!
-Instructor Mike
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