Music

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Two men prepare the berimbau, an afro-brazilian percussion instrument that shaped like a bow.

CM Manranhao and CM Fenix string the berimbaus for the roda. Instructora Gatinha watches with glee

People worry too much about sounding bad.

Music is hard, and it’s really hard to sounds good, which is such a small part of sounding cool. Willing to sound bad is a hump that must be stumbled over in order to start this journey. Also, capoeira music has a very unique take on music progression.

The teaching tends to be lax.

It’s more of repeat after me rather than work on these songs or work on these scales. Even like with other percussion instruments, the rhythms aren’t written (and the process of those notes are not standardized between capoeira groups.) The learning process isn’t structured and each group has their own take on music.

This isn’t an impossible task though.

Like most things in capoeira, it takes a lot of effort. Many attempts and the consistent reps that drive success in learning. It requires a stubbornness and willingness to sound silly. Most of capoeira requires you to sound and look like a fool to really understand what’s going on.

The funny part is how the required foolishness leads to all the cool stuff.

 

Practice It

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Woman dances, spinning on one foot as she holds a spear and shield with vigor.

Instructora Gatinha leading the Danca Gueirreira rehearsal.

Form doesn’t seem that important as you work on it.

You don’t notice until you already have it. It takes a split second where you notice something very, very small an opportunity with a small gap of time; a transition that wasn’t possible before; a potential injury that was avoided just in the nick of time.

This is its purpose.

All movements, arts, crafts start with a foundation that launches those future participants.  It’s how all of these things get better. Things are perfected, then improved. The improvement requires endless repetition.  After that, comes the innovations.

This is the concept of knowing the rules before you break them.

Art grows faster when it has structure. How rigid the structure varies, but if the artform can’t stand on its own, people cannot lean on it. People must build upon it. That’s why the foundation is so important.

Just keep in mind that practice builds that foundation.

 

Skills, Dawg

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A group of students sit in a circle, listening the wisdom of a capoeira master.

Rutgers Capoeira students listen to Mestre Quebrinha during a workshop.

Skills are frequently are lumped together.

It’s like…you have them or you don’t, as if they are a large singular entity that leads to success or failure. You have them, you succeed you don’t have them, you fail. All or nothing.

They aren’t broken up by the skill you do have, and the ones you don’t.

The simplicity of that mindset is easier to describe, but real success comes from the compilation of many different skills. I realized this running the business of my classes. Its eye opening when I started, coming to terms with the skills that I didn’t have. So many things need to get done, and I realize I don’t have the skills to complete them.

So I started working on them.

Best example is managing the social media and website of my classes. The first thing I noticed is the lack of pictures. I needed a camera, and I needed to learn how to take pictures. Two negative points on the health of my online presence, so I made the decision to get started, and the biggest way to get better at taking pictures, is to take pictures.

So take pictures I shall.

Film It

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A photographer including himself in a group shot, using a mirror.

Rutgers capoeira ending a workshop with a group shot.

It’s weird filming yourself.

It’s not natural, purposely documenting all of your flaws for yourself and possibly the droves of people on the internet. It’s a scary thing to face, and besides, what will people say? The comments alone are enough to prevent that thought from developing, let alone becoming a possibility.

But is that doubt worth it?

The amount of information you get from a video clip is limitless. You can figure out about so much that you’re doing wrong, not to mention the motivation you’ll get from wanting to do better. All this is about progress. If you document it, you can actually see it.

Have you seen yourself get better?

It’s marvelous, not to mention watching yourself go from awkward to smooth, watching you go from heavy set to light on your feet, watching yourself execute moves you didn’t think you can ever learn. I didn’t get to see much of that myself. I was always too nervous to even try something like this.

I’m not scared now.

Share It

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A ground of students casually stretching.

Rutgers Capoeira stretching

Capoeira has a funny way of connecting people.

I learned with lawyers, doctors, hip hop artists, engineers, scientists, and a blast with the all. It collects a random pool of people together and gives them kinship. It gives them a common goal, which is make the person next to the them better.

I want to give this to the world.