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cuíca
EntityQ176926· pop 18· linked from 127 articles

Also known as cuica

The cuíca () is a Brazilian friction drum with a large pitch range, produced by changing tension on the head of the drum. Cuíca is Portuguese for the gray four-eyed opossum (Philander opossum) which is known for its high-pitched cry. The cuíca is frequently used in carnivals, as well as often in samba music. The tone it produces has a high-pitched squeaky timbre. It has been called a 'laughing gourd' due to this sound. The General MIDI drum kit provides cuíca sounds at the notes F5 and G5.

Key facts

Instrument.name
Cuíca
Instrument.names
Puíta, Quíca
Instrument.image
Cuica.jpg
Instrument.image_capt
Cuíca
Instrument.background
percussion
Instrument.classification
Membranophone, single-head tubular drum, conical, ring-screw-mount hardware
Instrument.developed
Brazil

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Cuica.jpg
Show 3 more facts
Commons category
Cuica
Hornbostel-Sachs classification
231.11
inception
1899-00-00
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~4 min read

Article

5 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Characteristics
  • Usage
  • See also
  • References

The cuíca () is a Brazilian friction drum with a large pitch range, produced by changing tension on the head of the drum. Cuíca is Portuguese for the gray four-eyed opossum (Philander opossum) which is known for its high-pitched cry. The cuíca is frequently used in carnivals, as well as often in samba music. The tone it produces has a high-pitched squeaky timbre. It has been called a 'laughing gourd' due to this sound. The General MIDI drum kit provides cuíca sounds at the notes F5 and G5.

thumb|Cuica sound

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