General information
In various styles of Brazilian percussion music, the group leaders use loud whistles to attract the attention of the musicians. The signals are important as they indicate changes in the musical sequence. They are usually whistles, but other whistles are also used, often football referee whistles. It is important that they sound loud and penetrating in order to assert themselves against the high volume of the drummers.
Sometimes the single whistle already indicates the change in the musical sequence, or the whistle is followed by a signal with the hand. With the multi-tone whistles often used in Rio Samba, a rhythmic sequence of different tones can be used as an additional design element.
Play
Weighting
The use of the whistle as a signalling device is reserved for the leader of the group.
Techniques
Normally, the metal in the front third of the bells is played.
The two bells of the classic samba agogo are connected with an elastic round bar. The typical click sound is achieved by pressing the two bell bodies together between hits with the stick. This sound gives the bell pattern its very own swing, as it sounds much quieter than if you hit one of the bells with the stick.
To change the tone colour, you can also strike the sides of the bells instead of the top, which usually produces a slightly dirtier sound. Hitting the round iron that connects the bells also enriches the sound possibilities.
A speciality are the 4-bell agogos, in which 4 bells are welded next to each other on a handle. This type of agogo was first used by the Império Serrano samba school. In addition to the typical patterns, it can also be used to play pretty little melody lines. Due to the design of these agogos, they are played horizontally in front of the body and the stick hits the upper edge of the bell.