Rhythm is the heartbeat of capoeira and song is the soul. Music can make a game play fast and hard, call capoeiristas to perform acrobatic
feats or remind them of old traditions and history. Without music, capoeira is not complete.
Of African origin, the berimbau is used extensively in capoeira. It has an unusual timbre produced by striking a rod and a ring or coin on a metal
string attached to a bow with a resonating dried gourd. It is played together with a caxixi which is shaken while striking the string.
Berimbau music is almost synonomous with capoeira. Said to "command the circle", the berimbau determines the kind of game(angola, regional, etc.) by playing the appropriate rhythm or toque. The berimbau looks like a bow tightly tied with a steel wire, or arame, which is extracted from the inside of car tires. A hollow gourd or cabaça is tied to the shaft of the berimbau for extra resonance. The string used to secure the cabaça to the berimbau is also used to balance the berimbau on the smallest finger of the hand. Noise is created by striking the arame with a slight wooden stick called a baqueta. A woven rattle called a caxixi usually accompanies the hand holding the baqueta. To vary the sound, a rock or dobrão, held in the same hand as the berimbau, is pressed against the arame. Pressing firmly raises the pitch by approximately a whole note. Pressing loosly creates a buzzing sound. Variations can also be created by pressing the mouth or boca of the cabaça against the belly. 
The Atabaque is a large drum used in most of capoeira rodas. The skin is made from cow hide, and tightened through a system of metal rings,
rope and wooden wedges.
The basic beat of the atabaque in the capoeira roda is very similar to that of the pandeiro - four beats with an emphisis on the third. Typically this is played with the hands in the following pattern: [right, left, RIGHT, right] Try to avoid resting your hand on the rim of the drum. 
Originally from East Africa, the pandeiro (tambourine) is considered the complete percussion instrument because it has low, medium, and high
timbres. Made of wood, goatskin, and five sets of jingles, the conventional pandeiro from Rio de Janerio was introduced into samba and
chorinho as a rhythmic base. Later it spread all over Brazil in different ways, and rhythms. It is played in folkloric, pop, and erudite music,
among other styles.
The Pandeiro is a large version of a tamborine. Small and portable, pandeiros are a common addition to capoeira rodas everywhere. Capoeira pandeiro skins are generally made from streched animal skin. Some older pandeiros are even made from the snake skin! In Brazil, pandeiros are also an integral part of samba music. There are various methods for playing the pandeiro, but in capoeira the principle rhythm is almost always the same. It is four beats followed by a shake, with the emphasis on the third. One easy method for playing is by alternating fingers and thumb: [fingers, thumb, FINGERS, thumb, shake] 
Made of iron and steel, they are used in samba and its offshoots. The sound is made by striking a stick against the instrument’s two bells.
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