Cocoa Lute/cousin of the berimbau

THE COCOA-LUTE...cousin of the berimbau

interview between Cakeman, musician and shoemaker,and Tico Camaleão.
Grenada, West Indies, Septtember 2003

I'd like to ask you some
questions about this
instrument, the cocoa-lute.
How did you get to know this
instrument?
From my parents and the old folks in the 70s…
They take a branch from
the cocoa tree.

Do they know the origin
of the instrument?
Yes.
Can you say where this instrument
is from, originally?
From Grenada.

So you got to know this instrument
as a child, through your parents
and elders…
Yes.
Are there a lot of people who know this instrument here?
No. Not now, no.

Are there other kinds of cocoa-lute?
other variations?
As far as I know, no. This one here
is my own invention, with
a key to tune it.

I play it by putting my mouth here…
you make the sound by pressing it
with your finger or letting it loose,

but you have to have the music in your head.

You can play reggae or
any other melody,
any kind of music.
When it's amplified,
can you play along with
other instruments?
I can.
is there any type of party or celebration
where this instrument is used?
Not at present.

There's the bass, and the treble...
Did you ever try different
types of material?
You can make it with a guitar string
of any thickness.

Now the berimbau – this here is
steel from an old tire
You cut it, peel the rubber, cut the wire.
So. That's an idea
you might want to try.
Yes. We do this here too. And the original is made from nylon
fishing line. But it can work with any type of string.

Good. I am happy with
this information, and I hope
that one day I may find,
somewhere, an orchestra
or a group making use of this
instrument, so that it may not
be lost over time.

** *What part of the explanation was omitted in the sequence above??

There is a CD of music of Yoruban and other origin, featuring the cocoa lute, recorded in Grenada in 1962... click here to visit that link(em ingles).

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There's the bass, and the treble... Did you ever try different types of material? You can make it with a guitar string of any thickness.		Now the berimbau – this here is steel from an old tire You cut it, peel the rubber, cut the wire. So. That's an idea you might want to try.	Yes. We do this here too. And the original is made from nylon fishing line. But it can work with any type of string.
Good. I am happy with this information, and I hope that one day I may find, somewhere, an orchestra or a group making use of this instrument, so that it may not be lost over time.