Pandeiro Lesson

Just got back from Mike Spiro's house where I had a pandeiro lesson. He thought the instrument I bought was fine, lightweight (which is good) but a bit small, which makes it good for small acoustic gigs but pointless unless mic'd on a loud gig. I showed my measly chops. Basically, I have to practice really throwing my thumb and bouncing it against the edge for a strong open tone, and then bounce the fingertips and heel evenly (right now the heel of my hand is not hitting hard enough). We also looked at how to hold it--I'm doing fine, but you have to be careful of possible tendonitis since it's such hard work to hold it.

So my homework is, first, practice (every day, he said) the individual tones, especially swinging/bouncing the thumb. As I suspected, your right hand doesn't stay in one spot--you throw your thumb like a bass player twanging a note and then you have to get your fingertips closer in to the center of the drum.

Second, practice muffling with the middle finger of the left hand under the pandeiro. He also showed a way some people do it with their thumb on top but that's even more work.

Third, add the slap just before the open tone.

When I get really good at all that, I can come back and see him and perhaps "take it to the next level." I showed him the funk pattern I'd learned and he wasn't too impressed, saying I should just focus on the samba pattern--though he acknowledged that these days people play every rhythm, Brazilian or otherwise, on the pandeiro.