Toque de Iúna

19 October 2014 – Toque de Iúna

Iunas in the wild
Iúnas in the wild, the toque is inspired by their singing. Iúna is a game played by instructors, professors and mestres. It is also played at funerals.

Toque de Iúna by Mestre Bimba (Iúna is an old viola guitar rhythm used in the sambas of the Recôncavo, Bahia) – the toque that’s taken me the longest to figure out. I first started trying to learn in March 2014 (half-heartedly, I admit, I was busy learning all the other toques, leaving the hardest till last), it’s October, and I finally made sense of it, I made some good progress today with a little help from my friends 😉

Slowed down, so I can learn (played by Neil Emmanuel)

And this is what I got from watching that video A LOT OF TIMES and playing for a couple of hours:
1st part : dom tsh#tsh# dim#dim# x2
2nd part : dom# dom dom dom dom domtss domtss tsh#tsh# dim# dim#
variation of 1st part : domtss domtss domtss domtss domtss tsh#tsh# dim# dim#
=============================================================================================

From the interwebz, this is from March when I was trying to learn it on my own:

1st part : tsh#tsh# dom#tss# dom#tss# domtss (2 on belly, 1 away)
2nd part : tsh#tsh# dom#tss# domtss domtss (1 on belly, 2 away)
3rd part : tsh#tsh# dom#tss# dom#tss# dom dom dom dom dom domtss domtss

Part 1 & 2 are the basis of the toque. Part 3 can be used for variations.

More toques here

Keyboard notation:
# -> this means the cabaça is touching the stomach, the absence of it means it’s away.
dom = nota solta (loose note), berimbau away, dobrão doesn’t touch wire (arame) when baqueta hits it.
dom# = as above, berimbau close.
dim = nota presa (tight note), berimbau away, dobrão touches wire firmly when baqueta hits wire.
dim# = as above but berimbau close.
tsh = as below but berimbau is away.
tsh# = nota média (medium note), berimbau close, dobrão touches wire loosely when baqueta touches wire. The distinctive ‘chiado’ sound.
tss = meia nota (half note), dobrão just touches wire, commonly after a nota solta.
tss# = as above but berimbau is touching the body.

Leave a reply with any comments/suggestions.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.