Repenique for Hire

A repinique is a two-headed Brazilian drum used in samba baterias (percussion ensembles). It is used in the Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo Carnival baterias and in the baterias of Bahia, where it is known as repique. It is equivalent to the tom-tom in the Western drum kit.

Typically its body is made of metal. The heads, of nylon, are tightened through the use of metal tuning rods. The instrument is about the same width as the Brazilian caixa (snare drum) but several inches longer in height and lacking a snare.It is held using a shoulder strap attached to one of the tuning rods.In Rio-style samba it is played with one wooden stick and one hand. In Bahia it is played with two wooden sticks usually but in some cases also like the Rio-style (the Bloco afro Ila Aiya for example). It may also be played with a pair of beaters made of several thin flexible rods bundled together.