Jérôme BOUMENDIL, Bateria teacher and workshop partner to Jean-Christophe JACQUIN, has accepted to reveal the secrets of the tamborim stick, in the famous Amaro da Mocidade style :

You can always try and test your luck, but, once in Rio, the best bet is to find our famous friend Amaro. Have a look in Bangu, everyone knows him at Padre Miguel's Mociade Independent.

He has greying hair and moustache and a glass eye.

For those who are not travelling so far, ask Jérôme and Jean-Christophe, they can find some during their workshops...

Thank you to Amaro et Jérôme.

The whips wisps :
You'll need 7 polyacetal wisps (30 to 37 cm). Don't use nylon, its more expensive and the quality isn't right. The wisps must have a diameter of 0,4; 0,5 or 0,6 cm. I use 0,6 (in this case, the stick must be shorter).

Now, take a glass bottle and break it inside a bucket!
Next, sit down, put a rag over your lap, place a wisp on the rag and scrape it with a piece of broken glass, spinning the wisp at a slow, regular pace, so as to generate plastic shavings that are shaped like waterdrops (don't get them too thin).

Once you're done, smooth down with sandpaper.

You can try 1 000 other ways, you'll never obtain the same result !

The handle (grip) :
Get a (black) plastic auto-vulcanizing Pirelli roll (rubber/sulphur mix used to fill gaps for example in the radiator hose of a car, etc.). Place some of the Pirelli on the central wisp, in such a way that the handle part is totally covered (make sure the coating is a thin as possible). This will stick the wisps together.

Get a bicycle tube and slice it into 1 cm bands. Using a plastic band (or a little piece of the tube), attach the wips together, from the top (of the handle part). This will stops the wisps from sliding. (don't forget that the Pirelli coated wisp is in the middle)

Next roll one of the tube bands around the handle part of the wips, like the grip of a tennis racket. Move from the center to the top of the handle, then down to the bottom (make sur you include the lower tip - go round a few times), then up again, halfway where you will block the strip ??? (making a sort of flat knot).

L'art est dans le choix du rapport diamètre / longueur / forme et épaisseur de la " goutte d'eau " / longueur et épaisseur de la poignée.

Et voilà ! A tamborim stick just like Amaro da Mocidade makes them (every Samba school buys them from him).

The tough part is the planing down of the wisps (at first : 20 min per wisp). It's quite roots, but after this, you'll really be in love with your stick !

On the other hand, I'm not too sure where to find the auto-vulcanizing Pirelli rolls... Amaro offers me a couple of rolls each year. It's really an art. And don't forget : the first stick you make will help you make the next one perfect !

For further information, don't hesitate in contacting me : sambacademia.free.fr/

Good luck !

Jérôme BOUMENDIL
Mestre de bateria de SAMBATUC Samba School
tel : (33) - 0 622 238 205

www.sambatuc.com/

Jérôme Boumendil
Formed at Master Jonas de Oliveira's Mocidade Indépendente Samba school, Jérôme Boumendil has played tamborim for many great Samba schools (Mangueira, Viradouro, Tradiçao, Boi da Ilha, Vila Kennedy...) at the Rio Carnaval and directed the tamborim section for the champions from Rio, the Sereno de Campo Grande.

Batteria Master for Sambatuc, Tamborim leader with Bate Bombo, Zum Zum (parisian schools), he also directs tamborims in other European scholls such as Paraiso (London Carnavaa), Bloco X (Samba Encontro in Cobourg) or Bloco Gringo (Non-Brazilian bloco in Rio).

He is often called upon by many Samba schools from France and all over Europe : workshops in Germany (Köln), Paris (with Aquareta), London (City University Music departement), in Sccotland. In this workshops, he not only teaches different techniques, Rio Samba schools repertoires, tips to optimize each section, but also passes on the energy and values attached to Samba music.

In this past year, he has been teaching with Jean-Christophe JACQUIN (Sambatuc official classes)

Mobile : (33) - 0 622 238 205
Email : jboumendil@noos.fr