The repinique, also known as repique, is a medium-sized, high-pitched drum that produces a very loud tone that cuts through the sound of the rest of the bateria. In the rhythm samba batucada, the repinique is responsible for leading the bateria; besides playing samba grooves, it is also used to play intro, start, break and stop cues. The repinique is also used as solo instrument.
The repinique is carried with a shoulder strap. In samba batucada, the repinique is played with one short wooden stick and a hand. The hand makes two distinct noises – the open tone, played by striking the drumhead at the edge with the fingers together then lifting; and the slap tone, where the fingertips strike slightly more towards the centre, to create a short snapping sound. In samba-reggae, two thin plastic (elastic) sticks are used.
