The tamborim is a small, round 6-inch-diameter hand drum. This instrument is smaller than a pandeiro and has no jingles. The tamborim is made of a metal, plastic or wooden hoop on which a synthetic drumhead is stretched. The tamborim produces a bright, powerful sound that can be heard above the other instruments.
This instrument is principally used in samba, samba-reggae and pagode. The tamborim is an indispensable (solo) instrument in the samba batucada. It's played by holding it in one hand while striking the drumhead with a small wooden or synthetic stick in the other hand. The synthetic stick comes in many variations, with two or three thicker prongs or five to seven thin prongs; more prongs means a bigger sound.
