The cuíca produces the distinctive high-pitched squeak heard in Rio Carnival samba.
A cuíca is a friction drum. A thin stick is attached to the inside of its drumhead, and the player rubs the stick with a damp cloth or hand. This friction changes the tension of the head and creates the instrument’s characteristic laughing, squeaking sound.
The instrument is part of the bateria, the percussion ensemble that drives a samba-school parade. It is much smaller and higher-pitched than the surdo, whose deep pulse provides the rhythmic foundation.
The cuíca’s sound is immediately recognizable, but it is only one layer of the bateria’s texture. Tamborims, caixas, agogôs, repiniques, and surdos each contribute different rhythmic colors and functions.