He used makeshift instruments alongside conventional ones and combined traditional regional styles such as forró and choro with jazz, bossa nova, and classical music. Sivuca and Hermeto Pascoal, both versatile multi-instrumentalists with albinism, worked together and are sometimes confused with each other.
He used a combination of homemade instruments and conventional ones to create a unique musical style that blended traditional regional styles like forró and choro with jazz, bossa nova, and classical music.  Sivuca and Hermeto Pascoal, both talented multi-instrumentalists with albinism, are often mistaken for one another.