What Is a Samba Bateria?

Samba bateria traditions are passed down from generation to generation.

Brazilians live for music; most of them, no matter how young or old, have an innate fondness for the symbolic rhythms of samba music as their national pride is tied to it. Samba music is built around percussion and string instruments. Without the bateria, though, samba just wouldn't be as powerful in conveying the emotions of centuries of Brazilians.

History

Since samba's creation at the beginning of the 20th Century, every region of Brazil has developed samba schools, performance groups and organizations. The genre began in urban Rio de Janeiro, where former African slaves immigrating from the Brazilian state of Bahia brought their unique street music and mixed it with the existing music and dance styles of Rio. Together with dances like the polka, the rough urban moves softened to create what we know today as the samba.

Surdo

Samba music has an underlying base consistently present in any type of samba. There are three main base drums called "surdos." The first, or "Surdo de Primeira," is the largest that provides the required boom in samba. The first base drum is used as a tempo guide for the dancers and other musicians to follow during performances. The second base drum, called the "Surdo de Segundo," provides a response to the first surdo and keeps the rhythm while the first is in rest. To fill in the gaps between the dialogue of the first and second surdos, the third base drum, called the "Surdo de Terceira," adds a unique rhythm that complements, but doesn't mimic, the first and second surdos.

Snare Drum of War

Samba wouldn't be the same without the Snare Drum of War, or the "Caixa de Guerra." This double-headed drum is similar to a standard snare drum except it has 2 or 4 cables on the top drum. With the Caixa de Guerra, the samba becomes more complex and spontaneous, as this drum doesn't follow with the baseline rhythm but, rather, creates a multitude of different complimentary rhythms.

Repique

This small, double-headed drum leads the bateria, providing cues for when to start and stop playing. Its sound is very distinct from the other members of the bateria and, so, it can be identified easily over the rest of the instruments. The Repique is also entitled to improvised solos and signals breaks within the performance.

References

• Brazil Carnival: Samba-Bateria Drum Instruments Carnaval; Heavy Samba Percussion Instruments Description