An introduction to

1. An introduction to Samba

2. Introducing Samba • In Brazil's musical history Samba plays an enormous part. It is what has become known as carnival music from Brazil that features a large percussion ensemble called a Bateria. • It is music to dance to and has its own characteristic rhythms that distinguish it from other Latin American music. • The music originates in Rio de Janiero and is a mixture of Portuguese/Spanish/African/Cuban cultures. • There are many different types of Samba incorporating many different styles and influences - two of the most common forms are Samba Reggae and Samba Batucada, both of which use the same instrumentation

3. A bass drum used to mark the beat of samba music. They keep a steady beat and alternate between higher and lower pitches. A smaller surdo often plays an important role within the ensemble. Surdo

4. A drum very similar to the repinique but with springs on the bottom to create vibration much like a snare drum. Caixa

5. This is a small-headed drum that is tuned very high and struck very quick and sharp with a flexible stick. The player is able to press and tighten the skin or dampen the sound whilst playing and plays more complicated rhythms than the surdo or chocolo. Tamborim

6. A small drum similar to the snare drum but taller that is usually played with one stick and the bare hand. It has a more metallic sound than the snare drum and can be used to play solo cues such as call and response patterns. Repinique

7. A shaker made of either many small cymbal like metal pieces or a large metal cans filled with rocks, sand or other material. It plays even notes throughout. Chocolo

8. This is a scraper which plays the same time values as the chocolo. Reco-reco

9. A cowbell sounding instrument with two bells that is struck by a wooden stick used in samba music. The bells can also produce a sound by squeezing them so that they strike each other. Like the tambourim the ago-go plays more complicated rhythms than the surdo or chocolo. Agogo

10. Body percussion 1 • Group 1 • Thighs, Stomach, Clicking fingers and clapping over 4 beats: • Group 2 • Right Thigh • Left Thigh • Right Hand on Stomach • Left Hand on Stomach • Right Finger Click • Left Finger Click • Clap (crotchet)

11. Group 1 Right Thigh Left Thigh Right Hand on Stomach Left Hand on Stomach Right Finger Click Left Finger Click Clap (crotchet) (repeat at least 4 times) Group 2 Right Thigh Left Thigh Right Finger Click Left Fingeer Click Clap (crotchet). (repeat at least 4 times) Body percussion 2

12. Structure of samba music Samba music is built up of ostinatos. An ostinato is a rhythm that is played over and over again. The rhythms used to create an ostinato are usually 4 or 8 beats long. Each instrument in the samba band has its own ostinato to play. Samba music is built up of lots of different sections. For each section the sambista will need to know an ostinato. A sambista may need to know as many as 6 ostinatos per piece of music! The main pattern that a sambista needs to know is the groove. The groove is the main ostinato that is heard most of the way through a piece of music. The groove is then broken up by breaks and mid sections.

13. A break is a 4 or 8 beat rhythm which is usually played once or twice. It is used to provide to create contrast to the main groove. A mid section is where just 1 or 2 instruments change the rhythm of their ostinato and the others stay the same or stop playing all together. Sometimes breaks and mid sections are used to allow a particular instrumental section to show of their rhythms. Samba music also has an introduction and an ending. The structure of a piece of samba music might look like this:

14. Samba Rhythms

15. Surdo

16. Tamborim

17. Agogo

18. Chocolo

19. Clave rhythm

20. Waving Flag

21. Waving Flag

22. Samba de Janeiro

23. Samba de Janeiro

24. Level 3 3c: • I can play the Surdo, Tambourime or Shaker part. • I can recognise each of the different instruments 3b • I can play more than one of the parts during a performance. • I can follow instructions from the band leader to change different elements of music. 3a: • I can decide where to change the elements of music in my performance to add expression. • I can improve my performance over time. • I can explain what samba music is intended for.

25. Level 4 • 4c: • I have learnt my part by ear. • I can maintain my own part during the group and whole class performances. • I know how my part fits with the other parts in my group performance. • I can identify different sounds used in samba music. • 4b: • I can try out different ways of combining the instruments and rhythms in my samba performance. • I can improvise a rhythm on my instrument during a performance. • 4a: • I can describe the characteristics of samba music using the correct keywords. • I can compare the similarities and differences between samba and western popular music. • I can suggest improvements to my own and others’ work. • I can explain why samba music is suitable for its intended purpose.

26. Level 5 • 5c: • I can name and explain the musical devices I have used in my samba performance. • I can explain how samba music reflects the culture in Brazil. • I can perform each part from memory including the clave and introduction rhythms. • I am aware of how my part fits in with the rest of the group. I can fit my part in without guidance from the leader. • 5b: • I can lead my samba group and perform a solo part during a break section. • I can improvise a rhythm during my performance. • I can use graphic and rhythm notation when performing samba music. • I can use pitch notation when playing the melodies on the keyboard. • 5a: • I can analyse the musical features of samba music and compare them with other styles of music. • I can evaluate how venue, occasion and purpose affect the way samba music is created, performed and heard. • I can refine and improve my performance.

27. Level 6 • 6c: • I can use tempo, dynamics, phrasing and timbre to add expression to my solo. • I can make subtle adjustments to my own part to fit it into the group performance. • 6b: • I can improvise a suitable part to fit into the samba performance. • I can use rhythm notation to write down rhythms I have composed. • 6a: • I can analyse, compare and evaluate how venue, occasion and purpose affect the way music is created, performed and heard. • I can make improvements to my own work and suggest improvements to others.

28. Keywords • Rhythm – the combination of different duration • Ostinato – a repeated rhythm or melody • Polyrhythm – when 2 or more different rhythms are playing. • Syncopation – when notes are played off the beat. • Cross rhythms – when a syncopated rhythm and on beat rhythm are played at the same time.