The Percussion - Bateria  "Surdo de Primeira" (first rhythm drum) - it is the deepest and sets the first beat.  "Surdo de Segunda" ou "Surdo de Resposta" (second or answering drum) - a little less deep. It "answers" the fixed rhythm.  "Surdo de Terceira" (third drum) - intervenes between the two drum beats, in a kind of syncope.  "Repique" - it is the instrument whose drumsticks tap out or punctuate the rhythm. "Tarol" e "Caixa" - they are similar in shape, but the "tarol" is thinner than the "caixa". They are both shallow drums and are played using two drumsticks. They are covered with skin on both sides. The drummer very often achieves effects by also beating with the drumsticks the metal that secures the skin.   This is the instrument called "caixa". I learned to play it some years ago and my husband bought this one for me. "Tamborim" - it is played with thin sticks, normally organized in pairs or groups of three or more sticks, that in this case are not wooden sticks, but fiberglass sticks, once they are flexible and allow the percussionist to harmoniously coordinate the movements of both hands. He holds he "tamborim" with one hand moving it successively from the right to the left while he beats it with the sticks using the other hand in an up and down movement of the wrist.   Here is a "tamborim" and the sticks that are used to play it. "Pandeiro" (tambourine) - a circular and narrow instrument with jingling little metal disks in its wooden structure. The drummer holds the tambourine with one hand and plays with a movement coordinating his hand that beats with the hand that holds.  "Reco-Reco" - a cylinder of bamboo or metal, rubbed with a stick according to the samba rhythm. It is held in one hand while the other strokes in a wrist movement.  "Ganzá" - it is a kind of rattle made of two or more metal cylinders, perpendicular to each other and with small aluminum pieces inside. The rattle is held at its ends and played by shaking the forearms, causing the aluminum pieces to rub against the cylinders. "Agogô" - two or more conical iron cups, of different timbres, connected by a thin rod. It is played with a metal drumstick alternatively on each cup. "Chocalho" (rattle) - a pile of little metal disks, grouped on a frame. It is played like the "ganzá". "Cuíca" - little small barrel, with a slim rod inside, perpendicular to the leather. Produces a deep throat sound, used to keep the rhythm in small solos and counterpoints. "Apito" (whistle) - used by the percussion maestro. Other instruments Besides the percussion there are also other instruments accompanying the samba leader in the loudspeaker car. But each school decides how it will be. It is not common for every instrument to appear in the show of a single school. The most important are: The Guitar - the most important harmony instrument in Brazil. (Brazil has actually, one of the most renowned guitar schools in the world with virtuosos like the internationally famous Baden Powel and Turíbio Santos). The Seven-string guitar - the only mass-produced harmony instrument invented in Brazil. Its sound, based precisely on the deeper seventh string, is one of the characteristics of the samba and choro as musical genera. The "Cavaquinho" - a small four-string viola, strummed with a reed. Backs up the tone while reinforcing the beat tempos, but it is also used in solos. Here is a "cavaquinho" painted by me with the colors of Mangueira samba school (pink and green) and beside it (on the left), a "tamborim", also decorated in green and pink for Mangueira's carnival parade. The Mandolin - more pear-shaped than the "cavaquinho", with a rounded back and 6 or 8 metal strings arranged in pairs. The Banjo - has a long neck and round body, covered with a skin close to the strings. Equally important is the lead samba singers, or interprets. They have different styles, but one thing is fundamental: a powerful voice to sing for 80 minutes. Accompanied by support singers, the lead or interpret accompanies the percussion and, according to the maestro, sets the pace given to the samba.     * Back to the Carnival in Rio Menu *     This page was created on: January 20th 2002. Last updated on: February 10th 2005. [ Site Index ] [ Home ]   | Back to the Brazilian Menu |  ~ Miss Price Graphics ~ Graphics by Irene ~ Country Patch Collections ~  Nothing in this site is Public Domain. Graphics are copyrighted by various artists and are used with permission. Please, click on the links above to visit the sites were you can download the graphics from. Do not save anything from my pages, please. The pictures of the instruments were scanned by me from a carnival magazine.