Samba
Brazilian music and dance style in duple time with syncopated percussion.
What it means
Samba is a Brazilian music and dance style in duple time, based on Afro-Brazilian drum rhythms and developed mainly in Rio de Janeiro from the early 20th century onward.
Musical use
Samba is carried by a percussion ensemble called a batucada, with instruments such as the surdo, tamborim and pandeiro, over which strongly syncopated melody and vocal lines are laid. Within samba, styles such as the more intimate samba de mesa or samba-canção are distinguished from the large samba enredo composed for the processions of the carnival schools. Samba is distinct from Brazilian bossa nova, which grew out of it but developed its own gentler character, with quieter percussion, more complex harmony and a calmer vocal style.
Performance practice
Practise the surdo's basic pattern as the rhythmic foundation before adding the finer, offset patterns of the other percussion instruments, since samba depends heavily on the interplay of these layers.