Brazilian Drums Views
Brazilian music is one of the two main categorizations of Latin music; the other being Afro-Cuban which we covered last time. Just like in Afro-Cuban music, the drums are one of the key components and you need to know which beat to insert depending on the context of the music. Remember, Brazilian music is at its core dance music just like Afro-Cuban.
Why would anyone build a whole website dedicated to Brazilian bass drums? Brazilian percussion music is one of the few forms of popular music in which the bass drum plays a such major role. Like taiko in Japan, there is almost a cult surrounding the powerful surdos of Brazil, and many people who begin playing surdos find themselves drawn in, perfectly happy to be providing the low end pulse of batucada samba, samba-reggae, maracatu, and axaecirc; while others take the limelight. When they play with a 24 drum strapped to their waist, the power reverberates through their bodies. The effect is akin to the entrancing, heart-massaging power of the bass guitar in reggae music or the rumble of a rollercoaster massaging their souls.
Typically its body is made of metal. The heads, made of nylon, are tightened through the use of metal tuning rods. The instrument is usually smaller in diameter than the Brazilian Caixa (snare drum) but several inches longer in height and lacking a snare. It is carried using a shoulder strap attached to one of the tuning rods. The Repique is definitely the master of the paradinhas and turns of the samba, it rs"s the signal for the return of the other instruments. In the past, the Repique dominated the paradinhas. These days, shakers and other small drums [tamborim] are allowed while the rest of the bateria stays silent.
Tan tan is a type of Brazilian bass drum of sorts.[some would say it is a a baritone or tenor drum, but it functions well on the low end.] It is the the only one [we know of] to be played by hand. Other Brazilian bass drums include the Surdo, Zabumba, and Alfaia. Tantan began mirroring the surdo in function, but it is definitely finding its own voice and style as time goes on.
Brazilian Drums Images
