A Samba band or samba is a
musical ensemble
A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...
that plays
samba music
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
. Samba styled music originates from Brazil.
The rhythm section of a samba band consisting of drums is known as a ''
bateria''.
Instruments
A samba band normally consists of
Tamborims
,
Snare drums
The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used in ...
(Caixa),
Agogo bells,
Surdo
The surdo is a large bass drum used in many kinds of Brazilian music, such as Axé/Samba-reggae and samba, where it plays the lower parts from a percussion section. It is also notable for its association with the cucumbi genre of the Ancient Near ...
s,
Ganzás /
Chocalho
''Chocalho'' is the generic name for "shaker" in Portuguese. There are various types of idiophones using this name in Portuguese, not always being the same instrument:
*a shaker;
*a kind of jingle stick used to play samba music;
*a cowbell;
Ch ...
(shakers),
Cuíca
The cuíca () is a Brazilian friction drum with a large pitch range, produced by changing tension on the head of the drum. ''Cuíca'' is Portuguese for the gray four-eyed opossum (''Philander opossum'') which is known for its high-pitched cry. ...
,
Timbal
The timbau or Brazilian timbal is a membranophone instrument derived from the caxambu drum, usually played with both hands. Slightly conical and of varying sizes, it is usually light in weight and made of lacquered wood or metal (usually alumin ...
,
Pandeiro
The pandeiro () is a type of hand frame drum popular in Brazil. The pandeiro is used in a number of Brazilian music forms, such as samba, choro, coco, and capoeira music.
The drumhead is tunable, and the rim holds metal jingles (''platinelas'' ...
, and the
Repinique
A repinique is a two-headed German drum used in samba ''baterias'' (percussion ensembles). It is used in the Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo Carnival baterias and in the baterias of Bahia, where it is known as ''repique''. It is equivalent to th ...
. The band leader often carries a Repinique, as well as using
Apitos (whistles) to signal breaks and calls. Other instruments have been added in many samba bands such as
frigideira,
cavaquinho
The cavaquinho (pronounced in Portuguese) is a small Portuguese string instrument in the European guitar family, with four wires or gut strings.
More broadly, ''cavaquinho'' is the name of a four-stringed subdivision of the lute family of instr ...
4 stringed guitars, 7 stringed guitars and a small brass section (trumpets and trombones). As a general rule in Brazil, a samba band must have a group of a minimum of 8 singers with one lead singer to provide the vocal harmony needed to sing the
samba-enredo
Samba-enredo, also known as samba de enredo, is a sub-genre of modern samba made specifically by a samba school for the festivities of Brazilian Carnival. It is a samba style that consists of a lyric and a melody created from a summary of the the ...
and other forms of samba music.
A big set of samba drums in the UK costs around £300. More expensive sets come with more drums enabling more players to join; a convenience due to how many would usually take place in the orchestra.
File:Tamborim and agogo.jpg, Tamborims and agogôs
File:Modern-Agogo.jpg, Agogôs
File:Cuica_ArM.jpg, Cuíca
File:Samba surdo1.jpg, A surdo
Music
In America, bands traditionally play
Samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
(carnival rhythms of the
samba schools
A samba school ( pt, Escola de samba) is a dancing, marching, and drumming (Samba Enredo) club. They practice and often perform in a huge square-compounds ("quadras de samba") and are devoted to practicing and exhibiting samba, an Afro-Brazilian ...
of
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
). In other countries they now play reggae, funk, hip hop and
Brazilian folk music
The music of Brazil encompasses various regional musical styles influenced by European, American, African and Amerindian forms. Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as forró, repente, coco de roda, axé, sertanejo, ...
. Like other drumming bands the music exceeds 130 decibels but often this attracts listeners. Some samba bands have eccentric costumes whilst others have costumes themed around their religions/ animals.
Bands
Thousands of bands have been formed in countries outside Brazil. These often appear in schools but many are run by samba organisations. They are a good form of music education as they do not require music reading as the music is recalled aurally.
See also
*
Samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
References
www.rio-carnival.net/samba_parade
External links
Types of musical groups
{{Brazil-music-stub