The surdo is a large

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. T ...

used in many kinds of Brazilian music, such as Axé/ Samba-reggae and

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. Havi ...

, 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 East. Surdo sizes normally vary between and diameter, with some as large as . In

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

, surdos are generally deep. Surdos used in the northeast of Brazil are commonly shallower, at deep.Surdos may have shells of wood, galvanized steel, or aluminum. Heads may be goatskin or plastic. A Rio bateria will commonly use surdos that have skin heads (for rich tone) and aluminum shells (for lower weight). Surdos are worn from a waist belt or shoulder strap, oriented with the heads roughly horizontal. The bottom head is not played. Surdo drummers beat the drums using hard or soft mallets. The floor tom of a

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

is often used as the more modern substitute of the surdo, especially in Brazilian

Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave (rhythm), clave, and Afro-Brazil ...

Rio-style Carnival samba

A typical carnival samba bateria in

has three distinguishable surdo parts, each played by a drum that has a distinctive tuning due to its distinct size. The pattern of these three surdo parts is the rhythm that propels the samba. The surdo is the largest and deepest- pitched drum in the bateria—it plays the ''primeira'' (''Portuguese'': first) or ''marcação'' (''Portuguese'': marker) part. This surdo is typically between 22" and 26" in diameter. The primeira

pulse In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the ...

is the entire bateria's rhythmic reference. It sounds on the second beat of the samba's basic "one, two" rhythm, and this surdo may also sound

pick-up notes In poetic and musical meter, and by analogy in publishing, an anacrusis (from , , literally: 'pushing up', plural ''anacruses'') is a brief introduction (distinct from a literary or musical introduction, foreword, or preface). It is a set of sy ...

to start the music. A slightly smaller and higher-pitched surdo answers the primeira by playing the ''segunda'' (''Portuguese'': second), ''resposta'' (''Portuguese'': response), or ''respondor'' (''Portuguese'': that which responds) part. This surdo is a drum 20" or 22" in diameter, and it sounds on the first beat of the basic "one, two" rhythm of the samba. The smallest, highest-pitched surdo, generally between 14" and 18" in diameter, plays the ''terceira'' (''Portuguese'': third) or ''cutador'' (''Portuguese'': cutter) part. The terceira "cuts" across the basic pulse of the other two surdo parts with a complex pattern of fills and

syncopation In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "plac ...

s. The feel of the bateria is driven by the terceira's "swing". The only surdo player with even limited room to improvise is the terceira player.

Other Brazilian music

Surdos are used by samba-reggae and axé music groups of northeastern Brazil. Samba-reggae usually has two (or even 3) surdo tunings, the lowest tuning playing the pulse on 2 and the higher tuning playing the 1. Middle Surdos, (tuned either as the 2 or slightly higher), playing any number of counterpatterns. The middle surdos are played with two mallets in samba-reggae to allow for more complex rhythms. Single surdos are also used extensively in smaller samba and

pagode Pagode () is a Brazilian style of music that originated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a subgenre of Samba. Pagode originally meant a celebration with food, music, dance, and party. In 1978, singer Beth Carvalho was introduced to this music, like ...

bands. Other bass drums found elsewhere in Brazil include the zabumba and

alfaia The alfaia is a Brazilian membranophone. It is a wooden drum made of animal skin tensioned or loosened through ropes placed alongside the body of the instrument. Alfaias are usually between and in diameter. Their construction is similar to 1 ...

of the northeast.

References

External links

Surdo notated musicInstructions on making your own surdo beaters / mallets
{{Authority control Drums Brazilian percussion Samba Membranophones Military music