Samba Percussion Explained
Published on Wednesday 5 March 2025
Putting together a full samba band is no mean feat. The percussion involved covers an array of different drums and other instruments, from bigger bass-drum-style instruments to smaller percussive sound-effects – samba music is characterised by a rich percussive tapestry of counter-rhythms. In this blog, we attempt to summarise some of the essential samba beat-makers.
The Surdo
A samba band is also referred to as a bateria which, in Spanish and Portuguese literally means ‘drum kit’, giving you a good idea of what’s going on. Every samba instrument plays its own specific role – just like the various elements of a drum kit and, just like the bass drum is the backbone of a drum kit, the surdo is the backbone of any samba band. Traditionally, you’ll find a few surdos in the line-up, all in one of three sizes. The biggest size is called the marcacao, which is essentially the bass drum. The medium-sized surdo is called the respondor and has a slightly higher pitch than the marcacao (a bit like a floor tom). And the smallest surdo is the cutador, which packs out the basic rhythm and takes care of the fills (like a large tom). With all three in the mix, you have your basic samba beat pretty much covered. Surdos can have an aluminium shell for really strong sound projection, or a wooden shell for extra warmth.
The Repinique
The samba drum that comes even closer to the sound of the toms of a drum kit is the repinique. This drum has an impressive high-pitched tone, so it’s often used to play solos and to add embellishments to the basic rhythm. Traditionally, the repinique would only ever be played with a single wooden stick but, since you can now get really lightweight repiniques made from plastic, they can be played with one hand and one stick, giving players access to a wider range of accents and sounds. While it’s now a Samba band standard, the repinique didn’t actually start to feature in samba music until the end of the 1950s.
The Caixa
The caixa is a bit like a snare drum and can be played to add some really fast accents. This drum even features snare wires to crisp up the sound while the shell is often made from some kind of metal to support its really big projection. A traditional caixa has just two snare wires mounted above the batter head, like the Meinl CA12T Caixa, but there are also more modern designs with snare mechanisms that look more like the snare you’d find in a drum kit.
The Tamborim
Another classic samba instrument is the tamborim – which definitely isn’t a tambourine – even though it might look a little bit like one. The tamborim is what’s used to play proper, traditional samba patterns so playing one involves some really specific techniques, like the virado technique, where the tamborin is literally flipped halfway through the rhythmic pattern to increase the sustain of the note. This adds a really characteristic sound to the beat.
The Pandeiro
The pandeiro actually has much more in common with the tambourine. This really shallow frame-drum-like instrument has metal jingles mounted on the shell, which sound a bit dryer and less sharp than the sound of a tambourine. The pandeiro is played with the fingers and the palm of the hand and, by combining various playing techniques, can have a really warm and striking sound – perfect for rhythmic accents.
The Sound Effects: From the Agogo to the Chocalhos
Besides drums, no samba beat could ever be complete without the sound effects. The chocalhos is a handheld percussion instrument fitted with various metal jingles mounted in a metal frame and adds a rattling sound to the beat. The agogo bells are also handheld, where two very narrow cowbell-like bells, each tuned in a different pitch are mounted on a handle, and are commonly used to play a repeating rhythm. Another instrument that often features in samba music is the cuica. This unique drum-style instrument has a shell complete with a batter head and, beneath the drumhead, fixed right in centre, you’ll find a stick that can be pulled on to vary the sound in some really surprising ways. And, to finish, we have maybe the most familiar of samba instruments: the samba whistle – an absolute essential
The world of samba percussion is home to a wide range of different percussion instruments. Just in case you’re already itching to put together your own band and get started, a classic samba rhythm has been included below, where the part of each instrument has been notated on its own stave.
