The tan tan is a large hand surdo with a cylindrical shape, used in pagode and other traditional styles. The tan tan has a warm, deep tone and comes with a synthetic leather (napa) drumhead at one end. The tan tan functions the same way as the surdo de primeira; as it has lowest sound of the pagode instruments, the tan tan is used to keep het main beat of the samba—the heart of the samba.
The tan tan is played horizontally in a seated position with one hand playing the main rhythms on the drumhead and the other playing counter rhythms on the body.
