What do samba bands play? Part 3: What is Batucada?

This blog post continues from the previous two in describing some of the styles of music that are played by samba bands. In this post, we will consider batucada.

When people think of samba drumming, it is usually batucada that they are thinking of. Batucada originates from Rio de Janeiro and Bahia in Brazil and it is the style of drumming heard in the huge carnivals of Rio de Janeiro.

Photograph by Michael Porter

Batucada is fast, high-energy music. There are typically three surdo sections, the lowest two mostly keeping time by alternating beats, the highest one adding a syncopated rhythm over the top that is a defining feature of the style. Caixa (snare drums) and shakers add looped pulsating patterns whilst repiniques and tamborims add short looped patterns or much longer sequences. To this are sometimes added agogos (bells), timba, pandeiros, cuica and reco-reco.

The band will occasionally switch to short alternative patterns known as breaks that punctuate the main pattern. These breaks are called in by a leader using a whistle and hand signals and/or are in response to the tamborims or repiniques arriving at particular parts of a longer sequence.

From very early in its existence, Worldwise Samba Drummers has had a batucada pattern as the finale to its performance set. This batucada has gradually changed over the years with the caixa having switched from a three-two pattern to more of a samba swing, the tamborims switching from a long sequence to a bossa clave, adding breaks and switching between different introductory sequences. 

When performed as our finale, we occasionally carry out a repeat performance with members of the audience joining in with vocalisations and using small shakers or, more ambitiously, by distributing tamborims, agogos, shakers and surdos in order that the audience can learn a simple version of batucada to play with us.

Worldwise Samba Drummers has sometimes had additional batucada pieces as part of its diverse set. One of these alternative batucada pieces is known to us as Lazy Coconut after its use of a rhythm that can be remembered using the spoken phrase “lazy coconut”. Another is a slightly slower batucada piece that finishes by transitioning into a samba funk piece that greatly increases in speed at the end.

Please check out the other blog posts and get in contact using the Contact Us or Join Us links if you would like further information about the Worldwise Samba Drummers.