If you have ever seen a samba band in action you may have spotted someone stood in front of the rest of the band, often facing the other musicians rather than facing forwards. They might have been blowing a whistle and waving their arms around in a way that seemed meaningful to the rest of the band but baffling to you. This will likely have been the band leader, also known as the sambista. In this, the third Worldwise Samba Drummers blog, the role and techniques of a sambista will be described.
The music played by samba bands often doesn’t follow a set structure. Each time a particular piece is performed, the sequence of musical patterns and the duration for which each pattern is played might be different. In order that the band remain together, they have a band leader whose instructions tell the band what changes to make and exactly when to make them. There are variations on the way in which samba bands are led but the tools most often used are:
- hand signals,
- a drum called a repinique which has a loud and high-pitched sound that can be heard even when the rest of the band is playing,
- a whistle, known as an apito, many of which are capable of playing three different pitches depending on whether neither, one or both of the holes on the side are covered.
To let the band know what the next musical change will be, the band leader might use a hand signal. A short blast on the whistle might also be given to make sure all the band have seen the hand signal – in the excitement of performance, surrounded by the many distractions, it can be easy for a drummer not to notice that a signal has been given. The leader can then synchronise the change by giving a count on the fingers, a count on the whistle, a rhythmic call on the whistle, a rhythmic call on the repinique, or some combination of these.
Alternatively, there will be no hand signal. The leader will simply play a particular rhythm on the whistle and/or repinique and the band will recognise the call and immediately change to the appropriate pattern. This requires the band to be alert and well prepared as a change could be called at a moment’s notice.
In the Worldwise Samba Drummers, usually Jon will use a hand signal to let the band know what is about to happen. A short blast on the whistle will also be given to make sure that all the band have seen the signal. Jon will then use fingers and/or his whistle to count in the change as well as playing the repinique call if there is one.
If you join a samba band, you will need to learn the methods used by the leader to indicate what and when the changes are. Most importantly, learn what signal is used to indicate the end of the piece. It’s one thing to be playing the wrong pattern but it is particularly unfortunate to still be playing when everyone else has stopped!
If you would like to find out more about joining the Worldwise Samba Drummers or booking us for a performance, please use the Join Us and Contact Us links on the website.
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