What other instruments are in the samba band?

The blogs across the past year have been focusing on different instruments used by samba bands. This final blog of the year will cover some of the other smaller hand percussion instruments you might hear from the Worldwise Samba Drummers

A bateria (samba drumming band) will often include one or more shakers. The main two types of shaker you are likely to see are the ganza and the chocalho.

Ganza

Pauline ready to play her double ganza at one of our more unusual gigs

The ganza is a closed cylinder with small beads or similar inside. The chocalho is a frame made of wood and/or metal with dozens of metal discs attached. These shakers are held horizontally, usually with a hand at either end. Both the ganza and the chocalho are played by pushing the instrument away from the body and bringing it back again, to put it simply. More or less forceful movements result in louder or quieter sounds meaning rhythmic patterns can be played. Advanced players are very mobile and are able to play complicated rhythms.

Sigi playing a chocalho in parade

There are two other instruments that make rare appearances in the music of the Worldwise Samba Drummers. Vito occasionally brings along his pandeiro. A large, skinned tambourine, these are struck in different places using the fingers and heel of the hand in order to draw out sounds at different pitches and with different amounts of rattle to them. It is said that accomplished pandeiro players can replicate the sound of a whole bateria on the one instrument.

Pandeiro

The other instrument that is occasionally added to Worldwise Samba Drummers music is the cuica brought in by John. This is a cylinder, open at one end, skinned at the other with a bamboo stick running from the skin inside the instrument. Rubbing the stick up and down with a wet cloth produces a variety of voice-like sounds, the pitch of which can be changed by using the other hand to change the tension on the skin.

Inside a cuica

It is an instrument that you might not recognise by sight but will probably have heard. Whenever it is used, it elicits smiles and looks of surprise.

John playing his cuica

Worldwise Samba Drummers don’t make extensive use of pandeiro or cuica. However, when we play our samba ragga piece, there is a section in which the bateria plays a sparse looping break over which other instruments are able to take turns soloing. Our soloists typically include Vito on pandeiro and John on cuica as well as Jon on repinique, Cyn on timba and Mary on caixa.

You can visit earlier blog posts in this series to find out more about the repinique, surdo, caixa, tamborim, agogo and timba. Next year’s blogs will focus on some of the different styles of music that you might hear from a samba band.

Please get in contact using the Contact Us or Join Us links if you would like further information about the Worldwise Samba Drummers.