Samba is an exciting type of music that comes from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where it is played by large baterias (groups of 300-500 drummers) and accompanied by a singers and cavaco (a small 4 stringed guitar). In Slick Stick Sambastic, we also play music from other areas of Brazil, for example "samba reggae" which comes from the Bahia region. The instrumentation is the same, however.
The instruments used are:
Surdo: big bass drums, tuned to 3 different pitches. These provide the bassline groove of the music.
Caixa: snare drum. These drive the bateria along, providing an underlying carpet and swing of the rhythm.
Repique: high pitched drum played with hand and stick (in samba) or whippy sticks (in samba reggae) . The lead repique player will play various calls to which the rest of the bateria responds.
Tamborim: small hand-held drum played with a plastic stick. In samba, the continuous turning of the tamborim (known as carreteiro) provides the distinctive swing of the samba.
Chocalho: a type of shaker with very loud metal jingles - together with the caixas they form the engine of the bateria.
Agogo: a two-pitched bell played with a wooden stick