Ollie tunmer - drums & percussion

Getting prepared to play is crucial for samba bands. They generally play high energy, physically demanding music for long periods of time so to avoid injuries the correct warm up can make all the difference.
 
Stick technique

A basic knowledge of stick technique is useful, regardless of which instrument is being played. It is also an area that people can study at home. Stick exercises do not necessarily need to be done on instruments – save your ears and play a cushion or a phone book.

There are several methods of holding a stick and a variety of benefits from each – I’d suggest going with whatever feels the most comfortable. Two of the most common are matched grip and traditional grip - check out images online.

Warming up

A good starting point is playing 16th notes, evenly, hand to hand. This first simple exercise presents several issues to be considered. To play this pattern continuously you need to relax and remained relaxed regardless of what else you do to the pattern.

To help the timing of the pattern, especially as a group, try playing the pulse beats (the first of every four), a little louder, ‘accenting’. You will now have an accent followed by three ‘ghost’ notes, which will allow the pattern to flow. Try looping this at a slow tempo and see how together the band can sound.

Use the patterns from the Clapping and Stepping chapter, varying tempo and dynamics (volume). There is a common tendency to get louder as the tempo increases. Try playing quickly and quietly and again, remember to relax. The faster something is played the more people tend to tense up- use the wrists and fingers rather than arms to build up stamina.

In any group you lead or play in there will be a range of ability levels all existing within the same musical context. Making the experience enjoyable for everyone whilst making the band sound good as a whole can pose some challenges. Some players will be happy playing a simple rhythm as part of the massed band experience. Others will want to be their technical limits and rhythmic understanding to be pushed.
To address this it is useful to try adapting rhythms to suit the needs of those playing them. If we take the 3/2 ‘Son’ clavae rhythm we can apply it to a number of different skill levels –

1 - Just accents, maybe both sticks together
2 - Hand to hand, accenting the clavae
3 - Putting all clavae accents in the right hand

We could also play hand to hand but alternating which hand accents over a two bar cycle -

We can try the 6/8 bell rhythm from the Clapping & Stepping section -

Sense of pulse

A band playing all together with a mestre at the front marking time is a reasonably achievable aim. The more you can hear the easier it is to keep a steady tempo. When you start to pull bits out, gaps will occur which people may count at slightly varying speeds. Developing a band’s sense of pulse is crucial for good breaks, entrances and good musical flow.

- Without stepping, click a tempo and after a count of four everyone should play the one.
- All count silently from the one and with eyes closed to an agreed number e.g 17. When the number is reached the band should play on beat on that number.

When you first try this people will probably reach the agreed number at different times. This can be useful to identify any tendencies to speed up or slow down. As people’s abilities to subdivide and feel the pulse improve the final beat will become more together.

Samba swing

Many players of Brazilian percussion play with a swing that gives a unique feel to the music. The degree of swing that is applied to the music is largely a personal choice, or one decided upon by the mestre. As it is something that is felt, it is difficult to accurately describe it in words.
Using the word ‘maracatu’ is the best tool I have found. If you say ‘tu-ma-ra-ca’ in a loop, the ‘tu’ marks the one. The ‘ma-ra’ is said quite close together and the ‘ca’ (pronounced ‘ka’), is played as a slightly pushed accent (very slightly before the beat), which leads back to the pulse ‘tu’. Try saying this as a loop and you will get close to samba swing. I’d suggest that the only way to properly understand it is to hear and see it played live, and then play it yourself.