In theĀ world of Rio de JaneiroāsCarnaval, you can tell which samba school bateria is playing just by sound alone. Several factors go into this but a crucial element of that signature sound is how the bateria tunes its drums. I met with my teacher Junior Sampaio, bateria director at Portela, inside the iconic blue and white quadra to explore the historical evolution of bateria tuning and get a live demonstration of how surdos are tuned today. The Evolution of Samba Tuning: From Flames to Pitch Precision Historically, bateria instruments were tuned over open flames to tighten goat skin heads before rehearsals and parades. As Junior Sampaio explains, tuning was far less standardized in earlier decades, with each ritmista maintaining their...
Mini Desfiles at Cidade do Samba Two weekends ago Cidade do Samba had a little preview show of the Grupo Especial parades that will happen in the Sambodromo next February. The different components were there such as bateria, baianas, porta bandeira & mestre sala, passistas, various alas etc. but in smaller numbers thanĀ the typical parade.Ā For example, I heard that the bateria was limited to 50 people. So of course they took their best players and put on a great show!Ā A few groups even rolled out some mini floats and confetti cannons. Those of you who know me know that I love a disco ball and a confetti cannon. The groupsĀ went in order of how they will be presented...
Ā Congratulations you just invested in a new drum! A new buddy in your future samba adventures!!! With a little bit of care and love this drum will be with you a very long time! Ā Iāve outlined a few tips that will help get you started: Wax the rods and nuts I hate the feeling of tuning my drum and the nut feels too stiff and hard to turn. It feels like Iām grinding metal off the bolt and messing everything up. There is a solution to this! Use a little bit of beeswax or machine oil on the rods and nuts this will lube them up allowing them to turn nice and smooth. It also prevents wear and tear...
