Samba Batucada on Kit drum pattern
A one-bar samba on kit: the surdo figure on the kick with its weight on 2 and 4, 16th notes on the hat for the shakers and a tamborim-style cross-stick phrase. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 116 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Samba Batucada on Kit
Count it as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a · two 2/4 bars. The pattern is one bar of 4/4 (one-bar 16th-note samba (two bars of 2/4)).
The Samba Batucada on Kit pattern, hit by hit
Each character is one step of the grid and each group is one beat. X is an accented hit, x a normal hit, o a quiet or ghost note and - a rest.
| Voice | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Kick | x--x X--x x--x X--x |
| Cross-stick | x--x --x- --x- -x-- |
| Closed hat | xooo xooo xooo xooo |
Tempo and feel
Light on top and heavy underneath. The kick leans into 2 and 4 like the big surdo while the hands stay even and bright. The default tempo is 116 BPM. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Samba Batucada on Kit
Play the kick alone: every beat plus the a after it, soft on 1 and 3 and heavy on 2 and 4. Add the 16ths on the hat, even and light. Add the cross-stick phrase: 1, the a of 1, the and of 2, the and of 3 and the e of 4.
Variations to try next
Start the cross-stick phrase on beat 3 to turn it around. Move the 16ths to the ride for a samba-jazz sound. Leave out the kick pickups and hear the surdo answer on 2 and 4 alone.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Rio de Janeiro escola de samba batucadas. A practice study of samba batucada mapped onto the kit, written in 4/4 so one bar holds two bars of the 2/4 samba. The kick plays the surdo figure: each beat with a pickup on its a, soft on 1 and 3 and heavy on 2 and 4, where the big surdo answers on the second beat of each 2/4 bar. The right hand's 16ths on the closed hat stand in for the ganzá and caixa, and the left hand's cross-stick phrase (1, the a of 1 and the and of 2, then the and of 3 and the e of 4) stands in for the tamborim; that phrase is one common kit figure, the tamborim's teleco-teco is another, and the plain hat accents are an informed choice. The agogô, cuíca and the rest of the bateria are left out, and escolas de samba often play faster than this default. It is authored for practice, not transcribed.