Brazilian Basics

• By Peter Erskine
• Originally published in the June 2006 issue of DRUM! Magazine

The best way to learn any style of music is by attentive listening. It’s also possible to get hints from patterns and stickings. Here are some ways to interpret Brazilian-music subdivisions.

It’s best to think of Brazilian beats as in 2, with the underlying accent on the second beat. Ex. 1 uses a RLRL sticking, and this gives no feeling to the rhythm without some effort; however, Ex. 2 begins to suggest a samba right away. Play Exs. 2—7 on a closed hi-hat as written, and then play Exs. 2, 7, and 8 with the bass drum doubling the right hand in unison (keep the feel in the right foot the same as in the right hand). Experiment with the subdivisions, and compare your results with recordings of great Brazilian drummers.