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Brasil Lessons
Baion
Baio, oftentimes referred to as "baion", is a rhythm from the state of Bahia in Northeastern Brasil. Most people credit Luis Gonzaga
with popularizing this rhythm. Baio is a very important rhythm to learn for some important reasons. The number one reason is that you
may have to actually play a baio! It'd be a good idea to have a few grooves from which to choose. Another good reason to learn this
rhythm is the coordination that you'll learn, as you develop hand patterns to play on top of the typical bass drum pattern

Here's a very typical baio, relatively easy to play. The top line is hi hat, bottom line is bass drum, and middle line is snare. Play the hi
hat "hand to hand". So, if you're right handed, the sticking will be R - L - R - L........

And another, a bit more complicated. Play the hi hat with either hand, one hand on the hi hat the other hand playing the snare. Watch
all accents and the last bass drum note. This beat comes courtesy of my drum set teacher in Salvador, Bahia, Mr. Jorge Brasil. Thank
you Jorge!!

Two Handed Samba

This is a pattern I've used for a while. It comes from my inability to play a fast samba! I couldn't break through the continuous 16th note
"barrier" with my ride hand. So, at first, both hands played the same pattern. As I grew more comfortable with the groove, my hands
seemed to naturally fall into this pattern. Then I heard a drummer playing with a great Brasilian pianist, Johnny Alf. He was playing the
pattern I'd come up with. The only difference were the three 16th notes on beat one of measure two. Now, this is a bit of a complicated
groove. But, most importantly, it works!! Practice it extremely slow at first, maybe no tempo at all. Then work it up to a nice blistering
tempo! Have fun. Top line is cymbal, then snare, bass drum, and HH.

Partido Alto and Hand Conditioning Exercises

Here's a new lesson about applying Brasilian rhythms to the drumset in a typical format. PARTIDO ALTO is a relatively typical rhythm
from Brasil. Here are some ways to play this groove. I use either right or left hand on hi hat, with the FOOT closing the open sound of
the hi hat, so you are not playing four consecutive 16th notes in the hi hat. Some say the rhythm of Partido Alto begins on the second
eighth note of the first measure, like this:

Here is the same groove, beginning on measure 2.

Partido Alto and Hand Conditioning Exercises Number 2

These grooves and exercises are found in my newest book Practical Application Pack. Let's use the previous lesson's rhythms as a
hand conditioning exercise. This pattern is a rudimental application of a basic Brasilian rhythm. You can use this just for your hands,
then add a foot pattern to develop coordination. When you have a feel for the rhythm and hand motion, apply to the drum set. Here is
the basic rhythm.

Now, applied as the rudimental exercise. Notice how the exercise is played hand to hand (alternating).

And now, here's a very cool samba for you, using a combination of left hand on high hat, right hand playing snare and floor tom. This is
a very cool sounding groove!

Samba for Drumset

Here's a nice groove for samba soloing. Play the snare part with Left Hand, the Floor Tom with RH. Of course, you can try this with BD
and HH playing the typical BD/HH pattern.

Snare Pattern for Samba

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The caixa (pron. "casha) has many patterns to play during samba. Here's one basic pattern and two variations, using either the low tom
as low surdo, or a two tom pattern. I play this, and other variations, while playing the "standard" samba bass drum/hi hat pattern.
Although it's quite a workout for coordination, it sounds great and feels even better!! Enjoy.

Tamborim Lesson
I've just returned from Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia, in NE Brasil. What an amazing experience I, along with 10 other
people, had. There are many pictures available by clicking here. We'll be travelling to Bahia again, as well as Rio de Janeiro. Please
email me for more infomation about our Drum Study Courses. While in Salvador, before one of our classes, I was practicing playing the
tamborim, a drum very important in Brasilian music and rhythms.

I've been trying for years, with no success, to get the right sound and rhythm of the tamborim. Well, at 9 AM, sitting outside of our
school in Salvador, the Office of Musical Investigation (click here), I actually GOT IT!! The characteristic sound of the tamborim, when
playing the style of Tamborim Virado (turning tamborim) is so important to samba. Alex Acua has described it as an egg rolling down a
board. You know what I mean? Well, I discovered it. I wrote it out on the board at the school and here's the picture of what I wrote.

You see the tamborim on the first line. You strike the drum ("down") with a stick (in your right hand, if you're right handed) and then turn
it down. The next strike, on beat two, is on the up stroke. The beat three is a regular down stroke. The next thing I figured out is that you
have to play a kind of "flam" by striking the drum with the stick for the ghost note and the left index finger tip for the main stroke of the
flam. You hold the drum so that you can strike the underside of the head with the nail of your index finger. Once you have the idea, then
you can open the flam a little to achieve the feel. Now, you see this exercise written in 3/4 time. It's the best way I could get to the
groove. The groove has four notes in it, but it's not easy to write out. This is a very effective way to learn the technique. With this
technique I was able to achieve the sound I'd been searching for for many years!

Samba Angola Application

I first heard this rhythm on a CD by Daniela Mercury, a wonderful musician/vocalist from Salvador, Bahia, Brasil. The drumset player
was playing this pattern on the hi hat with the bass drum playing quarter notes. Ive added a typical samba bass drum pattern with HH
on the ands of the beats. As you can see, Ive written this pattern on snare, to accentuate the coordination work. You can then apply
the sound to the hi hat. You can stick this pattern as hand-to-hand (r l r l ) . I chose another sticking pattern, which is written here.

Basic Bossa Nova

This lesson will focus on a very basic bossa nova groove. First we're going to have two very basic high hat patterns. (Of course, one I'm
excluding is just straight 16th notes.) These next two patterns are 16th notes accented on the "and" of each beat, and then 16th notes,
with the "e" of each beat played as an open sound. The clase should occur on the "and" of the beat.

Now, we'll add to basic cross stick patterns. You can play these "as is", and you can also statr the groove on the 2nd measure of each
pattern.

(relatively) Easy Samba Patterns

Here are some ideas for your samba playing. There are so many stories about how I acquired these grooves. Let me just tell you, they
work! 'Nuff said! There are many things to learn from these patterns, the most important is to realize that, as the drummer, your groove
is the most important thing. These patterns groove at medium fast to fast tempos. These four patterns, and many more, can be found in
Practical Applications Pack. Email me for information about purchasing this book.

Working with Paradiddles and Stickings

I've been working with my students, both private and at PIT, with their ability to own some sticking patterns. Know what I mean? It's
important to really understand how your hands work in order to orchestrate stickings on the drum set, or to be able to set up band
figures. Or....just to be able to create new grooves, fills, and other interesting sounds. This exercise utilizes a common permutation of
the single paradiddle, RLLR LRRL. This is a four note phrase. By adding more doubles in between the single strokes at the beginning
and end, I've developed this relatively musical idea. As you will see and hear, the first measure, to br repeated twice, is a phrase of
eight notes. The second measure, also to be repeated twice contains two phrases of six notes followed by one phrase of four notes. Try
and play the doubles as rebounds. That's important! Very important is the sticking. Have fun!

Brasil-Diddles
This is a sticking exercise based on a basic rhythm you can hear and feel coming from certaind styles of Brasil music. The rhythm
pattern is the accented parts of this "exercise". You'll notice that there is a BD/HH pattern underneath the hand pattern. It's a "standard"
Brasilian style BD/HH pattern, used here to enhance your coordination and independence! If you can't do this, then just put both feet
playing quarter or half notes.

Here's just one groove for Baio (Baion).

Following the first groove is another, this one with a back beat. What I'm practicing is playing these grooves with my left hand on the HH
or ride. Both of these grooves have their own ghost note pattern, which really, are very natural things to play. Unfortunately, we have to
work on it. But....it sounds good once you get it!! You can also try playing the BD on the "+" of "2" in each measure. Also, trying getting
an open HH sound where the accent is marked.

Stacked Actors
My classes at the Musicians Institute have been filled with some great music as of late. What I've been doing is finding more modern
music that reflects the influence of latin music. Most of the drummers at PIT won't want to become "latin" drummers, so it's my job to
demonstrate the "why" they should learn about latin music and then, if they're interested, the "how" to learn it. This next groove is a
great example of this concept. This is taken from the song "Stacked Actors" by The Foo Fighters. I believe it's Taylor Hawkins on drums.
This is more or less a "standard" bossa groove, given Western "standards". The interesting thing is that, on the track, the percussion,
probably overdubbed clave, is playing a mirror image of the cross stick of the drums. I have given the assignment to my drummers to
learn the song and have the ability to go from this bossa groove to the seriously rockin' chorus, then back again. This definitely requires
some concentrated study on your part, should you accept this lesson's challenge. (Hint Hint...Do It!)

Hand/Coordination Exercise
By borrowing rhythms from Brazilian music I've come up with many different sticking ideas. I've had a lot of success developing
coordination and interesting solo and fill ideas by using this concept. The accents found in this example come from a basic rhythm
played on the tamborim, a very typical Brazilian instrument. You'll notice the bass drum and hi hat pattern. That gives quite a workout to
your control and coordination.