What is The Samba Experience?

Click here to listen to samba batucada - the rhythm we play in
The Samba Experience workshop.

The Samba Experience is a carnival style Brazilian drumming workshop that is innovative, unique and most of all fun! Can you imagine your group performing a tight Samba for the rest of the company? This is absolutely attainable in this energetic, fast paced and entirely “hands-on” workshop using Brazilian rhythms and instruments. No prior musical knowledge is needed, just energy and enthusiasm.

The session normally lasts 90 minutes, and at the end, the group will be energised and ready to perform a samba batucada with an intro, breaks and a powerful ending, either as a band to an audience or as an asset to your company.

The Samba Experience is different from other drum workshops using African rhythms and instruments. Samba is the carnival music of Brazil... The workshops incorporate simple and achievable rhythms - played together they produce a powerful groove. Guaranteed to be the highlight of any program.

All drum workshops should build motivation and encourage teams as well as being enjoyable.The Samba Experience difference is that it also offers:

• The opportunity to play four differnet rhythms on four different instruments
• A model of leadership methods
• Communication skills
• Inter-departmental communication
• Individuals' roles and responsibilities
• Creativity and risk taking

The workshop

After introductions and some fun and relevant warm ups of body and hands, the group will be split in four sections to play the following instrumments:

·   Surdos, the big bass drums
·   Tambourims, the higher pitched hand held drums
·   Ganzas, the Latin shakers
·   Agogos, the pitched bells

Each section plays a different rhythm that together create a Samba Batucada.

After the leader has introduced the 'Call to Stop', each section will move round to the next group of instruments (the Surdo players will go to the Tams, Tam players to Ganzas, etc.)

When the group is swinging again, a new 'call' will be explained, mastered and then each group will move round again. By the end, everyone will have played all instruments.