Surdos in Bahia

In Bahia, surdos are often played with two mallets. Musicians found it easier to play this way if the drumhead was low on their bodies. The standard length for a surdo was 60cm, so the drum hit the ground when worn with the head below the waist. The drums made by the blocos in Salvador got progressively shorter; thus, the Bahia surdo was born.* Today, we can divide surdos into "Rio" (or "Carioca") and "Bahia".

* An alternative to this story was provided by Ron DeFrancesco of Samba Novo: In Bahia, the Surdo sizes were determined by the availability of the raw materials in the steel factory yards. This made the drums more cost effective. They simply adopted these dimensions over the years because the shallow drums were plentiful. But Ilê Aiyê and Olodum, and others did use the deeper surdos along with the shorter ones back in the '80s.

I became interested in the Bahia surdos in 1999, and decided to give one a try. I knew it would be lighter and less cumbersome than a Carioca surdo, but I wondered how much volume was lost by reducing the depth of the shell. I got a chance to play one in a parade in México. Not only was it easier to wear and march with than my deeper ones, but the volume didn't seem to suffer at all. It was my moment of enlightenment. I ordered my first one within a few weeks.

Theoretically, one disadvantage of the shallower surdo is a loss of resonance. I'm not sure if this is true, because other factors can determine resonance, such as the heads and thickness of the shell. It's hard to compare my taller drums directly with the shorter ones.

As the music of Bahia began to evolve into new popular styles, like samba reggae and axê, the top instrument-makers of Brazil started adding the new surdo style to their catalogs. The first I saw was by Gope, who lists a line of shallower aluminum surdos called "Timbalada" on their website. They have heads of all sizes, and are 50cm (19.5") deep. This may have been the first São Paulo company to offer a Bahia-style surdo.

RMV added the "Nordeste Line" to their product list, including 18", 20", and 22" surdos in a 40cm (15.8") depth. This is an excellent size for a surdo, and RMV makes fine drums. Unfortunately, I have heard this line has been discontinued. Contemporanea has a new line of shallow surdos called the "Axê Line" that are 50cm (20") deep. The latest to move into this area is Bauer, who now offers 45cm (18") deep surdos up to 24" in diameter.

At the time I got my first Bahia surdo, I had to have it custom-made in Long Beach, California. The maker of my Bahia-style surdo, Alvaro Aguiar of SambaLá samba school, told me that the shallower style is beginning to show up on the streets of Rio.

For me, I find them easier to carry about, store, and fit into my small car. Plus, I'm not a terribly tall person. I recommend these drums to any surdo player who plays in the Bahia style.

In general, surdos in the blocos of Bahia are more active than in other parts of Brazil, with flourishes of staccato rapid-fire and punchy double beats that require the use of two mallets.

Samba reggae, developed in Bahia, usually features a characteristic staccato drum roll among the lead surdo parts. Because the parts are divided among drums of different tuning, the combined rhythm has a melodic quality.

Typically the surdos of the blocos afros are broken into three-to-five parts. The lowest drum plays the low marcação, also known as Fundo I, which may be the first or second beat. The second-lowest drum, Fundo II, plays the alternating high marcação. These drums are often both 24". Onstage, Timbalada mounts three large surdos with mylar or napa heads for its single marcação player. Patterns are interspersed with the marcação. These parts, known in Bahia as virada or dobra, are played on smaller surdos, between 18" and 22" in diameter.

Grande of Olodum playing marcação on a 24" surdo
in San Diego

Ilê Aiyê has five parts, including Fundo I, Fundo II, two dobras, and a martelo ("hammer"). This part, in which all four downbeats are played, is performed on a 22" surdo with a napa head. I'm not sure the purpose of this part, but I have been trying it with our surdo section.

Standard sizes for blocos afros run from 24" diameter by 50cm (20") deep down to 18" by 40cm (16"). Olodum has some 22" drums that are only only 35cm (14") deep. As Bahia samba developed in the '80s and '90s, the tuning also got noticeably higher and brighter, sounding almost more like a tom drum than a bass drum. It has gotten to the point where Bahia drums and playing style have completely diverged from those of samba.

While the samba schools in Rio wear their surdos on shoulder slings, Bahia blocos tend to wear their surdos low on the waist to make two-handed playing easier. Since it is more comfortable than the shoulder sling, sambistas outside Brazil seem to favor this position for Bahia and batucada samba styles of play.

The shallower shells of Bahia lend themselves well to this arrangement, as it allows the drumheads to be lower on the body and the drummer's arms to be more relaxed while playing.

A downside of wearing your surdo from the waste is that you get bruises for the drum hitting your legs. Many surdo players have taken to wearing shinguards and/or knee pads to protect the legs. Another downside is that it is much easier to march with a drum slung over your shoulder. Surdos worn in front making walking difficult.

Surdo frontmen of Timbalada like their surdos very low. Click to enlarge.

Stunts and Visual Routines

In Bahia stage shows and even parades, surdo players often provide visual entertainment timed with their rhythms. These antics may be done with the mallets or the surdos themselves. How many of you surdo players can resist twirling or spinning your mallets?

No one puts on a greater show than Olodum. Almost invariably, Olodum stage shows feature five surdo players. The two fundo (marcação) drummers, in particular, have very simple parts to play and have a lot of space to play Chinese acrobat. They juggle their mallets and toss them back and forth. In one effective routine, they bounce the right mallet off the drumhead (on the beat), pass the other mallet from their left to their right hand, and catch the first mallet in their left in time for the next beat.

Olodum in Perlournho Square

The other three virada (fill) players do all sorts of shenanigans with their mallets, often in unison. The most-impressive is when they do complicated visual routines while seamlessly incorporating their contributions to the rhtyhm.

Routines and stunts like these are popular among most of the Bahia stage baterias. Timbalada closely choreographs their routines, performed by almost all of the percussionists, to the breaks, choruses, and phrases of the music.

Surdos are of simple construction. Most Bahia surdos are made of metal, especially steel. Tuning is by about seven or eight steel rods that connect the two heads. The heads are nearly always plastic or napa (see below). The drums come in a variety of sizes, with a head diameter from 16" to 24". The standard has a head diameter of 20 to 24 inches (50 to 60 centimeters).

In Bahia, the birthplace of samba and home of samba-reggae, bands like Olodum, Ilê Aiyê, and Timbalada use surdos that have large heads and bodies that are shallower than they are wide. They are generally 16" to 20" deep and can be worn lower on the player's body.

After a close look at their surdos, it looks like Olodum lines the insides of their shells with thin, plastic insulation, presumably to reduce "tinniness."

For those rare individuals who have the inclination to discuss surdos, perhaps no other subject gets debated more than which kinds of heads or mallets to use. Since we're looking at the drums themselves on this page, this section is about heads.

Production Bahia-style surdos from companies like Contemporanea, Gope, and Bauer (Raul) are sold with white nylon heads. Some have napa heads installed (see below). Since surdo players all over the world have different tastes in sound, they often opt to replace the production heads. This is an easy process because the Brazilian companies conform to universal US drumhead sizes. Therefore, surdos are often marketed with the depth expressed in metric units (like 60cm) and the head diameter in inches (like 20"). The most popular alternatives as replacements are designed for drum kit bass drums and floor toms.

White Nylon Heads
The standard plastic head for Brazilian stick drums is the ubiquitous white nylon that bears the company logo. These heads produce a thin, "plasticky" sound. While North Americans and Europeans tend to replace these white heads with clear Mylar heads, the nylon is most common for plastic heads among Brazlian bands. Olodum, Timbalada, and Ilê Aiyê have them on most of their drums. Nylon heads make great resonator (lower) heads in combination with heavy Mylar heads (see next).

The plasticky sound that produces so many overtones can be reduced by adding a damping patch (see below).

Clear Mylar Heads
For a heavier sound with less overtones, you can replace the nylon heads with clear Mylar (polyester) designed for drum kits. The most popular are the models that produce a heavy, "dark" sound, from such companies as Remo (Pinstripe, Powerstroke, or Emperor), Evans (Hydraulic), and Aquarian, (Super-Kick, Impact, and the Performance series). Most of these heads feature two layers, sometimes with oil in between, which dampens the sound. Mylar is turning up more often in Brazil these days, and some of the Brazilian head producers manufacture them now. In my experience, these heavy heads seem to sound best when used in combination with a white nylon head on the bottom as a resonator.

Artificial Leather Heads
Some companies, Remo and RMV most notably, produce synthetic durmheads that mimic leather in both sound and appearance. Remo pioneered this technology with their Fiberskyn line. Now in its third generation, this head is getting a reputation for its warm sound, clarity, and the usual weather-cheating abilities of plastics.

Napa Heads
In Bahia, some drummers reduced unwanted overtones that their plastic drumheads produced by placing a a sheet of Naugahyde or vinyl across a standard drumhead and clamping it down with the retaining ring (counterhoop). The resulting sound is a clean "note" when struck with a mallet. These have become known as napa heads. The napa dampens the sound considerably, removing almost all highs and overtones. Because the highs are removed, the tone sounds low, even when the drum is tuned rather tightly. A drum with a napa tuned low has a truly deep, rich sound you feel in your stomach. Unlike leather, napa is waterproof, and can be used in all weather.

Today, you can buy a napa head made as a unit, with a simple polyester sheet covered by Naugahyde clamped in the same flesh hoop. Contemporanea, RMV and Gope, and Remo all produce them. They come in a variety of beautiful, sometimes striking, colors. My 22" is red with gold paisleys.

With their wonderful sound, napas have their fair share of disadvantages. One is that a surdo so equipped is not as loud as one with a skin or plastic head. This means you have to slug it quite a bit harder with your mallet, which tires you out quicker. I personally rarely use a napa for outdoor performances, although many other people do.

Another problem is lack of rebound. They tend to absorb the impact of the mallet. Napas are not the best for fast, staccato drum rolls or complicated leads. They are also abrasive, and wear down mallets and even your hand if you use it to dampen your drum head (which takes more effort with a napa, by the way). They also add weight to a drum.

In spite of the drawbacks, napa heads are very popular today among the bands in Bahia. They are principally used for marcação drums, and are common in axé pop stage shows. They becoming increasingly popular in Europe and North America. Some bands equip all their surdos with napas.

Damping Patches
If you want a darker, cleaner sound, and you are using nylon or one-ply Mylar heads, you can use foam rubber and/or cloth tape to make a damping patch. This is a surprisingly effective, and cheaper, alternative to thick, two-ply heads. I use them myself near the edge of my drumheads.

Damping patches remove overtones, give quicker decay (shorten the sustain), and slightly lower the drum's volume. You can experiment with different sizes and materials until you get the sound you want. You can stick them on top surface for easy maintenance, or on the inner surface to get them out of the way and make your drum look cleaner. Another alternative is the stretch adhesive tape across the center of the playing surface. Some players have huge sunbursts of tape across their drumheads. This can be done on the bottom head as well.

Big Surdos require big patches.

Patches are especially useful for the white nylon heads. If you want the high playability of this material, but don't like the excessive overtones, a patch will help you get a better sound and enjoy the tight stick response these heads award.

Personal Experience
I have had all of the types mentioned above on my Bahia-style surdos except the artificial leather heads. Each type has its function. Some provide a deep, resonant bass; some a sharp, crisp lead. Ironically, after trying of of these often high-tech heads, for my 20" lead drum, I have gone back to the white nylon that all of my drums were delivered with. In big parades, I use them on all of my drums. I am even buying more of them to stock up. I have three reasons.

First of all, after listening to hours of Bahia samba, I have gotten used to the sound of thin nylon. Unlike the thick Mylar heads, they have a tone, a character, a sound quality. Maybe you could call it a "voice". None of the other types, except the leather (and maybe synthetic leather) really have a "voice".

The light heads play better than the thick ones. The Mylar and napa heads absorb a lot of the energy of my falling mallets. There is more rebound in the nylon. I find that it takes noticeably less effort to play them.

Lastly, they simply project better than the others. The heavy heads are muffled and require a powerful impact to be heard. This is especially true of the Aquarians and napas, less so with the Remo heads. For open-air performances, such as parades, this is an important consideration.

On all my large surdos equiped with nylon, I use a damping patch. For the big 24" fundo drums, I use a thick foam rubber patch with copious duct tape. On smaller drums I use a little felt and less tape to shorten the sustain. The patches reduce most of the drawbacks of the white nylon.

In most other situations, I use different heads on each drum to bring out different qualities. I still keep the nylon head on the 20" for the reasons above. I've tried heavier heads and they just don't have the brightness or bounciness for a lead surdo.

Even though all my drums currently have white nylon, I sometimes change my heads for occasions. On my 22", a drum used for many different roles, I use a black Evans Hydraulic. I use this head for no other reason than it just sounds best on this drum. I've had probably twenty different heads on this surdo, and this just fits it perfectly. On my 24" Bauer, I have fallen in love with the sound of the Remo Pinstripe. It has a great combination of a strong sound, reduced overtones, and a certain amount of playability.

Bahia Arrangements

In different parts of Brazil, with different styles of percussion ensembles, players have developed arrangements of surdos that work best for them. Do you want to emulate a certain style? Here is a typical lineup for baterias in Bahia.

There is a lot of flexibilty for samba reggae. The arrangement above has the martelo, which is a feature of Ilê Aiyê and some other bands. In fact, each band has their own special lineup.

For portability, smaller is better, of course. Tiny drums are easier to transport and wear during play. They also take up less room at home. Heads are cheaper and shells are stronger at the same thickness. However, the main reason for large drums is loudness (not to mention potential advertizing space). Also, large drums have a wider useful tuning range than small ones.

Pitch is a relative thing. Usually, in a bateria with multiple surdos, you want to tune them differently. Each size drum has a comfortable range for its head diameter. Too tight, the sound has no fullness and dies very quickly. Too loose, it will sound/feel mushy and lose volume. Thus, in a small bateria, you may want each drum to have a different head diameter.

In big bands that want to play loudly, the three standard sizes for samba-reggaeare 20", 22", and 24". This gives you the virada leads and two big fundos. For instance, if you are in a band that has a 20" and a 24", you might want to buy a 22". For bands that don't care to create cracks in their community's masonry, you can choose a range of smaller drums, like 16", 18", and 20". Players with back problems will appreciate that.

I have experience with a few brands of surdo, and here is my personal take on them:

Bauer (Raul)
High quality. My second surdo was a Raul (now Bauer) from a wholesaler in Georgia (who is no longer an official distributor). I bought it from a catalog. I had heard they make good timbals and congas. When it arrived, I was quite impressed. There was NO seam. The shell was made as a tube! The rest of the drum was just as well-crafted. I was able to buy a Bauer Bahia (45cm deep) surdo, special order, from Espirito Drums in San Francisco (then a distributor of Bauer). It has a seam, but it is still high quality. The main downside to Bauer's surdos is that they are heavy. My band, Diaspora, has four of these.

Special Considerations:

• Heavy
• Shell leaves aluminum stains on clothing
• Lugs may loosen during play if drum tuned too low

Contemporanea
Contemporanea is a (relatively) high-quality instrument. It has one of the best sounds I've heard among surdos. They make a wide range in aluminum, from 14" to 24". Available in the US at Espirito Drums, BrazilDrums and Earth Vibe. For Bahia, they make a 50cm tall series called the "Axê Line" in 20", 22", and 24". You can't go too wrong with Contemporanea; they are a good choice.

Special Considerations:

• None

Gope
Gope seems to be a standard drum for world samba bands. European samba bands seem to use instruments from this company more than any other. When I first published this page in about 2000, I questioned their quality. But recently I have seen their newer surdos, and they seem to be well manufactured. In the Netherlands, there is an importer called Redondo Música that seems to be a big supplier of Gope in Europe. Gope has a line of 50cm tall Bahia surdos, called "Timbalada", which my band, Diaspora, has four.

Special Considerations:

• Well-reinforced shell. May reduce dents

RMV
RMV had a "Nordeste" line of shallow 40cm Bahia surdos. My band ended up with four of them, and they quickly became my favorites. They are so light (and possibly weak) and have a nice sound. Unfortunately, I have heard that RMV has discontinued the Nordestre line. I am heartbroken. Luckily, I managed to buy the last two at BrazilianPercussion.com. If anyone from RMV is reading this: Make these drums again! All RMV surdos have a unique tuning system that dispenses with separate nuts. Craftsmanship is among the best. My band, Diaspora, has two.

Special Considerations:

• Rods screw into fixed nuts--less flexibilty for repairs/customizing and weaker than standard tuning
• No ribs for rigidity