Surdos for Samba, Batucada, & Enredo

Still the most common surdos are those designed for samba as it is played in Rio de Janeiro. They are large and deep and play the foundation of samba, enredo, and sometimes pagode. Similar drums are used all over Brazil and the world for various musical styles.

Surdos are of simple construction, with wood, steel, or aluminum shells. Tuning is by steel rods that connect the two heads. The heads are plastic, calf skin, or napa (see below). The drums come in a variety of sizes, with a head diameter from 14" to 29". The standard has a head diameter of 20 to 24 inches (50 to 60 centimeters), although in the Sambadrome during Carnaval the standard is more like 24 to 29 inches. At least one drum maker calls the largest size a "maracanã", which is the name of a huge football stadium in Rio. The traditional depth of a full-sized surdo is about 60cm (24").

In a bateria, surdos play multiple parts. In Carioca samba, there are usually three. The marcação primeira, or marcão ("marking") is the lowest, and plays the second beat. The marcação segunda, or reposta ("answering") is tuned a little higher, and plays the first beat. The centrador, or cortador ("cutter") plays a more elaborate rhythm, called a corte, to add some swing to the surdo lines. This surdo part, the marcação tercero, is often the highest of the three.

Representing the middle of the size spectrum, a surdo with a  20" diameter head is perhaps the most versatile, but to get a powerful sound that fills the streets in an outdoor parade, the marcão may be a 24" drum, the reposta a 22", and the cortador an 18 or 20". The smaller sizes are popular for indoor performances or for people who have to transport their drums in small cars.

This playing style works particularly well for the long parades during Carnaval, when the drum can be worn over the shoulder, to one side, which allows the player's legs to be free for marching.

Mallet maker Marko Edwards performs on his 28" Artcelsior

Generally, the escolas de samba in Rio de Janeiro wear their surdos over the shoulder. This is a good position for playing with one hand, and certainly makes marching easier. The drums are worn high and played with a rather short mallet.

The downside of this arrangement is that wearing a huge steel drum over your shoulder can lead to blood loss in your playing arm, very sore shoulders, and abrasions on your neck. Also, if you choose to play with two mallets, it can be very ackward in this position.

Surdos are of simple construction, with wood, steel, or aluminum shells. Tuning is by steel rods that connect the two heads. The heads are plastic, calf skin, or napa (see below). The drums come in a variety of sizes, with a head diameter from 14" to 30". The standard has a head diameter of 20 to 24 inches (50 to 60 centimeters). At least one drum maker calls the largest size a "maracanã", which is the name of a huge football stadium in Rio.

The traditional depth of a full-sized surdo is about 60cm (24"). But, 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 those used in the Carnaval parades of Rio. They are generally lighter and can be worn lower on the player's body. More about Bahia Surdos

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 surdos from companies like Contemporanea, Gope, and Bauer (Raul) are sold with calf-skin or 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.

Leather Heads
First off, a true traditional Rio samba surdo has natural leather heads. If you're a purist, look no further.

The original surdo heads were made of the hides of cattle or goats. Musicians wrapped the hide around rings, called flesh hoops. These are still common, but today you can get calfskin pre-mounted on aluminum flesh hoops from all of the major Brazilian companies. Calfskin produces a rich tone, still unmatched by plastics and synthetics. It also provides a nice stick response. Calfskin is still very popular for the Rio bands, but plastic has mostly replaced them in Bahia. The main disadvantage of natural heads is that they are easily affected by weather. Wet and cool weather softens and loosens them. You cannot play them in the rain, although Brazilians do anyway. However, if you are willing to give your drum extra care and submit yourself to the whims of the weather gods, they sound beautiful and feel good to play. Goatskin is used as well. It gives a mellower sound, but is more delicate is affected by dampness and cold even more than calf.

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. 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
Probably begun in Bahia, napa heads have spread throughout Brazil and the world. They were developed when 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. They are principally used for marcação drums, some bands use them on all their surdos. They becoming increasingly popular in Europe and North America.

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

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.

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 played samba with mylar, napa, and calfskin heads. If I was a regular player of this style, I would definitely use the calfskin. I have heard that artificial leather heads are excellent, so I would keep a pair onhand if I had to play in wet conditions. The napas sound beautiful, however.

If you are open to all sorts of drumheads, you might find through experimentation that each drum has an ideal head for it. On my 22", a drum used for many different roles, I often 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. I use this drum for macação only.

Samba/Batucada/Enredo 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 are typical lineups for three of Brazil's regions.

Of course, like most people, you may not want to carry a huge 29" drum in a parade or carry it on a bicycle. The 24"/22"/20" combination works great for a Rio samba bateria.

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 are 20", 22", and 24". For Carioca samba, this gives you a high and low marcação and a lead, or corte. 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:

Artcelsior
The quintessential Rio Carnaval drum, Artcelsior surdos are now available online. I'm sorry, I have little experience with these drums yet, so I can't comment on quality. But I included them here for completeness. From what I hear, these are the most-popular surdos for the major escolas de samba for the Sambadrome parades during carnaval. One thing great about them is that they make sizes larger than 24" (26" and 29"). BrazlianPercussion.com now has ArtCelsiors in all sizes with wrapped natural leather heads (as opposed to pre-mounted on flesh hoop rims). Very cool. The coolness factor alone is a good reason to find one of these, especially if you are into the Rio scene.

Special Considerations:

• Heavy
• Wrapped hide heads
• No ribs for rigidity

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. The main downside to Bauer's surdos is that they are heavy.

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, wood, and masonite, from 14" to 24". Available in the US at Espirito Drums, BrazilDrums, and Earth Vibe. 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. They make aluminum and wood drums. In the Netherlands, there is an importer called Redondo Música that seems to be a big supplier of Gope in Europe.

Special Considerations:

• Well-reinforced shell. May reduce dents

Quirino
I have no experience with Quirino surdos. The company's timbals are popular, but of cheap construction.

Special Considerations:

• Unknown

Remo
Remo makes a surdo. They're attractive and practical, but not for players who are interested in authenticity. Unlike standard surdos, Remos have separate tuning for each drum head. This is great for people who enjoy tuning their drums to maximize performance, but extra work for players who don't like to fiddle with tuning. I don't have much personal experience with Remo surdos, but I have a special section about them here.

Special Considerations:

• Heavy
• Independent tuning

RMV
RMV surdos have a unique tuning system that dispenses with separate nuts. Craftsmanship is among the best. They are distributed through Latin Percussion dealers (LP) in the US.

Special Considerations:

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

Takto
Some members of my band have aluminum surdos from a company called Takto. I'm not impressed with these particular drums. They sometimes have problems with the seam in the shell not quite lining up evenly, which affects the seal around the drum head. Perhaps the company has improved their quality recently, but I haven't see any surdos at all on their website.

Special Considerations:

• Questionable quality
• No ribs for rigidity