Surdo Preparation & Maintenance

Tuning a Surdo

In my band, surdos are tuned often. We never know which drums will be in our line-up on a particular day; so we have to tune the drums to each other shortly before most performances. Personally, I seem to always be cranking down on the tuning rods because I like to mess with my drums, changing heads and decorating them.

I recommend tightening a surdo like a car wheel, in a criss-cross pattern. If you start at one point and work around the head, it is possible to pull the head too far to one side or another. Here's a nice guide on the best way to tighten surdo tuning nuts. Once the head is seated and fairly tight, it is time for fine tuning.

Tap the head near the tuning rods with a wrench or other hard object. Using one rod as a guide, tap around the drum near each rod. When the head near a particular rod makes the same note as the guide rod, move to the next one. Go around at least twice, since neighboring tuning rods influence one another. When the head makes the same note all the way around, the drum should have a clean, resonant sound.

There's some discussion in the online samba world (here's one; here's more) about tuning surdos to relative or absolute pitches. Some advocate setting them to a concert pitch (A, D, and E, for instance). Others don't specify a particular key, but want the drums to form a major triad with each other. Then there are some like my band, who tune the drums until they "sound good with each other." 

Almost all surdos have a similar system for mounting and tuning heads. Metal retaining rings are held to the drumshell by long threaded rods tightened with lug nuts. The number of rods can vary from 8 to 12, though I have seen as few as 6 and as many as 16. The nuts are often brass. This is a good idea, because brass is softer than the steel rods; so any damage to the threads usually happens to the cheaper nuts, rather than the rods, which are more difficult to replace.

Normally, the rod ends extend beyond the nuts, presenting a skin-cutting protrusion. Drummers seem to be split about 50/50 on which way to wear the drum: lug nuts up or lug nuts down. Up allows you to tune the drum more easily. Down produces less blood on the drumhead. In Rio, where calfskin heads are the norm, the lugs are usually on top to facilitate the constant tuning needed for natural heads. In Bahia, where drummers prefer plastic heads that require less adjustment, the preference seems to be lugs down.

I also prefer my drum lugs down, which my hands thank me for. In any case, I have reduced the damage done by threaded rod ends through the use of couplers, rather than lug nuts.

To be honest with you, I haven't heard a big difference in surdo drums themselves, especially in an ensemble. The biggest difference, apart from size, is the head. Thin heads, plastic heads, calfskin heads, and napa heads have distinct sounds. But surdos are just big empty cylinders. The quality and construction materials vary the sound a little, but it's not very significant. The reason I say this is: don't worry much about the brand name or condition of the shell. Unless there is significant damage, especially at the bearing edge (rim), any reasonable drum will make a fine booming noise. Aluminum shells, wood shells, steel, plastic, don't worry about it. At least until after we've discussed heads.

Heads
So, let's turn to the heads. Heads make a significant difference in the sound and amount of maintenance of a surdo. The most important thing is to know how the surdo will be used. Will it be a low marcação? High marcação? Cortador? Will you perform fast rolls (staccato)? Outdoors? Indoors? There are four things to consider: materials, diameter, thickness, and modifications (i.e. damping patches).

Heads: Rio
I feel I have to separate Carioca and Bahia surdos because, if you want some kind of authenticity, you are looking for two completely different sounds. In Rio, the heads are normally animal hide, either goat or cow. These can be a hassle, because they require maintenance and tolerance. Consequently, North American, European, and Asian bands are likely to use plastic.

Low Marcação
Obviously, start with a large surdo. A 22" or 24" should do it. But, if you want to really get into it, find a 28" or 29". Get goatskin or calfskin if you can. You get a mellow sound without a lot of overtones. In plastic heads, oiled-filled types like Evans Hydraulic give a the heavy sound you may be looking for. Other choices are Remo Emperors, Powerstrokes, and Pinstripes. I don't dampen my Carioca heads at all. I like a long sustain. Experimenting with a little damping, though, might give you the exact sustain you are looking for, especially in a larger head which tends to sustain longer. Napas are another choice.

High Marcação
For outdoor performance, any drumhead 22" or 24" works well. For indoor playing, a smaller drum will work. If you choose not to go natural, I find standard bass drum heads from Remo, Evans, Aquarian, etc. work fine. The heavier-sounding heads still seem to give the best sound. You still don't want too much overtone. You want a little sustain, however. As with the low drum, napas work well here, too.

Cortador
Ideally, a 16", 18" or 20" drum with nice, tight tuning. It really makes a difference if the stick springs off the head surface. For this surdo part, I like plastic or calfskin heads only, not napas. Overtones are OK, so the heads can be fairly light. Sustain is not OK. I like to put a pretty good-sized patch on a plastic-headed cortador surdo. I like a clear, sharp note. Some players like a sound so sharp, they use a wooden stick to perform cortador.

Heads: Bahia
In Bahia, plastic is the dominant material. There are three kinds: white nylon, clear polyester, and napa. The blocos afros who play samba-reggae like their drums tuned very high.

Fundo (Marcação)
24" plastic heads are standard, but if the other surdos are small, you can use a 22". Both fundo drums should be the largest in the group. They only differ in tuning. The most common is the white nylon. But these require a lot of damping for the Fundo parts. I use a large piece of foam rubber tacked on with heavy amounts of duct tape. You may go for Mylar (polyester) heads. For a heavy sound use oiled-filled heads like Evans Hydraulic. Other choices are Remo Emperors, Powerstrokes, and Pinstripes. These require less damping than the nylon heads, but I still use some. Damp them until they have very little sustain.

Napas are becoming very popular for Fundo. They have a beautiful "wet" sound that is very pure and low. Unfortunately, they are not as loud. They're unbeatable indoors, however. You can buy factory napas from Brazilian drum head makers and Remo, or you can make your own by clamping naugahyde, vinyl, or oil cloth across your standard drumhead. I haven't noticed any difference in sound.

Dobra/Virada (Lead/Fill Surdo)
These are almost exclusively white nylon in Bahia. They use 18", 20", and 22" sizes and usually no damping. I use a little, however to reduce plasticky overtones (see example at right). These drums are tuned very tightly for quick stick response. With the right mallets, you can really play them fast. I notice through the '90s, Olodum increasingly tightened their virada drums as their the tempo of their songs increased. I find that the stick response is best with these heads. The alternative is polyester. Many drummers prefer the sound, because they produce less overtones.

I personally never use napa heads for leads surdos, but many groups do. They give more or a rumbling sound, like thunder. The downside is that they are thick and absorb impact. This means you have to work harder.

Heads: General
The biggest discovery I found was the relative thicknesses of the upper and lower heads. My 20" drum sounded consistently better than my other two, even though all had the same type of upper heads. I tried many things to make my 22" surdos sound as good. Finally, I realized that the 20" had the original thin white nylon head from Contemporanea on the bottom. The others had thicker Remo heads. I replaced those with other leftover thin surdo heads, and the improvement was quite noticeable.

So, I recommend that the upper head be thicker than the lower. My guess is you want the upper head to be able to easily develop a reverberation with the lower one. If the lower head resists too much, the smooth reverberation is interrupted. Something like that.

More About Calfskin
I can't say enough about natural skin heads. Compared to plastic, they almost have a life of their own. Tightly tensioned and struck with a firm stick, they have richness and character in their tone. When tuned lower and struck with a soft mallet, they have a fullness and mellow sustain that drumhead makers have been trying to copy for decades of plastic head research. If you are willing to give them the extra care necessary and put up with their sensitivity to temperature and humidity, I fully recommend natural heads. Perhaps the only other reason not to consider them is if you are trying to reproduce the Bahia sound, which is often plastic or Napa. Rio escolas de samba seem to use them exclusively.

Built-in Damping or Napa Compromise
I have found a drumhead that may be a good substitute if you like the napa sound. A company called Aquarian produces drumheads with a foam ring attached to the inside of the head surface near the rim. There are two series, Super-Kick and Impact. I have not heard another drumhead like them. They have a clean sound with few overtones, but also seem to have volume, two qualities that are hard to find in one head. The internal foam ring dampens the head, but allows a loud, clean beat. The Super Kick I is a one-ply head, and the the Super Kick II is two-ply. Aquarian's other series, called Impact, has more damping (larger foam ring). I wish I could afford to try them as well.

For a while I only had them on my 22" surdos. Playing the 24" side-by-side with them, I became very aware of the powerful, clear sound of the Aquarians. My 24" is not a high quality drum. The rim has some irregularities, and the Evans Hydraulic sounded rather distorted. I later had Super-Kick IIs on all three of my drums. The 24" sounded as good as the other two, so the head must be very forgiving of imperfections in the drum.

The sound of these drumheads seems to be somewhere in between a kit drum head and a napa. If you like the warm quality of the napa and want the performance of the Remos and Evans, you might give them a try.

Choice of Mallets
Mallets are almost as important as heads. Generally, a softer and larger mallet makes a mellower tone appropriate for lower drums; harder mallets provide a crisper, sharper sound with more overtones. For cortador and staccato, the firmer, smaller mallets give a faster response and cleaner sound.

Harder mallets are louder, so they are a good choice for outdoor events like parades.

Mallets come in many lengths from stubby to about 41cm (16"). Generally, the short ones are for drums worn over the shoulder. Medium work well for wearing a drum high at the waist. The long ones are for you samba-reggae players who wear your drums at knee-level.

Shells
Before I finish this, and some of you think I don't have a cultured ear for the beautiful subtle differences between a wooden surdo and an aluminum one, I will add a bit about how the construction material impacts a surdo's sound.

Aluminum shells produce the tinniest sound. Many players like this sound. There is more "ring" and sustain. It is also the loudest. The big São Paulo companies, like Contemporanea, Bauer, RMV, and Gope, choose aluminum for their metal surdos. Because of their loudness and lightness, aluminum surdos are prime for parades. They also don't rust.

Steel creates a sound that is a little "deader" than aluminum, but not as mellow as wood. I know one player who hates the sound of aluminum, and always uses steel. I believe most people choose aluminum over steel more for the lighter weight than for the sound. Artcelsior makes a line of steel surdos. Most actual Rio and Bahia surdos are steel.

Wood produces the richest, softest sound. The downside, other than a little more care, is that it is not as loud as the metal drums. Wooden surdos are popular for indoor performances. Lately, I personally have been moving towards wooden drums. My latest surdo, a 16" Contemporanea, and my alfaias, have wood shells. In any situation where the drum tone can be heard clearly, the sound character of a wooden shell can be appreciated. In a huge bateria of repiniques, agogô, and tamborims piercing eardrums in a parade, the advantages of a wooden shell are lost. You might as well have the louder metal shell. I have never seen a wooden Bahia surdo.

I have a separate section for Remo synthetic surdo shells.

Because surdos are so large, they're a great canvas for artwork. From one solid, bright color, to intricate designs, the appearance of a band can be enlivened by a splash of paint on that huge surface. Particularly striking is a uniform display of the band's colors.

It's quite common for samba bands to decorate their surdos with designs, symbols, band colors, even the band's name.

The Scottish Band Mac-Umba has featured one of their green-white-blue-and-yellow painted surdos on the cover of their CD, BruHuhaho.

Olodum paints all their drums with black, yellow, red, and green bands. Timbalada has tropical flora and fruit, or African-style patterns painted over solid bright colors. Ilê Aiyê has a yellow, red, white, or black base color with designs painted on top.

One can only hope that advertizing agencies don't see the marketing potential. We may one day see a Brazilian sambista in the Sambodrome playing a surdo that resembles a Pepsi or Castrol motor oil can.

I have tried something new for my own drums, based in an idea for temporary wallpaper. I had wanted to add color to my steel surdos. I considered paint, but was cautioned about painting galvanized steel. I have used gift wrapping paper often, but the paper tears rather easily.

Temporary wallpaper can be fashioned from regular clothing fabric. You coat the wall surface with starch, which acts as a glue, then apply the cloth. The cloth stays put until you desire to take it down. Then, you can remove it with ease. The starch cleans off completely. I thought this would be a wonderful idea for decorating my drums. The result is at right.

Another large surface on a surdo is its heads. Remo has made good use of this realization by sponsoring my samba band and supplying us with free heads that had oversized Remo logos on them.

Ilê Aiyê has images silk-screened on their drum heads. The owner of Espirito Drums half-jokingly suggested that the silk-screened images do double-duty to reduce sustain. Click on the image at right to see if you can read their message.

So far, I have found that permanent marking pens do an adequate job for decorating heads. I haven't tried silk-screening yet.