Introduction to Brazilian Ballroom Samba

This is part of my main page of Ballroom Dancing and Music.

Index

Preface

The answers are: No, we do not dance the international style ballroom samba. Yes, we like and enjoy very much the carnaval samba also called ``samba no pé'' (which is not ballroom). Yes, we do have a Brazilian ballroom samba different from both which is very popular.

This essay shows that our ballroom samba, although different from the international style ballroom samba, is indeed a ballroom dance. With this aim its similarity to the well known waltz is explored.

1- Introduction

The basic ideas of the samba music, the rhythm of the dance and one of its basic steps are covered. This will give an idea of the movement. Very important, but not covered here are the posture, the leading, the musicality and all the little features that give what we call in Portuguese the ``ginga'' and which may differ very much from other dances. Briefly, take the waltz posture with some more of hugging (quite more indeed) and do not look to opposite sides, but to each other or both to the left side of the gentlemen, cheek to cheek. Check my main page of Ballroom Dancing and Music for future and previous essays on the subject.

Nevertheless, to really dance samba and know what it is one needs to listen to lots of good samba music and watch good dancers, videos or perhaps have some classes. Keep an eye on a forthcoming video.

Begin the beginning.

2 - The music

Samba is binary (2/4). Nevertheless, two measures are necessary to complete the rhythm of the music. So, students sometimes think of samba as quaternary (4/4). There are mainly two ways of playing samba: with a drum set (like in Jazz or Rock and Roll) or with separated drums and rhythm instruments played by several people. Also a combination of both is possible.

First of all, the notation. The following abbreviations are used:

b = beat
o = off-beat
e = and (``e'' means ``and'' in Portuguese)

b   o   b   o   b   o   b   o   b   (beat, off-beat counting)
1   e   2   e   1   e   2   e   1   (2/4 counting)
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1   (complete counting)

1 ---------> the beats
3 ---------> the off-beats
2 and 4 ---> the syncopes, 
             where 2 is the syncope just after  the beat 
               and 4 is the syncope just before the beat

Drum set style - samba balanço (samba de gafieira)

a) 1   e   2   e   1   e   2   e   1  (two measures)
b) 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1  (complete counting)
c) B     b B     b B     b B     b B  (bass drum)
d)     x       x       x       x      (hi-hat)
e) R r R r R r r R r R r R r R R r R  (right hand)
f) l   l   l     l   l   l   l l   l  (left hand)

On (b) is the complete counting.

(c) is the basic bass drum, where B is strong and b is weak. The bass drum has actually more freedom, producing a bouncing which is already enought to characterize samba, for example:

b) 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1  
c) B     b B     b B b   b B     b B

(e) is the main rhythm played by the right hand on the cow bells, cymbals, hi-hat etc. Capital R is medium sound and small r is low sound and can be omitted for high speed samba (as carnaval samba). There are several variations of this pattern but the most important is to keep the following characteristic: for about one measure, one plays on the beats and off-beats (1 and 3); for about another measure one plays on the syncopes (2 and 4). Nevertheless, care should be taken otherwise a jazz pattern would be produced, like

b) 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 
e) R   R   R     R   R   R R       R  (to be avoid)

b) 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 
e) R r r R r r R r r R r r R r r r R  (Bossa Nova)
or
e) R r r R r r R r r r R r r R r r R  (Bossa Nova)

Finally, (f) is the left hand playing crossed on the rim of the snare drum. It actually is quite free on the drums etc or can sometimes repeats the pattern of the right hand as shown.

The drum set tries to mimic a whole set of percussionists with several drums and other percussion instruments. It is usual to have together with the drum set, another percussionist with ``tumbadoras'' (conga drums), which gives a more primitive and bounced samba sound.

Taking the 2/4 counting (and the bass drum)

a) 1   e   2   e   1   e   2   e   1 
c) B     b B     b B     b B     b B

Samba partido alto

Samba ``partido alto'' is a rightly bounced samba, very traditional, with traditional instruments and may be the more bounced and the best form to listen or to dance either Brazilian ballroom samba or ``samba no pé''.

Samba de enredo

What to listen to

``Samba balanço'' sometimes comes on the same CD's as bossa nova. I would suggest drummers like ``Wilson das Neves'', ``Milton Banana'', and some orchestras (big bands) like ``Maestro Carioca'', ``Raul de Barros'', and ``Tabajara'' and also small groups like that of ``Zé da Velha''. About bossa nova, ``Vinicius de Moraes'' and ``Tom Jobin'' are easy to find outside Brazil.

``Samba de enredo'' is the easiest to find outside Brazil. Look for old stuff (before 75 or so). One should try also the percussionist ``Luciano Perrone'' who has great drum music of many kinds of samba.

Begin the beginning.

3 - The rhythm of the dance

Waltz music is usually 3/4, that is, ternary, that is, 3 beats per measure. The dance rhythm is quite simple: a step for each beat, i.e., beat, beat, beat (for beginners at least).

Rumba music is quaternary, i.e., 4 beats per measure. The rhythm of dance rumba is, using our previous notation:

a)    1   e   2   e   3   e   4   e   1  (one measure)
b)    1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1  (complete counting)
c)    r       l   r   l       r   l  (r) (right and left feet)

I think that the rhythm of its steps is one of the main characteristics of a dance. When you think about waltz you immediately come with the `one two three' steps into your mind. When you think about rumba you think slow, quick, quick etc, in whichever notation you like.

So, how is samba (the Brazilian ballroom samba, the ``samba de gafieira'')? It has, as waltz, rumba, and any other dance, many different rhythms for the steps, depending on the step. In what follows, some of them are shown, in two or three different notations (so you can pick up the notation you like better). Although left and right feet are shown, it really does not matter which is each, a long as the dancer alternates the feet. The forms 1 and 2 are the most suitable for the basic steps; the others (including 1 and 2) are used on more advanced movements.

Form 1 (off-beat )

a)    1   e   2   e   1   e   2   e   1  (two measures)
b)    1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1  (complete counting)
c)    l       r   l   r       l   r  (l)
d)    l   r   l       r   l   r      (l)

Form 2 (syncopate )

a)    1   e   2   e   1   e   2   e   1  (two measures)
b)    1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1  (complete counting)
c)    l     r l       r     l r      (l)
d) (l)r       l     r l       r     l(r)

Form 3 (beat)

a)    1   e   2   e   1   e   2   e   1  (two measures)
b)    1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1  (complete counting)
c)    r       l       r       l      (r)

Form 4 (full syncopate)

a)    1   e   2   e   1   e   2   e   1  (two measures)
b)    1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1  (complete counting)
c) (l)r     l r     r l     l r     r l

Form 5 (mixture)

Form 6 (samba no pé)

And finally, the basic of ``samba no pé'':

a)    1   e   2   e   1   e   2   e   1  (two measures)
b)    1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1  (complete counting)
c)    r l r   l r l   r l r   l r l  (r)
c) (r)l r   l r l   r l r   l r l   r(l r)

Begin the beginning.

4 - The steps

• R means right foot and L means left foot
• f means forward and b means backward
• s means a step to the side of the other foot, either close, apart or crossed (as in the left turn)

• Right turn: Rf Ls Rs Lb Rs Ls (turning to the right)
• Left turn: Lf Rs Ls Rb Ls Rs (turning to the left)

The rhythm of waltz dance could be written as:

a) 1   2   3   1   2   3   1          (two measures)
b) 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1  (complete counting)
c) l   r   l   r   l   r  (l)         (waltz steps)

Now, to transform this into samba, the measures are stretched in order to introduce another beat between the first and the second beat. Therefore, the ``1 2 3'' becomes ``1 X 2 3'' where ``X'' is the extra beat introduced. Afterwards, the beats ``X'' and ``3'' are transformed into off-beats to get ``1 e 2 e '' which is the samba binary measure (remember that ``e'' means ``and''). The figure bellow describes whole the process.

a) 1   X   2   3   1   X   2   3   1  (2 waltz measures stretched)
b) 1   e   2   e   1   e   2   e   1  (two samba measures)
c) 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1  (complete counting)
d) l       r   l   r       l   r  (l) (waltz steps)

From the off-beat form of samba, one can pass to the syncopate form by shifting the ``1 3'' to earlier, precisely to ``4 1'', as explained when the the syncopate form was introduced.

The other rhythm forms of samba described at the previous section are not often used on the basic step, but on more advanced steps.

Keep in mind that only some features of samba was described. This alone does not characterize the dance as said at the introduction.

Begin the beginning.

De 16/02/1998 vi estas la vizitanto