Bossa Nova, Samba

February 22nd, 2010 by admin

The Bossa Nova

From Brazil, this beat is similar to the common Latin Jazz beat, the Samba. The difference is in the ride cymbal pattern. The Bossa Nova has straight eighth notes on the bell, and the Samba is broken up into groups of three eighth notes. Since there is no break in the bell pattern it can limit you to how fast you can play the Bossa Nova.

Let it be known though, that some Brazilian drummers can play those straight eighth notes quite fast.

Here’s the basic Bossa Nova beat for drum set:

Play the snare rhythms on the rim with the side stick.

There are a lot of recordings where the drummer plays the ride cymbal evenly with no accents.

Try placing an accent on 2, and 4.  Also try playing the bell on 2, and 4, and the rest on the middle of the ride cymbal.

Once you have a strong understanding and are comfortable playing this basic beat try some of the alternate snare rhythms.

3/2 Son Clave

2/3 Son Clave

The Samba

Now that you’re comfortable with Bossa Novas, the transition to the Samba should be less difficult. Below is the standard Samba beat for drumset:

As you can see the only difference is one eighth note is missing in the ride cymbal. When you add the snare drum, either with a side stick or snare strike, the Samba comes together.

Play the Samba rhythm above and add the following snare rhythms. Try playing them on the snare, then as a side stick on the rim.