The surdos characterise the sound of the baterias in Salvador. They provide the thick base for the other high pitched instruments. The surdos outnumber any other group of instruments. They dominate many intros and breaks.
In Bahia there are two ways to play the surdo: with one or two mallets. The beat is marked with one mallet, as in Rio samba. Dobras, on the other hand, play fast 16th notes or sometimes 32nd notes in the breaks. To play these cleanly and with the right swing, you need good control of the mallets.
Surdos are the dominant instruments in the baterias of Salvador. The surdos often make up half of all the instruments in the groups. The beat surdos for '1' and '2' are called fundos in Salvador. Sometimes these fundos are accompanied by a surdo called a martelo, which beats the beat continuously. There are also the rolling or accentuating 'dobras', high-pitched surdos with a smaller diameter, usually played with 2 sticks.
The surdos are always fitted with synthetic heads as batter and resonance heads. The Martelo voice is often played on surdos covered with nappa skins.
Surdos with a short shell are typical of Bahia. Shell heights between 40 and 45 cm are the most common.
The exception is the olodum: surdos with 60 cm high shells are used. They are played on medium-hard sticks with a handle made of light wood or aluminium tubing.
The head of the dobra beater is usually smaller and harder than that of the fundos. The shells of the instruments are usually painted.
The colours of the group, typical symbols in an African aesthetic or even pop designs with tropical fruits or wild ornaments can be admired on the instruments. The surdo players have a strong presence on stage. Almost always in motion, they attract attention with complex choreographies or artistic interludes.
As the surdo is often worn low on the body in Blocos Afro and Samba Reggae, the use of a hip belt with one or two open hooks is recommended. Beat surdo players perform various, often elaborate, choreographies. Lifting the surdo up while playing is particularly popular. To do this, the belt must remain attached to the body and the surdo must be easy to unhook and hook.
Beaters with a medium-hard head are suitable for the plastic heads of surdos. The low playing position requires beaters with a long handle. Top-heavy beaters are preferred. Light woods are used for the handle. Aluminium tubes are an alternative. The aluminium tube is wrapped with a band or fitted with a plastic handle for a more secure grip.
The Bahia Grooves use synthetic drum heads for percussion and resonance. Nappa heads are a speciality. Here an extra layer of artificial leather is applied over a normal synthetic skin. This second layer muffles the overtones and boosts the bass frequencies, but reduces the clarity of the attack.
Surdo heads
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Bei den Bahia Grooves kommen als Schlag- und Resonanzfell Kunststofffelle zum Einsatz. Eine Besonderheit sind die Nappafelle. Hierbei wird über ein normales Kunststofffell eine zusätzliche Schicht Kunstleder gezogen. Diese zweite Schicht dämpft die Obertöne und verstärkt die Bassfrequenzen, nimmt allerdings dem Anschlag die Deutlichkeit.
Surdo Felle
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