This lesson material brought to you by Pacific Drums and Persussion

The term Latin music covers a universe of different sounds and rhythms. It’s kind of like the term Rock ‘N’ Roll which applies to a wide variety of styles from funk to punk. When it comes to Latin drumming, most players are aware of Salsa from Cuba and and Samba from Brazil, but there are over 100 different rhythms that are popular in Brazil and there are many other Caribbean, Central and South American styles, too. Drummers have been paying close attention to Cuban music for a long time now, but when they start spending as much effort discovering other Latin rhythms drumming’s going to get even more interesting.

When I first moved to Los Angeles everybody thought I could play any style of Latin music because of my name. Being from Brazil I obviously could play almost any Brazilian groove but I really had to do my homework to learn how to play other styles. I’m still learning.

The African Connection

All Latin music, especially the more widely known Cuban and Brazilian styles, has African roots due to the forced movement of African men, women and children as slaves that occurred during the exploration and colonization of the “new world”. But, because Cuba was also influenced by Spanish culture and Brazil was influenced by Portuguese culture, different forms of music developed independently of one another.

For me, Brazilian music has a lighter and more festive feel while Cuban music is darker and more intense. In addition, most Cuban rhythms such as the Cha-Cha, Rumba and Mambo are all connected to the 3:2 clavé or reverse clavé. In Brazilian music there are hundreds of different rhythms— the Samba, Bossa Nova, Baiao, Marcatu, Lambada, etc.— and no one rhythm that dictates and links all the patterns together.

Simulating Sounds On The Set

However, the drumset can be used to simulate the sounds of the authentic percussion instruments in both Cuban and Brazilian music. The drumset allows one person to play the parts of an entire section. Here is a list of the primary Brazilian percussion instruments and their drumset counterparts:
• Surdo (a large, double headed drum played with a big mallet) - Bass Drum
• Repenique (a small double headed drum played with sticks) - Small Tom or Snare Drum
• Pandeiro (a tambourine-like instrument played by hand) - Snare Drum or Hi-hat
• Ganza (a large shaker) - Hi-Hat
• Tamborim (a small, shallow single headed drum played with a stick) - Tom-Toms
• Agogo (a set of high-pitched bells played with a stick) - Bell of Cymbal
• Cuica (a deep, single headed drum with a friction stick attached to the head) - Effect
Latin music also has a lot of elements in common with rock, R&B and other forms of popular music. I’ve started hearing a lot of Latin-influenced contemporary music and I find myself incorporating Latin rhythms and sounds into my pop playing.

Working with a percussionist

When I’m playing drums with another percussionist, I’m the one who’s driving the bus. I’m sensitive to the percussionist, but he’s the one who has to stay out of my way and not play so busy that he’s stepping on my toes.

On the other hand, when I play percussion my job is to support the drummer. In pop music the percussionist is just adding color. If the drummer is playing a lot of higher pitched instruments then I try to play lower pitched percussion and vice-versa. This is very different from the authentic Latin section where the percussionists carry the beat. In a Salsa band, for example, the timbales, congas and bongos are always in charge.

Therefore, one of the best pieces of advice I can give drummers is to learn percussion as well as drums. That way you’re going to understand and respect each other’s territory from
the start.

Getting in touch with your Latin side

The good news is that you don’t have to be born in South America or the Caribbean to play Latin music. I’d say versatility and an open mind are the first requirements to becoming a working Latin drummer. Anyone that respects, studies and dedicates time to Latin music can play it. Just remember, there’s more to Latin music than Samba and Salsa. There are lots of great teachers, books, CD’s and videos out there. You have no excuse.