| Samba music is very diverse and it's difficult to define. | | | | century. There is in fact a set of different samba |
| It is the result of a long simmering mix of heritage from | | | | dances, instead of a single dance. The oldest samba |
| the Portuguese songs, African rhythms, and the fast | | | | dance is samba no pé, which mean foot |
| paced Indian ceremony meeting global influences. In the | | | | samba. Samba no pé is a solo dance. A |
| beginning it was played only with drums and other | | | | modern solo dance is samba axé that was |
| bass beat instruments, but later the acoustic guitar and | | | | invented during Brazilian carnival in 1992. There also |
| the small Brazilian guitar cavaquinho was added. | | | | exist partner dances like samba de gafieira and |
| There exist many different types of samba rhythms | | | | samba pagode. The ballroom samba is also a partner |
| and samba dances. Samba is on the whole a musical | | | | dance but it has little in common with the original |
| composition made with a syncopated and binary | | | | Brazilian samba dance. |
| rhythm. In addition to this basic samba rhythm, all types | | | | The popular samba of today is influenced by the |
| of samba are put together. | | | | rhythms of jazz and Latin music. It is written in 2/4 or 4 |
| It is important to understand that what we in North | | | | 4 time. The music is cheerful and fast paced with a |
| America and Europe call Samba is often an | | | | sound associated with Rio's Carnival. The basic count |
| umbrella-term that covers several different forms of | | | | is "1 and 2". There are many samba schools which all |
| samba like samba samba-reggae, afro, bloc, maracatu, | | | | teach samba rhythms. |
| baio etc. The phrase "samba" is in Brazil often | | | | Samba is a vibrant and colorful culture that still |
| associated with the carnival in Rio and to a lesser | | | | transforms and is expressed in different ways in |
| extent also Sao Paulo. | | | | various parts of Brazil. There are many gifted |
| Samba can be vigorous and harmonious at the same | | | | musicians in Brazil like Martinho da Vila, Villa Lobos, |
| time. The oldest form of samba is partido alto. Other | | | | Cartola, Edison Machado, Carmen Miranda, Pixinguinha |
| styles are bossa nova, balance, neo pagode, samba | | | | and Walter Wanderley. Other famous players are |
| de breque, samba-canção, samba-enredo, | | | | Milton Banana, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ary Barroso, Bola |
| samba de gafieira and samba de roda. Samba de | | | | Sete, Raul de Souza, Hermeto Pascoal, Joao Gilberto |
| roda is a mix of samba and capoeira. | | | | and Tom Jobim. |
| Samba has been danced in Brazil from the late 19th | | | | |