SAMBA LESSON FOR BONGO

The samba originated in the northern Brazilian state of Salvador and then spread to the Caribbean and beyond. Mastering the samba rhythm on bongo is a very important step in fluently playing within the various genres of music from eastern Cuba, as well as hip hop, funk, reggaeton and beyond. In this lesson, I begin by showing the basic samba pattern for the bongo; then I improvise by immersing myself within a matrix which includes afro, samba, merengue and a touch of 6/8 and 5/8 thrown in for good measure. Enjoy!