Brazilian Bossa Nova or Samba? How to tell the difference
Bossa Nova or Samba? How to tell the difference
Bossa nova and samba are the most well-known Brazilian song styles. As a performer and educator, one of the most asked questions I get is, “What’s the difference between bossa nova and samba?” Well, bossa is one of the samba styles, it’s called bossa nova samba in Brazil. However, if you analyze the two based on harmonic progression, instrumentation, lyrics, and dynamic levels, there are quite a few differences. Bossa nova is played softer: it’s a more intimate style, with gentler vocals, played on acoustic instruments, with the nylon acoustic guitar the main reference for the distinctive bossa “sound.” Samba is usually more uptempo, with upbeat lyrics, but there are slower sambas as well such as samba-canção a styles predecessor of bossa nova. Some samba styles may add electronic instruments, a horn section, and more percussion, and the bands are usually larger.
On the drum set, however, the mechanics of bossa nova and faster sambas are similar. The bass drum/hihat ostinato and their variations are pretty much the same; right hand, left hand pattern combinations use the same phrasings; and solos have the same rhythmic motifs but are different in tempo and dynamics. What is important to keep in mind is that bossa nova is a more sophisticated way to play the samba beat, played with more touch and dynamics. Bossa beats use cross stick on snare drum most of the time; drum fills are simpler and melodic due to the tempo and mood of the style; and tom toms are not used as part of the main beat. Samba beats can be played louder and faster, on a larger kit; grooves may include tom tom “batucada” style patterns; and samba makes more varied use of the snare drum. Bossa nova is never played loud or fast. Note that there are slower samba styles, such as samba canção; and there is a “faster” bossa nova style known as samba jazz. Samba canção is a ballad tempo samba and what became known as samba jazz is the way we play tunes with the jazz improvisational approach, the samba groove, and the bossa nova way to interpret them. Watch the video below for more information!
Being a complete ignorant of playing drums, but loving jazz, smooth jazz and Bossa Nova, I found it quite educative!
Thank you for this! I’m a jazz singer getting more into Latin music. Having you play them is really helpful! I’d love it if your video were to also cut to sample recordings to illustrate these specific styles.
Wow! Such an attractive presentation!
Many thanks for making me understand better the difference between the two!
Bravo!!!!!
Excellent video! The best answer to this question I’ve seen so far! The video and the written text addressed all the major points in a very clear way. The only thing I could think to add is an idea that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, which reflects sambas roots as a dance music. Traditional samba makes you want to dance because, like Afro-cuban music, it emphasizes the concept of tension and release, with one measure being strongly on-the-beat, and the next off-the-beat. Many of the seminal bossa novas recordings by João Gilberto utilized a repeated one measure pattern, thus minimizing and smoothing out the A/B contrast. So, even though it was in 2/4, it didn’t have that same tug between the measures. Similarly, the so-called “bossa nova clave” pattern delays the resolution of tension until the end of the 2 bar pattern. The result is the same as before, a kind of smoothing out of the A/B contrast, resulting in something closer to 4/4 in feel.
Thank you for an explanation that has evaded me for decades! Now it makes sense.
A helpful analogy to the sound distinctness of each is that Bossa Nova sounds like a small shaker with seeds inside should be softly played along, whereas with Samba it’s a sharp, loud arrangement and drums that you would march to in a Carnival parade. No matter what, enjoy the lovely music, whatever you want to call it! 😘🇧🇷🎶