# Batucada Directed — Brazilian Samba Escola with Director's Whistle # Reference: Escola de Samba tradition (Rio de Janeiro Carnaval), Mangueira, Portela, # "The Brazilian Sound" (Chris McGowan / Ricardo Pessanha), # Escola Portela mestre Manoel Dionísio, observations of rehearsal recordings # A variant of the standard Batucada groove that adds the mestre (director) whistle # patterns that guide an amateur escola de samba through the performance. # In a real escola de samba, the mestre de bateria stands in front of the bateria # (percussion ensemble) and signals changes with a metal whistle (apito): # # Signal conventions used in this file: # "ATTENTION" — two short whistles: the bateria should listen for the next signal # "BREAK" — one long whistle: stop the current pattern, play the break # "CHANGE" — three shorts: transition to the next pattern variation # "GROOVE" — short-short-long: return to the main groove after a break # "FREE" — rapid shorts: everyone improvises / plays at maximum energy # # The whistle signals appear in the GROOVE variations below. Each variation represents # a different moment in the escola rehearsal or parade: # main_groove — normal samba batucada, no signal (the reference groove) # attention_signal — mestre calls "attention": two short whistles mid-bar # change_signal — mestre signals "change pattern": three short whistles # groove_return — after a break: "short-short-long" return signal # free_energy — mestre triggers chaos: rapid short whistles + max groove # # The FILL variations show the whistle during breaks and transitions: # break_whistle — the long whistle that triggers the bateria break # reentrada — re-entry after the break, with confirming long whistle # # GM notes: 71=Short Whistle, 72=Long Whistle, # 35=surdo open (beat 1), 36=surdo mute (beat 3), 38=caixa (snare), # 37=tamborim/caixeta, 70=chocalho (shaker), 47=repique (open hi conga), # 56=agogô (cowbell), 42=chimbal (hihat), 49=crash # # ── Step grid notation ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── # Each character in a step grid represents one subdivision of the bar. # Resolution controls how many steps per bar (16 = 16th notes in 4/4). # # X Strong accent — velocity = base_velocity × 1.00 # x Medium accent — velocity = base_velocity × 0.75 # o Soft hit — velocity = base_velocity × 0.55 # g Ghost note — velocity = base_velocity × 0.28 # . Rest — no note fired at this step # # Beat positions — 4/4 at resolution 16 (one char per 16th note): # pos 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 # 1 e1 +1 a1 2 e2 +2 a2 3 e3 +3 a3 4 e4 +4 a4 # ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── name: Batucada Directed family: latin bpm_range: [110, 150] time_signature: [4, 4] resolution: 16 feel: straight instruments: surdo_open: { note: 35, base_velocity: 110, velocity_range: 8, timing_jitter: 0.010, duration_beats: 0.20 } surdo_mute: { note: 36, base_velocity: 95, velocity_range: 10, timing_jitter: 0.012, duration_beats: 0.12 } caixa: { note: 38, base_velocity: 85, velocity_range: 18, timing_jitter: 0.012, duration_beats: 0.08 } tamborim: { note: 37, base_velocity: 95, velocity_range: 14, timing_jitter: 0.014, duration_beats: 0.07 } repique: { note: 47, base_velocity: 90, velocity_range: 12, timing_jitter: 0.014, duration_beats: 0.08 } agogo: { note: 56, base_velocity: 85, velocity_range: 10, timing_jitter: 0.012, duration_beats: 0.07 } chocalho: { note: 70, base_velocity: 65, velocity_range: 12, timing_jitter: 0.020, duration_beats: 0.06 } chimbal: { note: 42, base_velocity: 70, velocity_range: 10, timing_jitter: 0.012, duration_beats: 0.07 } whistle_short: { note: 71, base_velocity: 115, velocity_range: 4, timing_jitter: 0.006, duration_beats: 0.08 } whistle_long: { note: 72, base_velocity: 120, velocity_range: 4, timing_jitter: 0.006, duration_beats: 0.45 } crash: { note: 49, base_velocity: 100, velocity_range: 8, timing_jitter: 0.010, duration_beats: 0.22 } humanization: timing_jitter: 0.016 velocity_jitter: 18 velocity_drift: 0.07 sections: intro: type: count_in hits: 4 note: 71 groove: bars: 1 variations: - name: main_groove weight: 3 # The standard batucada groove — no whistle, just the band playing. surdo_open: "X..............." surdo_mute: "........X......." caixa: "gxgxgxgXgxgxgxgX" repique: "X.x...X...x.X.x." tamborim: "X..X.X..X..X.X.." agogo: "..X...X...X...X." chocalho: "x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x." chimbal: "x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x." - name: attention_signal weight: 2 # The mestre blows two SHORT whistles at position 0 and 2 — "attention!" surdo_open: "X..............." surdo_mute: "........X......." caixa: "gxgxgxgXg.g.g.g." repique: "X...X...X...X..." tamborim: "X..X.X..X..X.X.." agogo: "..X...X...X...X." chocalho: "x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x." whistle_short: "X.X............." - name: change_signal weight: 2 # Three short whistles: "change pattern!" at positions 0, 2, 4. surdo_open: "X..............." surdo_mute: "........X......." caixa: "gxgxgxgXgxgxgxgX" repique: "gXgXgXgXgXgXgXgX" tamborim: "XX.X.X..XX.X.X.." agogo: "..X...X...X...X." whistle_short: "X.X.X..........." - name: groove_return weight: 1 # Short-short-long whistle pattern: "return to the groove!" surdo_open: "X..............." surdo_mute: "........X......." caixa: "gxgxgxgXgxgxgxgX" repique: "X.x...X...x.X.x." tamborim: "X..X.X..X..X.X.." agogo: "..X...X...X...X." chocalho: "x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x." chimbal: "x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x." whistle_short: "x.x............." whistle_long: "....X..........." - name: free_energy weight: 1 # Rapid short whistles: "maximum energy!" — chaotic climax surdo_open: "X.......X......." surdo_mute: "....X.......X..." caixa: "XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx" repique: "X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x." tamborim: "X.XX.XX.X.XX.XX." agogo: "X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X." chocalho: "x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x." chimbal: "x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x." whistle_short: "X...X...X...X..." fill: bars: 1 variations: - name: break_whistle # The long whistle triggers the bateria break (pausa). surdo_open: "X..............." whistle_long: "X..............." caixa: "X..............." - name: reentrada # Re-entry after the break: confirming long whistle, repique signals back in. surdo_open: "X..............." surdo_mute: "........X......." caixa: "g.............XX" repique: "X.x...X.x.X.x..." chocalho: "................" whistle_long: "X..............." - name: accelerando_repique # Repique solo build while the mestre blows attention signals. repique: "gXgXgXgXgXgXgXgX" surdo_open: "X..............." surdo_mute: "........X......." caixa: "g.g.g.g.g.g.g.g." whistle_short: "X...X.......X..." crash: bars: 1 variations: - name: standard crash: "X..............." surdo_open: "X..............." surdo_mute: "........X......." caixa: "gxgxgxgXgxgxgxgX" tamborim: "X..X.X..X..X.X.." agogo: "..X...X...X...X." chocalho: "x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x." structure: fill_every: 8 break_every: 0 break_length: 1 crash_after_fill: true dynamic_build: true