Groove and electric bass: an experiment on accompaniment lines in Afro-Brazilian samba

ABSTRACT:

This paper sought to demonstrate how the idea of groove produces specific musical performances of the double bass in samba and to understand the conceptual field through which double bassists construct this phenomenon within the musical culture. The methodology identified interpretative resources from data collected in an experiment involving 19 instrumentalists. The subjects were instructed to construct improvised bass lines over a harmonic structure presented a priori. The musical events present in each instrumentalist's recordings were annotated, classified, and analyzed with computational data visualization resources. The results show an interpretation map where the idea of groove is expressed in the samba rhythm with the use of interpretative resources and specific techniques such as ghost notes and slaps. Strategies of temporal and sequential structuring of technical resources were also presented, enriching the understanding of the groove phenomenon in the specific practice of bassists in samba.

KEYWORDS:
Groove; Electric Double Bass; Samba; Popular music