Nininho Maracatu

Nininho Maracatú is a song in the Maracatú genre. It was put together from several patterns we learned from Nininho, a visiting instructor.

This piece uses no chocalho, repenique, or tamborim. It does use chekere and has two distinct bell patterns, one ideally played by a gonguê. The parts we play on surdo are traditionally played on alfaia. As with Surdo, the lower number corresponds to the lower drum. Normally there will only be one Alfaia 2 part (most likely played by a 3rd Surdo player), and all the other Surdos play Alfaia 1. If the chart simply says "Alfaia", it refers to all of them.

Surdo/alfaia players hold and strike their mallets differently for maracatú, compared to how we hold mallets for most of our songs. The right mallet is held normally; the left mallet is thinner (sometimes a drumstick) and is held with the palm facing up and the stick protruding from the back of the hand. See the source videos for our song Maracatu.

{{Legend }}
 * C - stick click
 * R/L on caixa - a rim shot.
 * r/l on caixa - a softer head hit, more like a ghost note.
 * Zzzz - a sustained roll with both sticks, accented at the beginning.
 * zzzz - a sustained roll with both sticks with no accent.
 * R on alfaia - a normal head hit with a mallet with the right (dominant) hand.
 * l on alfaia - a hit with the left (non-dominant) hand holding the stick as described above.

Form
The song always follows this form, without variation.


 * 1) Intro
 * 2) Part 1
 * 3) Break
 * 4) Another break
 * 5) Part 1A
 * 6) Part 2
 * 7) Tu Maraca!
 * 8) Part 3
 * 9) Part 4
 * 10) Part 3A
 * End

Intro
The caixa pattern for this last bar is also known as the "call" or the "turnaround". All other instruments rest for this bar.

Break
This break is basically a new ride, but it signaled with the Break signal. Caixa, Alfaia 2, and Bell change patterns. This is played until the next signal.

Another Break
This is also called with the Break signal, but it is a fixed eight bars long.

Part 1A
"Another Break" transitions directly into this without a call.

This is almost the same as Part 1, except the bell part is different and there are Alfaia 2 and 3 parts.

Part 2
Called with four fingers, hand turning back and forth. Called in with four whistle blows. Note that the roll in the caixa always starts in the last 16th of beat 4. The downbeats are not accented.

"Tú Maraca!"
The transition to this section is this. Note the whistle call is not four as usual.

Part 3:
Note that the Bell changes to the "Ijexa" pattern. (Ed: not sure if the gonguê continues its pattern. If not, what does it play?)

Part 4:
Signaled with the Break signal and called with four whistle blows.

Note that the Alfaia 2 has a two-bar phrase while the rest of the band has a one-bar phrase.

Part 3A
Signaled with the Break signal and called with four whistle blows.

Almost the same as part 3 except the Alfaia 2 plays something different, and the caxia pattern becomes thicker.

End
Signal: Fist, called in with 4 count.