In this interactive hands-on session, Carl Dixon will teach the foundations, techniques, sounds, and rhythms of the Brazilian pandeiro. This session will be accessible to percussionists and non-percussionists who have never played pandeiro or any samba percussion instruments, and will also be helpful to those with some experience on pandeiro who want to advance in their knowledge and proficiency on the instrument. Pandeiros and a printed handout will be provided for all participants. Carl's pandeiro will be amplified to help everyone hear the proper sounds.

Part One: Techniques and Sound
The class will begin with a brief but detailed overview of techniques for the pandeiro, covering posture, grip, hand shape, playing zones, and strokes to produce the primary sounds of the pandeiro in traditional Brazilian samba music.

Part Two: The Three Families of Samba rhythms
With an understanding of the basic sounds, Carl will introduce the three most important samba rhythms for pandeiro. These rhythms provide beginning pandeiro players options to play in any samba music, and offer more experience players a helpful way to understand the role of the pandeiro in samba music and to categorize variations and improvisations.

Part Three: Applying to Songs
Many students of new percussion instruments start by learning a few rhythms but get stuck trying to apply them into different songs or musical contexts. In this important part of the workshop, Carl will teach a pandeiro arrangement to a popular samba song, using the three basic samba rhythms learned in Part Two. Several other musicians will join to sing and play cavaquinho (string instrument) and accompanying percussion instruments commonly played in samba.

Conclusion:
Carl will quickly demonstrate some more advanced techniques, modern concepts, and applications of the pandeiro outside of samba and Brazilian music to inspire newly interested percussionists. A short period will be reserved for questions from participants.