if rio de janeiro is most famous for its carnival, then carnival is most famous for its drums. the complex polyrhythms of the samba schools and drum lines, that make up the heartbeat of the yearly festival, are produced by a wide array of percussion instruments, many of them uniquely brazilian in origin or execution.

although instrument choices and arrangements vary from school to school, the traditional components of a bateria de samba are as follows - the surdo, the largest drum of the bateria are made of metal or wood and covered with a stretched animal hide.