DO IT YOURSELF!
So you feel like having a go at your own bit of tactical frivolity? Here are some hints and tips for forming your own RoR band.
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Good place to start...
Proper samba instruments aren't cheap (although you can sometimes get good deals on eBay and from specialist suppliers) but having no instruments is no excuse!!! BOP Samba started off life as a junk band - why not do the same? We've put together some suggestions for improvising samba drums.
Check out our DIY Instruments page.
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A samba band has 2 elements - the players and the mestre (also known as the band leader or “the one wot is making the hand signals”!). The mestre leads the groove by using signals to call breaks, bring in or stop instruments and change the tempo of the groove. Bands in the RoR network all try to use the same signals so that we can all learn the same tunes internationally, and can play together when we meet up as a big band at demonstrations etc.
Wander over to the Hand Signals section for a closer look!
Mestres often play a repenique so they can use it for signalling, but you can play any instrument.
- Tunes
Once you have your instruments, it's time to learn some tunes. Head over to the Tunes section of the website for notations for some of the ones we play, print them off and have a go.
The tunes themselves are easy to learn. They are built up from each instrument playing a pattern that come together to form an overall symbiotic sound.
- And finally...
Got your instruments, got your tunes, got your mestre sorted?
Think costumes!
As the Rhythms of Resistance network of samba bands grew out of the "Pink/ Silver" bloc at the anti-G8 demos of the 1990s which employed "tactical frivolity" as their method, many UK RoR bands wear pink, normally with other colours mixed in. BOP Samba wear pink and black, RoR London go with pink and silver. Bradford wear green when they're on their own but pink up for the big demos where multiple bands are playing. Many of the European bands opt for bright funky colours like orange or yellow.
Dressing up is always fun. Raid charity shops, costume and accessory shops. Pick a colour, get yourself some outrageous outfits and party!!!
You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result - Mahatma Gandhi
