Banjo (samba)

The samba banjo is a brazilian instrument which is derived from the cavaquinho, especially associated with a samba subgenre called "pagode". The samba banjo was first introduced by "sambista" Almir Guineto in the late 1970's and early 1980's, attending on one hand the necessity for a louder acoustic instrument similar to the cavaquinho, and on the other the drive for innovation. The samba banjo has the same tuning and range as the cavaquinho, but its timbre is quite different, sounding like a traditional banjo, but pitched higher. It is played with a pick for rhythm comping, with sophisticated strumming beats; thus it is a primarily rhythmic instrument, and virtuosity is sometimes considered to be based on breaking repetitive patterns and surprising the listener with unexpected and inventive rhythmic figures, while keeping the rhythm steady.