Originally, Surdo is a derivative of the bass drums played in European Street/brass bands, while, in terms of rhythm, its musical role is directly linked to African drumming traditions.
In samba percussion ensembles (baterias), its function is to emphasize the main beat (pulsation) and bring variations to the second beat of a 2-beat, basic pattern.

Surdo is played with mallets; generally with one mallet and one bare hand to modify the sound length and pitch by pressing the drum head. Mallets' ends are often thick and soft in order to make the impact with the head and the resulting sound softer.

NESTING surdos, manufactured by contemporânea (Brazilian leader in percussion-making), are innovative models. Their features: a single napa head, which gives them a nice, overtone-free, muffled bass sound. Then its characteristic one-head configuration is quite convenient: you can store them easily as they fit into each other.
They are also delivered with removable feet allowing them to be put on the ground.

The manufacturer designed this new line to remove as much metal parts (fitting) as possible to make it lighter. They're great floor standing surdos, too, thanks to their removable "feet" (dense, sturdy foam parts)
This range is particularly suitable for children and teenagers. In educational situations, their codified colours make them easy to distinguish.

Diametre : 14 in
Head : "napa"
Shell : painted aluminium
Height : 14.2 in
Tension rods : 6
Weight : 2.8 kg
Delivered with a tuning spanner