Biblioteca de la Guitarra y Cuerda Pulsada

The use of keyboard percussion instruments in choro, one of the earliest forms of Brazilian popular music, is a relatively recent phenomenon and its expansion into university music programs and relocation from small clubs andprivate homesto concert halls has changed the way that choro is learned and performed. For many Brazilians, this kind of innovation in a “traditional” genre represents a challenge to their notion of a Brazilian cultural identity. This study examines thedynamic relationship that Brazilianshave with representations of their culture, especially in the area of popular music,through an in depth discussionof the use of keyboard percussion instruments within the genre of choro.

I discuss the implications of using keyboard percussion in chorowith a detailed description of its contemporary practice and a critical examination of the sociological and academic issues that surround chorohistorically and as practiced today. This includes an historical overview of choro andorganology of keyboard percussion instruments in Brazil. I discussmultiple perspectives on the genre including a consideration of choroas part of the “world music” movement and choro’sambiguous relationship to jazz. Through an examination of the typicalinstrumentation and performance conventionsused in choro, I address the meanings and implications of the adaptation of those
practices and of the various instrumentalroles found in choroto keyboard percussion instruments. Solutions to problems relating to instrumental adaptation are offered,with particular attention to issues of notation, improvisation,rhythmic approachand the role of the cavaquinho. I also discuss the significance of rhythmic feel and suingue(swing) in relation to the concept of brasilidade(brazilianness) as informed by and expressed through Brazilianpopular music. 

Traditionand Innovation in Brazilian Popular Music:  Keyboard Percussion Instruments in Choro