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I teach samba drumming workshops for schools, conservatoires, samba bands, festivals and community groups. I play repique in Vila Isabel’s bateria in Rio de Janeiro, I tour with Monobloco, and I have written three bilingual books on samba school drumming. I teach in English.
A workshop can run from two hours to a full week. It works for people who have never held a drum and for players who already run their own bateria.
The samba patterns, the sound of the bateria, technique on each instrument, the elements of an arrangement and the breaks from Carnival 2027. The session ends with the group playing as a full bateria.
Brazilian roots mixed with rhythms from elsewhere. Maracatu, côco and modern hybrid styles, for groups who want to experiment rather than reproduce a parade.
Pandeiro, tantan and cuíca. Groove, call and response, and improvisation, played sitting around a table the way samba is played in Rio.
If none of the three is right for your group, tell me what you need and I will build the session around it.
I also work one to one, online.
Private lessons on any bateria instrument. Repique, caixa, surdo, tamborim, agogô, chocalho, cuíca or pandeiro. We work on your technique, your sound and the patterns you want to play.
Guidance for mestres de bateria and teachers. If you direct a bateria or teach samba to a group, we can work on your arrangements, your breaks, your rehearsal method and how you get a section to play together.
Planning an educational approach. If you run a course or a programme, I can help you build it: what to teach first, how to sequence it, and how to get a group playing as a bateria rather than as individual drummers.
Starting a new group. If you are forming a bateria from nothing, I can help with what to buy, who to recruit, what to rehearse first and how to plan the first year.
€40 an hour, online.
Private lessons in person are also possible when I am on tour in Europe, at a different rate. Ask when you write.
Royal College of Music, London: 2019, 2023 and 2024. Royal Birmingham Conservatoire: 2019, 2023 and 2025. Conservatorium van Amsterdam: 2023. University of Oxford: 2026. Trinity School, Croydon: 2024.
Samba Breaks and Beats, Leamington Spa: 2025 and 2026.
Outside the UK and Europe I have taught in the USA, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, in person and online. In Brazil I have taught at Monobloco’s workshops, preparing players for the parades in Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and São Paulo.
The Royal College of Music and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire have each had me teach three times since 2019.
Tell me the size of the group, how much playing experience they have, what instruments you already own and how long we have. I will tell you what the session can cover and what it will cost.
I bring the arrangements, the notation and the breaks. Most groups use their own drums.
Euro Tour 2027 runs from 7 May to 7 June 2027. If you want a date on that tour, the earlier you write the more likely it is that I can reach you.
Write to mail@sambabeats.com.br with your group, your dates and where you are. I answer every email myself.
If you want to start before we meet, or if a workshop is not possible where you are, the courses cover the same material at your own pace.
Samba School Drumming Course. 39 videos in four modules. The full method behind the workshops. €239.
Rio Carnival Masterclass 2026. 28 videos, about twelve hours, recorded live. €120.
The History of Samba. Thirteen videos on where samba comes from and how it reached the parade. €159.
Fundamentals of a Samba School Bateria. The bilingual book the drumming course is built on, with the rhythms written in notation. €35.
Get the free ebooks with the basic grooves of the samba schools, written in notation.
Gabriel Lopes has been a prominent figure in Brazilian music and Rio’s Carnival culture since the early 2000s. Combining his roles as a seasoned musician, educator, and researcher, Gabriel has dedicated his career to preserving, teaching, and celebrating the rich traditions of samba school baterias.
Gabriel’s deep expertise as an educator is exemplified by his work with prestigious music institutions such as the University of Oxford, the Royal College of Music and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where he led workshops in 2019, 2023, and 2024. In 2023, he brought his unique approach to the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and in 2024, he conducted workshops at Trinity School in Croydon.
His ability to engage and inspire students, coupled with his extensive experience in high-profile educational settings, underscores his standing as a respected authority in Brazilian percussion.
As a researcher and author, Gabriel has made significant contributions to the understanding of samba and samba school baterias. His published works include Mestre Dudu – As Paradinhas da Não Existe Mais Quente, As Bossas do Mestre Maurão, and Fundamentals of a Samba School Bateria.
These bilingual books not only document the evolution of samba rhythms but also provide practical tools for musicians worldwide, featuring audio examples and musical notation for paradinhas and bossas. Through these publications, Gabriel preserves the legacy of samba school drumming while making it accessible to a global audience.
As a performer, Gabriel has toured extensively with the renowned percussion group Monobloco, captivating audiences across Brazil, the USA, Europe, and Japan. His dynamic performances and integral contributions to Monobloco’s sound have solidified his reputation as a leading figure in the global samba scene. With Monobloco, he recorded two albums and two DVDs, contributing to the group’s dynamic legacy.
Gabriel also played in Rocinha’s bateria for over a decade and has been a proud member of Vila Isabel’s bateria since 2019, specializing in the repique drum. As a composer, he achieved a career milestone by entering his samba composition into Mangueira’s competition in 2016.
From 2005 to 2019, Gabriel served as the mestre de bateria for Volta Alice, a carnival group (bloco) that became a cornerstone of Rio Carnival, attracting tens of thousands of revelers.
He has also taught at Monobloco’s workshops, preparing students for parades in Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, and São Paulo. His teaching extends internationally, with workshops held across the UK, Europe, the USA, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, both in-person and online.
Through his brand, Samba Beats, Gabriel continues to share his passion for samba school baterias. His website, YouTube channel, and social media platforms provide a wealth of educational content, including tutorials, historical insights, and detailed analyses of samba rhythms. His dedication to teaching and research reflects his mission to preserve and celebrate the cultural and musical heritage of Brazil.
Gabriel Lopes offers an unparalleled blend of practical expertise, academic research, and teaching excellence. His work not only connects audiences to the vibrant world of samba but also inspires the next generation of percussionists worldwide.
Suggestions? Complaints? Need any help? Want to know about percussion classes? Arrangements for you group? Send us a message!