Villa-Lobos

&
Brazilian Rhythms
by Tiberio Nascimento
This month we welcome to our pages the return
of the Brazilian Tiberio Nascimento. Tiberio's
first article (on Bossa nova, Sept '85) created
much interest and a clamour for more articles.
Like most busy professionals Tiberio would
rather play than write and it has taken us a long
time to pin him down. UK audiences may have
the opportunity to hear this stunning guitarist
for Tiberio hopes to visit the UK in the coming
spring.
Ex.l

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Baiao melodies are almost always not syncopated. Practise
playing half notes then quarter notes on top of the syncopated
bass.

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The quarter notes should be played evenly, but after you are
comfortable with the pattern, place slight emphasis on the
second and fourth beats. Now try eighth notes.

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Practice playing half, quarter and eighth notes on top of the
Xaxado bass.
Here are some other articulations:
The right hand fingering I have indicated allows for an
emphasis on the beats where the "a" finger plays. This is the
figure played by the triangle in a percussion ensemble.
A rhythm closely related to the Baiao is the Xaxado. One of
its characteristics is a variation ofthe bass:
Like most Brazilians, Villa-Lobos was proud of his homeland.
In all of his music he has incorporated some aspect of the
Brazilian culture he loved so much. With his experience as
part ofthe choroes (popular music ensembles that performed on
the streets of Rio), and his travels throughout Brazil, he
integrated within his musical personality the many folk
melodies and the rich variety of rhythms in Brazilian music. It
is these rhythms - a blend of native Indian, European and
primarily African influences - that I wish to discuss in
relation to Villa-Lobos' guitar music.
In the guitar works (especially the Etudes), Villa-Lobos has
given us many samples of these rhythms. Often they are
hidden in the web of his abundant creative imagination, and
sometimes they form the basic thematic material from which
he derives inspiration. By better understanding the rhythms of
Brazil (and how they are played on the guitar), we can acquire
new insights into interpreting Villa-Lobos' music.
Let us start by playing the basic rhythm from the northeast
region of Brazil, the Baiao. The bass figure is most important:
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54 Guitar International September 1986
Ex. 7demonstrates the use of the slur as an essential pan of the
rhythmic pattern. This aniculation is typical of the viola
caipira, or "hillbilly" guitar from nonheast Brazil.
Now let us lookat Etude no. 11 by Villa-Lobos. Here the
Baiao appears undisguised. The imponant syncopated bass is
used notas accompaniment, but as the melodyin thirds.
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Together with this melodic line is the constant rhythmic drive

of eighth notes, as in Ex. 4. Because of the fast tempo, I
suggest playing the second and third string with a single Stroke
from one finger.
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a.. rn
a..
This aniculation also allows for more rhythmic coherence
between p and i,m,a. Once you have mastered a rhythmic
pattern - when it becomes "automatic" - then the fingers
work as a single unit rather than two separate voices. This in
turn enables the "swing" ofthe rhythm to emerge.
Here is another Baiao pattern in Etude no. 11:
Ex. 1\
-
The right hand aniculation I have indicated is the same as is
used in Brazilian popular music. When more than one string is
in the upper voice, the fingers just brush the strings
hghtly - in opposition to the strong thumb stroke.
It is very useful to investigate the similarities between
popular styles of playing, and its application to "erudite"
music. With his thorough understanding of the guitar, Villa-
Lobos has given us a synthesis between the collective wisdom
offolk music and the individual genius ofa composer.
Guitar International September 1986 55