Here are ten Rio samba rhythms for caixa played different caixa available from Virada Drums. These rhythms are all common in samba, and include variations played baterias of Rio samba schools.

The caixa is used by all samba school baterias in Rio. Some baterias have up to one hundred caixa! When parading the caixa is played either “em baixo” (below on a strap), or “em cima” (above, held in arm). It can also be played on a snare drum stand in a band or bloco, or used in a drumset.

In Rio samba schools and blocos, the caixa used typically have wires on the top head and have a very short, dry sound. Traditional Rio caixa are 12”x20cm, with aluminum or steel shells. Aluminum caixa are light and have a bright sound.  14″ caixa are used by some baterias and blocos, and have a deeper tone.  The 12″ tarol is shallower and higher pitched than a standard caixa. A new innovation is a “skeleton” caixa that has a open vented skeleton in place of a standard shell. These drums are extra dry and loud and are best suited for playing in a samba bateria.