The Pandeiro Is the New 808 (No Electronics Required)

Over the last few years I've noticed something on a lot of drum kits, both in videos and at gigs. Sitting off to the right or left side of the kit, usually on a snare stand or hanging off a cymbal stand, there's a pandeiro. Yep, the Brazilian frame drum with the jingles. It's not there for samba, though. Drummers are using it like an 808.

Here's the trick. They put a bass drum mic underneath it, turn it up, and hit it for those big, subby bass drops you hear in hip hop, pop and R&B. A small hand drum with a thin head turns into a huge low boom once a kick mic gets close to it.

I think that's pretty awesome. It bridges the gap of having an 808 sound in your setup without bringing any electronics into it. No pads, no trigger module, no laptop, no cables to a sample player. Just an old instrument, a mic, and a new idea.

I recently saw Jimmy Eat World in Austin, and their drummer, Zach Lind, had this exact setup going as an 808 drum. It sounded amazing. Those low drops hit the whole room, and it was all coming from a pandeiro. When a band playing big rooms like that is doing it, you know it's starting to get noticed. I'm seeing it on more and more kits.

Zach posted this clip of "Sweetness" from their Toronto show: watch Zach Lind's reel on Instagram.

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Check the price of the LP Brazilian pandeiro on Amazon

What is a pandeiro?

A pandeiro is a Brazilian hand drum. Think of it as a tambourine's cooler cousin: a shallow wooden frame, a single head and pairs of metal jingles set around the shell. In Brazilian music it's played in your hand with your thumb, fingertips and palm, and a good player can get a bass note, a slap and the jingles all out of one small drum.

It's been around for a long, long time. What's new is where drummers are putting it and what they're doing with it.

Stanton Moore and the pandeiro on the kit

If there's one drummer I'd point to for putting the pandeiro on the kit, it's Stanton Moore. If you don't know him, he's the drummer for Galactic and one of the funkiest New Orleans drummers playing today. He worked with LP on his own signature pandeiro, sized to fit on a snare stand or mount next to the kit, and he plays it with sticks as part of his setup.

This one is really helpful. In this Art of Drumming video about how he tunes his drums, Stanton gets to the pandeiro around 11:10 (the video below starts right there). He explains how to get your sound engineer to mic it up and EQ it so it comes through the PA the way it should. If you want a great sound out of this setup, watch this part before your next gig.

The 808 trick: a bass drum mic underneath

This is the part that gets me excited. On its own, a pandeiro sounds like a pandeiro. Bright jingles and a little thump. But put a bass drum mic close to the head and you pick up a low note you'd never hear standing next to it. Bring that up in the mix and that little drum sounds massive.

A lot of the low end of an 808 kick is a deep, round boom that rings out. That's very close to what a mic'd pandeiro gives you. Hit it once on the downbeat of a chorus, let it ring, and the whole room feels it.

This video is a great example. He mounts a pandeiro on its side, plays it with a bass drum pedal and puts a mic on it, so you can hear exactly what it sounds like mic'd up. Use good headphones or speakers for this one. Laptop speakers won't do it justice.

Pretty cool, right? That's a hand drum doing the job of a kick drum.

How to set one up on your kit

You don't need much to try this.

• The pandeiro. The one I'd start with is LP's Brazilian wood pandeiro with a synthetic head. A synthetic head holds its tuning under hot stage lights and doesn't mind getting hit with a stick, which matters if you're playing it on the kit and not in your hand. If you want the one Stanton plays, LP also makes the Stanton Moore signature pandeiro.
• Somewhere to put it. A spare snare stand is the easiest way to go. You can also hang it off a cymbal stand with a percussion clamp like the LP Mount-All bracket. Most people I see put it to the right of the floor tom or to the left of the hi-hat, wherever it's easy to reach for a big accent.
• A bass drum mic. Any kick drum mic you already own is a good place to start. Something like an Audix D6 is built for that low, punchy end. Point it up at the underside of the head, a few inches away, and move it around until you find the spot with the most boom.

A few things I'd play around with:

• Tune it low. Loosen the head down to where it's just past floppy. That's where the deepest note lives.
• Hit it with the right thing. A stick works, but a mallet or the butt of your hand gives you a rounder, softer attack that sounds more like an 808.
• Talk to your sound person. The magic happens in the PA, not on stage. Let them know it's meant to be a bass drop so they don't treat it like a tambourine and roll off all the low end. Stanton walks through how to have that conversation in the video above.
• Use it sparingly. A bass drop hits hardest when it's a surprise. Save it for the big moments.

Why I like this idea so much

I've used electronics in my own playing for years. I even made a video about how I integrate electronic drum sounds into my playing. I love what electronics can do. But I'll be honest: they add setup time, more cables and more things that can go wrong at a gig.

The pandeiro trick gets you a big part of that sound with something acoustic. You play it, it makes a sound, the mic picks it up. And you're still getting a real drum with real dynamics, so every hit is a little different. A sample can't do that.

I also just love seeing an old instrument used in a brand new way. Drummers have always borrowed from other cultures and other instruments to come up with new sounds, and this is one more example of that. If you've got a pandeiro sitting in a closet, pull it out, put a kick mic under it and see what happens.

And if you're shopping for a drummer, this would make a great gift. I've got more ideas in my gift guide for drummers and drum builders and the new gifts for drummers this year.

Check the price of the LP Brazilian pandeiro on Amazon

Frequently asked questions

Can a pandeiro really sound like an 808?

Yes. With a bass drum mic under the head and the low end turned up, a pandeiro gives you a deep, round 808-style boom that works great for bass drops, all without any electronics.

Do any big bands use a pandeiro as an 808?

Yes. Zach Lind of Jimmy Eat World uses a mic'd pandeiro as an 808-style drum live, and Stanton Moore of Galactic plays one as part of his kit.

Does Zach Lind of Jimmy Eat World play a pandeiro?

Yes. Zach Lind mounts a pandeiro to the right of his floor tom and mics it up as an 808-style drum for big bass drops at Jimmy Eat World shows.

What mic should I put under a pandeiro?

Any kick drum mic is a good start, like an Audix D6. Aim it at the underside of the head a few inches away and move it until you find the spot with the most low end.

How do you mount a pandeiro on a drum kit?

The easiest way is a spare snare stand. You can also hang it off a cymbal stand with a percussion clamp like the LP Mount-All bracket. Most drummers put it to the right of the floor tom or to the left of the hi-hat.

Does Stanton Moore play a pandeiro?

Yes. Stanton Moore of Galactic plays a pandeiro as part of his drum kit, and LP makes a Stanton Moore signature pandeiro sized to fit on a snare stand or mount next to the kit.