- Drum Notation: Samba is heavily reliant on percussion, and drummers use a notation system to represent the rhythms and patterns played on different drums, such as the surdo, caixa, and repinique. This drum notation typically uses symbols to represent different drum sounds and accents, as well as measures to indicate the rhythm.
- Guitar Tablature: Samba guitar parts are often written using tablature, which is a simplified notation that shows where to place your fingers on the guitar fretboard to play a specific melody or chord. Guitar tablature uses numbers to indicate the fret to be played on each string.
- Chord Charts: Samba guitarists also use chord charts, which provide the names of the chords used in a samba piece. Chord charts can also include information such as the structure of the chords, the strumming pattern, and the tempo.
- Standard Music Notation: In some cases, samba music may also be written using standard music notation, which uses traditional musical symbols and note values to represent the pitch and rhythm of the piece. This notation can be used for any instrument, including melody instruments like the cavaquinho or saxophone.
- Samba Songbook Notation: Some publishers release samba songbooks that contain melodies and lyrics, as well as chord symbols, drum notation, and other notations specific to samba music.
- Samba Percussion Scores: Samba percussion scores provide a visual representation of the rhythms played by the various percussion instruments, such as the surdo, caixa, and repinique, used in samba music. These scores often use symbols and note values to indicate the timing, volume, and phrasing of the percussion parts.