The Complete Pandeiro Guide - Part 2
Course Overview
Discover how much music lives inside this little drum
If you want to...
- Continue your exploration of the Pandeiro
- learn to play traditional rhythms such as Maracatu, Samba Reggae, Ijexá, Maculelê, Carimbo, Caboclo and Candomblé
- explore modern grooves such as Funk and odd-meters
- learn countless tricks and advanced techniques on the Pandeiro
Then this course is perfect for you!
Matthias is a great pandeiro player and a fantastic teacher. His complete pandeiro guide is like an encyclopedia of traditional and modern rhythms, techniques, and playing styles for this inconspicuous and fascinating tambourine.
David Kuckhermann
Take a Look Inside
15 Maracatu
16 Carimbó
17 Samba Reggae, Afro Samba
18 Ijexá
19 & 20 Samba de Caboclo, Maculelê
21, 22, 23 Candomblé
24, 25, 26 Funk & more, the modern Pandeiro
27 - 31 Tricks & Effects
32 Pandeiro Independence
33 Pandeiro Solo
Music Scores Part 2
Get Started Now
Individual Course
€79 €69
Pay once for ongoing course access
WPA membership
€29 €19 /month
Unlimited courses & community access, billed quarterly
Your Instructor
Matthias Haffner has more than 30 years experience of playing Brazilian percussion. He studied Brazilian-, Cuban- and world-percussion at the conservatory in Rotterdam from 1996 - 2002 and played in countless bands and projects. His work includes projects together with the samba-legend Paulinho da Viola, choro virtuous Paulo Moura, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Rogerio Souza and the EPM in Rio de Janeiro.
Haffner lived in and travelled to Brazil several times to study with the masters there: Marcos Suzano, Bernardo Aguilar, Guello, Celsinho Silva, Jorginho do Pandeiro, Robertinho Silva, Jovi Joviano, Sergio Krakowski, Mamão etc. In 2014 he made a tour through Minas Gerais with his Choro Trio Bola Preta and travelled to Pernambuco, Bahia and Rio to work on a unique project: a video documentary about the Pandeiro. On this trip, he met many old and new Pandeiro masters. Matthias Haffner is teacher for Brazilian percussion and Pandeiro at the first Choro school outside Brazil: the EPM Holanda, based in Rotterdam, an official branch of the famous Choro school EPM in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2016, he moved his base to Berlin / Germany, where he plays and teaches regularly. There, he also founded his monthly Roda de Choro and a huge Pandeiro orchestra, the Pandeirada Berlin.
Haffner gives masterclasses for Pandeiro and Brazilian percussion in whole Europe (Holland, England, Portugal, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Turkey) and abroad (New York, Salvador, Japan, Taiwan).
In 2018, his book “Blocos Afro” about the Afro-Samba tradition in Bahia was published.
Besides his career as a musician and teacher, Haffner also builds high quality Pandeiros together with his colleague Perander: the HP Pandeiro.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about learning hand drumming online with us, from djembe and congas to darbuka, cajón, frame drums, and beyond.

