General Outline:

Music from the north east of Brazil, more specifically 
from Ceara, Maranhao, and Bahia, Baiao is derived 
from a folk dance (bumba-meu-boi) and emerged as a 
musical style in the 40's.

The first well known song written in baiao style was 
"Baiao" by Luiz Gongaza and Humberto Teixeira.

Musical characteristics:

The baiao melodies are usually in mixolydian or lydian 
b7 modes. It's written in 4/4 bur you can find also the 
use of binary meters (2/4 0r 2/2).

The harmonies are quite simple with use of pedal tones 
in the bass.

The instrumentation is based on "Sanfonia", piccolo 
flute and guitar. In the rhythm section we find the use 
of "zabumba" (a low tom played with a sharp stick) 
and a triangle.

Basic Pattern:

The upper voices goes in sync with the bass line 
(Figure 1) or with an up beat on the bass line (Figure 
2).

You can practice these patterns and variations using a 
static seventh chord (mixolydian mode).

It's also a good idea to practice away from the guitar, 
clapping the high voices and tapping the low voices 
with your foot.