Maia began playing music, starting with the guitar, at age thirteen, and then progressed to the double bass. He began playing professionally in 1964 as the bassist for the Rio Samba Trio and as an accompanist to musicians such as Tania Maria and Nelson Cavaquinho.
Maia's musical career began when he was thirteen years old, initially playing the guitar, before moving on to the double bass. By 1964, he had started performing professionally with the Rio Samba Trio and accompanying other prominent musicians like Tania Maria and Nelson Cavaquinho.