Lesson Goal: To quickly internalize the rhythmic elements that make Bossa Nova Rhythm really tick… by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle…
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
Basic music reading skills… basic scale, chord, and chord progression theory… basic technique… the LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.
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Study & Practice Reminders
- Never play these mindlessly and mechanically. Always aspire to play musically.
- Your goal is not to merely memorize these, but to study and practice them until you internalize them using all four musical intelligences: ears, intellect, eyes, and muscles.
- Every time you practice something, you are programming your brain. So always play accurately.
- Practice with a click track or rhythm track. Doing so will give you immediate feedback on any rhythmic misconceptions or places where your timing gets sloppy.
- Record yourself. Always. Listen to the playback immediately. And ask yourself: Is that what you intended to play?”
- If anything feels tense or awkward, stop immediately and experiment with alternative fingerings or choreography.
- Play this in other keys you expect to play in. By the way, once you see the patterns (which is guaranteed if you know your scales and chords) finding the notes in other keys will be a piece of cake!
- If you feel stuck or overwhelmed, realize that anything can and will be mastered if you slow things down or break things down to small enough pieces.
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What is “Bossa Nova”?
Bossa Nova, which is Portuguese for “new wave” (new trend), is a style of music that blends samba and jazz. Originating in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s, the genre is characterized by complex harmonies, a swaying, syncopated rhythm, and conversational, understated vocal style. The most famous example is “Girl from Ipanema” (Antônio Carlos Jobim).
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Bossa Nova Rhythm Applied to a 2 5 1 Chord Progression
The Bossa Nova rhythm sways left and right rather than swings forward and back, providing a super relaxed, laid-back feel…
Here’s a typical Bossa Nova, applied to the 2 5 1 chord progression in the key of C major…
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Bossa Nova Practice Tracks (MP3s)
Downloadable drum tracks–in 2-3 clave and 3-2 clave–and at a variety of tempos–for jamming along and tightening up your Bossa Nova Rhythm…
Bossa Nova: 2-3 Clave
Gentle 8ths on the hi-hats, dotted quarter and 1/8ths on the kick, but the special sauce is the 2-3 clave (2 stick taps in the first bar, 3 in the second bar)…
Listen to a short sample at 125 bpm…
Downloadable Zip File containing 11 MP3s, each long enough to wear you out, tempos from 90 to 140 beats per minute in 5 bpm increments…
Bossa Nova: 3-2 Clave
Gentle 8ths on the hi-hats, dotted quarter and 1/8ths on the kick, but the special sauce is the 3-2 clave (3 stick taps in the first bar, 2 in the second bar)…
Listen to a short sample at 125 bpm…
Downloadable Zip File containing 9 MP3s, each long enough to wear you out, tempos from 90 to 140 beats per minute in 5 bpm increments…
Bossa Nova Rhythm Homework
Using your ears and knowledge of scales and chord structure, “transpose” this rhythm and voicing pattern to all the keys you want to play in (Suggested keys: F, Bb, Eb)
Doing so will develop an enormous jazz vocabulary that you will know by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle… laying a rock solid foundation for fluent improvisation.
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learn more… Jazz Piano Lessons
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The example is great.
Thanks !
Your positive feedback is deeply appreciated, my anonymous friend!
Bossa nova is one of my best jazz styles.
I’ll be practicing this nice example and transposing it to all my preferred keys.
Your comment is music to my ears!