In this lesson, I cover 5 variations of the Bossa nova guitar rhythm. The tab with all 5 patterns is available for download as a PDF.

Bossa Nova Guitar

I read somewhere that João Gilberto would lock himself in his sister’s bathroom and play one chord for hours. He was experimenting with rhythm and searching for a new sound. And this would eventually lead to the bossa nova guitar we know today.

Bossa nova emerged in the late 1950s in Rio de Janeiro’s beach neighborhoods. A sophisticated fusion of samba and cool jazz, its understated style was a significant departure from traditional Brazilian music.

Key figures included Gilberto, composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, and poet Vinicius de Moraes. Their landmark 1959 album Chega de Saudade is considered the genre’s debut. The sound quickly gained international acclaim, notably with the success of “Garota de Ipanema” (“The Girl from Ipanema”), making bossa nova a global sensation in the 1960s.

Video

In the video below, I demonstrate the 5 patterns.

Guitar Tab

The sheet music below is the guitar tablature for the lesson.

Download all 5 Bossa Nova Rhythm Patterns (2 pages) as a PDF

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