In this lesson, I cover the guitar rhythm used in bossa nova. I’ll go over how to play the bass line and then demonstrate 5 rhythm patterns that go along with it.
Bossa Nova Guitar
I read somewhere that João Gilberto would lock himself in his sister’s bathroom and play one chord for hours. Experimenting with the rhythm. Searching for a new sound. And this would eventually lead to the bossa nova guitar we know today.
The video below demonstrates João Gilberto’s rhythm pattern on the “The Girl from Ipanema.”
5 Bossa Nova Rhythm Patterns
The two chords we will be using in this lesson are C6/9 and Dm9. Both chord are common in bossa nova music.
The Bass Notes
The first step is to be able to play the lowest notes in the chords with your thumb.
João Gilberto played the bass notes with the flesh of his thumb. That said, I have seen it played with flesh and nail in a more classical guitar style. They both have their perks. I play it with flesh only and with nail and flesh for the other fingers.
Bossa nova has a 2/4 feel, and that’s the way it’s written in Brazil. I wrote in 4/4 time because that’s the way it’s done for jazz lead sheets. It’s also easy to see the rhythm in 4/4. So in this case, the bass notes will fall on beats 1 and 3.
Bossa Nova Pattern 1
In Pattern 1, the bass notes will be played on beats 1 and 3 as noted above, and the “chords” (the 3 higher notes) will be plucked on 1, 2 and on the “and” of 3.
Bossa Nova Pattern 2
Pattern 2 is a subtle variation of Pattern 1. The only difference is a chord strike on the “and” of 4 in the 1st bar, right before the bass comes down on the 1 of the 2nd bar.
Once you are familiar with these first two patterns you will be able to mix and match them to create variety and interest.
Bossa Nova Pattern 3
Pattern 3 is used in faster bossa nova songs and sambas. Note that the first bar is identical to the first bar of Pattern 2. The difference is in the second bar where the chords are played on the “and” of beat 1 and on beats 3 and 4.
This pattern is also played reversed, swapping out the first two bars for each other.
Bossa Nova Pattern 4
In pattern 4 we start to alternate the bass line between the 5th and 6th strings. We’ll also be alternating between patterns 2 and 3.
Bossa Nova Pattern 5
In Pattern 5 the chords change every bar. And for each chord-change, we will come in an 8th-note early. This is known as anticipation. The bass line remains the same.
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Conclusion
Listen to Bossa Nova. That’s the best way to pick up the feel.
Learn new patterns and chord voicings. Mix it up. Learn the melodies. Listen to the lyrics, the drums, the bass and everything else that makes bossa nova, Bossa Nova.
Here are a few albums to check out:
- Chega de Saudade by João Gilberto (1959)
- Jazz Samba by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd (1962)
- Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz and João Gilberto (1964)
- Wave by Antonio Carlos Jobim (1967)