The guitar tab (chords and melody) for “How Insensitive” is available for download as a PDF.
How Insensitive
“How Insensitive” originated as “Insensatez,” composed in 1961 by Antônio Carlos Jobim with Portuguese lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes. Written during the height of Brazil’s bossa nova movement, its descending minor melody echoes Chopin’s Prelude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 4. An English lyric by Norman Gimbel soon carried it to international audiences.
The song became a jazz standard through recordings by Stan Getz and Frank Sinatra, among many others. Performers often linger over its suspensions and soft cadences, heightening the lyric’s quiet regret. Its poised restraint—tender yet unsparing—captures the introspective cool that defined early-1960s bossa nova.
Video
In the video below, I perform the piece as transcribed.
Guitar Tab
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