A Guide To Bossa Nova

Understand the subtle Brazilian genre from the perspective of a drummer and a guitarist.

Bossa nova is about precision, restraint, and swing. Unlike samba’s driving energy, bossa nova creates a laid-back feel through syncopation and delicate dynamics. This module focuses on playing bossa nova rhythms with finesse and control.

Bossa nova emerged in the late 1950s, fusing samba rhythms with jazz harmony. It became an international sensation, largely thanks to pioneers like João Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim, influencing artists worldwide.

The Bossa Nova Rhythm

Cyro Zuzi explains the origin of bossa nova, the clave and differences between Samba and Bossa Nova.

Bossa Nova Guitar Rhythms

Rafael Valim demonstrates a Bossa Nova rhythmic pattern on guitar with some smooth 7th and 9th chords.

Natural Syncopations And Accents

Back to the groove. Cyro shows his mathematical system of practicing different accents in different parts of the bar so that you can internalise all the possibilities of which beat to emphasise.

Once these are understood, you can develop your own feel by choosing which part of the bar you feel like accenting.

Artist Profile: Antonio Carlos Jobim

1927–1994 · Composer, Pianist, Guitarist · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Antônio Carlos Jobim, known as Tom Jobim, is widely regarded as the father of bossa nova and one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1927, he grew up in Ipanema, where the rhythms of samba and the sounds of the Atlantic shaped his musical imagination. His style fused Brazilian roots with French impressionism. Debussy and Ravel were as much an influence as Pixinguinha.

His breakthrough came through a collaboration with poet Vinicius de Moraes in the late 1950s. Together they wrote "Garota de Ipanema" (The Girl from Ipanema), which became one of the most recorded songs in history. His compositions "Desafinado" and "Chega de Saudade", recorded by João Gilberto in 1958, effectively launched the bossa nova movement. The 1963 album Getz/Gilberto brought his music to a global audience and remains one of the best-selling jazz albums ever made.

Jobim went on to collaborate with Frank Sinatra, Elis Regina, and many others. Rio de Janeiro's international airport bears his name. He died in New York in 1994. His harmonies, warm, melancholic, and unmistakably Brazilian, remain inescapable.

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