Learn to play like João Gilberto

Learn to play like Joao Gilberto

Brazil has produced some excellent composers over the years. One of the greatest was Antônio Carlos (Tom) Jobim. He didn’t achieve success until the late 1950’s when a certain young guitarist/singer gave his songs a new lease of life. João Gilberto took the work of Jobim and invented a new sound known as Bossa Nova. The following is an example using the typical João Gilberto approach; playing chords with a 5th in the bass. The bass note is played independently from the rest of the chord, which is syncopated. This means the offbeats are accented.

Try it for yourself now: