History Of Brazilian Music

Introduction To Brazilian Music

We start this course with a brief overview and history of the music of Brazil. We introduce the great exponents of Brazilian music and how their compositions and musical styles shaped the development of the Bossa Nova sound.

The Bossa Nova Style

Bossa Nova can be defined as a musical style where the vocal element is very subtle. This contrasts with the ‘big projecting vibrato voice’ of previous musical styles. More specifically, Bossa Nova is a style of vocal music that greatly benefits from the microphone.

When performing Bossa Nova, the singer can get very close to the mic and ‘whisper’ the melodies. This was the style that João Gilberto premiered, and has since been taken on by many other musicians.

Samba & Bossa Nova – The Key Difference

There is a more instrumental style of Bossa Nova music which is known as "Samba Jazz". This genre covers the same tunes as Bossa Nova, but the music is played with more energy and at faster tempos of around 100pm.

In this lesson, we demonstrate the key differences between these 2 styles of Brazilian music. We start with a simple vamp D-7 to G7 and then also demonstrate in context of a tune.

"The Fork" Rhythmic Pattern

This rhythmic pattern contains a 16th note, an 8th note, and a 16th note. When notated the notes resemble the shape of a fork. This is where this rhythm gets its name.

This rhythmic pattern can be used for both improvising melodies and for comping. Throughout this course, we will explore and demonstrate the use and application of "The Fork".

The Structure Of Brazilian Music

When playing the music of Brazil you should know about its structure:

• The Rhythmic Structure
• The Harmonic Structure
• The Melodic Structure

Throughout this course, we will explore and examine the essential ingredients of the Brazilian groove.

Practice Tips

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