Girl From Ipanema Tutorial
In this lesson we will explore the tune “The Girl From Ipanema” which is one of Jobim’s most iconic songs. “Ipanema” is a beautiful neighbourhood in Rio with the beaches and the lagoon and it’s the neighbourhood where Jobim grew up.
Girl From Ipanema Popularity
“The Girl from Ipanema” is a frequently requested tune and the second most recorded song in the world. The lyrics describe Jobim and his friend sitting in a bar and admiring a beautiful girl walking by on her way to the sea.
Tritone Substitution
In this lesson we explore the effect of the tritone substitution. Alternating between Fmaj7 and Gb7 creates a more delicate motion rather than using the regular C7 as a dominant.
This more delicate motion supports the flowing quality of the music which is idiomatic for the Bossa Nova. We also discuss how to play the melody and how to improvise over the tune.
Related Lessons
Learn to play “Triste” for solo piano performance. We explore chord voicings, accompaniment, reharmonisations, and improvisation.
When writing “Desafinado”, Jobim and Mendonça decided to write a tune with many of these unusual scale degree choices in the melody.
Using a simple 25 progression, we will demonstrate the key differences between improvising with a straight feel, and with a swing feel.
Practice Tips
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Listen to the original recording of the piece and other recordings of Brazilian players.
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Play through the chords by themselves at first and try to emulate the Brazilian groove and time-feel of the music.
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Pay special attention to the bridge of the piece. The harmony in this section is quite unusual. Make sure to memorize the chords well so you can go through that section fluently.
That looks and sounds gorgeous but it would be nice to break it down in an extended course, explaining the individual cords, techniques and runs in more detail.
Is there a more detailed tutorial in the works?
Thank you,
Zoltan
Hi Zoltan,
Thanks for the comment.
I recently created a more accessible tutorial on the tune “Corcovado”, you can find that lesson here: https://www.pianogroove.com/bossa-nova-lessons/corcovado-tutorial-beginners/
Similar to your comment, another student had requested a more detailed breakdown of the harmony in some of our Brazilian jazz standard lessons. Jovino does move quite quickly and so his teachings are more suited to intermediate level players.
Please check out the lesson above and let me know if it is a good fit for you. I tried my best to explain the harmony and voicing considerations in detail.
In January I will be creating similar lessons on “Girl From Ipanema” and “Wave” with the same style and pacing.
Talk soon,
Hayden