Blue Bossa Tutorial Part 3
In Blue Bossa Part 1 we discussed a 5 step approach that you can use to familiarize yourself with the baseline, chords and melody of any Bossa Nova tune you would like to work on. We used the form and chord changes of Blue Bossa as an example.
Then in Blue Bossa Part 2 we began to create an arrangement for Blue Bossa. Firstly we talked about playing the though the form quite freely, and just hinting at Bossa rhythms in places to set the mood of the performance.
The second time through, we then added a much more obvious Bossa feel by utilizing the comping rhythms and some occasional Bossa Nova basslines.
We are going to continue to explore ways of playing the bossa nova style. Firstly we will step away from the melody and harmonise the tune as if we were accompanying a singer or an instrumentalist.
The final time through we will strip out most of the comping chords and focus on our left hand bass line. We will also ornament the melody, creating much more melodic interest and a nice climax towards the end of the tune.
Related Lessons
We examine the components of both the right and left hand and explore the interplay between the drums, the bass lines, and harmony.
A very important point is that it’s not absolutely necessary to play all of these elements concurrently throughout the performance.
When starting out playing Bossa Nova standards, it’s a good idea to separate and isolate the different elements that make up a Bossa Nova groove.
Practice Tips
- You don't always have to play the melody; it's okay to revert to the bass line and chords at times.
Excellent Presentation. I loved the way you tackled this in 3 easy explainable sessions. Thanks Hayden. Loved it.
Thanks George… I’m glad you enjoyed it. More Bossa tunes to come.
It was really great feedback to break lessons into multiple parts… I can see that it makes the theory more digestible and also easier to revisit particular sections of the tutorial.
I’ll be doing this for all lessons moving forwards and also breaking up previous lesson… ( particularly “My Romance” which was 40 something minutes long!! ) … I get carried away sometimes! 🙂
Cheers,
Hayden