The Real Way To Play Bossa Nova - Peter Martin | 2 Minute Jazz

Peter breaks down the real way to play a Brazilian bossanova groove.

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What's going on everybody? Peter Martin here for Two Minute Jazz Piano.

I want to talk to you about bossanova jazz piano styles today and a little secret to tighten up your playing and get it a little bit more authentic in that authentic Brazilian bossanova style.

(pleasant piano music)

So that's the foundation of the groove. Now you'll notice that I'm not playing: all that with the bassline. You may have learned it that way, you may have seen it written in music that way, you may have played it in your stage band when you were in middle and high school, but that's not authentic and it really doesn't lend itself well to the actual forward momentum and movement of that bossanova groove, which is really more based around the guitar and the piano in that tenor range providing the movement.

Two, three, four. So even without that bassline, I'm just imagining the bass player, that great Brazilian bass player playing that bassline, but all that rhythm is there, I'm just imagining the drums.

So when you put in the bassline and you're maybe playing, you know, like: All you need in the bassline is: Just play half notes, relax. Maybe even some whole notes. You don't need that,

all that movement's here in the piano or the guitar.

Half notes. And the syncopation is not in the bass, it's in the right hand. Okay, so just add that one little element to your bossanova playing which is really about taking out an element and I think you'll start to slide into that great Brazilian bossanova groove a little bit easier, alright? Happy practicing.

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https://www.openstudionetwork.com/piano