Hey there! Hey if you'd like to learn an easy bossa nova strum to spice up some
of your music, you're in the right place.
Hi there, I'm Tomas Michaud from Real Guitar Success you knew that but if you
are new here please go ahead and subscribe to my Youtube channel right
now so I can send you some more great guitar lessons and learning tips.
I love bossa nova. I think it reminds me of beautiful, exotic, tropical places that's
it. I'm no expert at bossa nova guitar. There are many advanced lessons
on YouTube done by a very competent players in that style, that's it. I really
enjoy playing bossa nova and if you want to learn a good basic strum in a
step-by-step manner, you're in the right place. I do remember when I first saw
somebody play bossa nova guitar, it looks so complicated to me. I think
the main issue is reducing this syncopated rhythm pattern that I just wasn't
accustomed to. It's not something I was brought up with. So in my mind, it would
be something that would be terribly difficult to learn but I found like
anything else by taking something basic to start off with breaking it down,
learning it bit by bit, and putting it all together. I've been able to play some
nice rhythm patterns and I can do it naturally and fairly easily. You can, too.
If you follow this video and the step-by-step lesson I'm going to give
you, you'll be playing this and having a great time with it in no time.
In this video, first I'm gonna play the whole pattern for you and kinda show
you how it goes then I'm gonna break it down into parts and we'll work on each
of the parts separately and then put them back together. Finally we'll add a
chord that you can use with it and once you've accomplished with that chords
I'll add some little subtleties embellishments we'll call them to add
something to the sound with the chord. Then finally if you're ready and you're
done with the material so far I'll show you a little more elaborate
chord progression that you can use to practice the pattern. So this is
something that you can use on a nylon string guitar. It's possible to play on a
steel string. A lot of people do use a hollow body jazz type guitar. I think
you'll find, if you have a choice, if you can use a nylon it's easiest to learn on
a nylon string guitar so with that let's go ahead and get started.
So now here's the whole pattern ---
Now take a look at the rhythm pattern - the chart. You'll notice I'm using a B to
indicate when you play the bass note and a C when you play the chord. We're
playing the bass notes with a thumb and the chord with our first second and
third fingers. By the way you will need to use your fingers for this. So I've
broken it down into two measures to make it easier to learn. The first measure you
play the base and the chord together then the second beat just the chord
then for the third beat you hit the base note and then on the up of the third beat or the
and we'll call it the chord nothing on the four it's sustaining
through the four and then the upbeat of the end of four. Now in the second
measure, we start with the base note for the downbeat of one, up for the chord,
nothing on two and then up on the end of two, base note on three and then the
chord on four. All together it's one, two, three then four and one and two and three, four. Okay let's work on the
first half. We're gonna just block the strings, no chord just to work on the
rhythm pattern and then we'll add a chord to it after. So start off with your
thumb on the fifth string and your first second and third fingers on the fourth
string, third string, and second string. My third finger is on the 2nd string. So the
basic motion is the thumb goes down and the fingers come into your palm.
Try not to yank your hand away. It delays too much. It takes too much time to get
back and get in the right place. So thumb down, fingers to the palm. Practice for a
minute, altogether thumb and fingers. You're
gonna use that motion several times and sometimes separately. Thumbs separate and
the fingers separate. Okay I'd encourage you to practice that just a little bit
before we go on to the pattern but I'll assume you're ready. We're gonna start
off with that first half and I want you to look one more time at the rhythm
pattern just the first measure, the first half. I'm starting off by the beat one.
The base and the chord together then I play the chord for beat two, base on beat
three and then on the end of beat three the chord. Nothing on four and then the chord on
the end of four so listen as I count it out. First all together on beat one, one chord two
three and four and with a chord, one, two, three and four and... Now try that with
me. The first half the bass and the chord together, ready go.
Now for beat two just the chord up. Try those two together, here we go. We'll count one two,
ready go, one, all together and then two chord now we'll add three. The three is
just the base note and then on the end of three, the chord. So first three beats
ready go. Base and chord together one chord, two base
and chord. Again, listen one, two base chord and then comes four, nothing on four and
then on the end of four chord. So all together, four beats, ready go.
Base and chord together, chord on two base, chord nothing, chord. Try it again with me.
Ready go, base and chord. Chord, base, chord, nothing chord. Okay, that's the first half.
Now let's go ahead and do that second half. For beat one, we're gonna do the
base note, down with a thumb and then on the end of beat one the chord up, nothing
on beat two, down space and then up on the end of beat two - so the first half of
that measure is base, chord nothing, chord. One and two and let's go on ...
Beat three is a base note and then beat four is the chord so all together. Beats 1
through 4 is one and nothing and three four one and two and three four. Another
way to say it would be base, chord nothing chord base chord okay.
Practice that and we'll put it all together. Let's try it together, ready
play one two three and four and so I can measure one and two and three four. One
more time, play base and chord to start ready go, one chord base chord nothing
chord, base chord, nothing chord base chord. Okay now you're ready for a chord. We're
gonna do the D minor 9 chord. This is not a very difficult chord but it sounds
good for the style of music so it looks like this.
We're gonna put the second finger on the fifth string fifth fret. I'm gonna skip
the fourth string and put my third finger down on the fifth fret the third
string and next to it the pinky on the second string fifth fret so allow the
fifth fret there and I've got the first finger loose. I'm gonna put down the
fourth string third fret. That might be a little bit of a stretch and it just
takes practice and to do it, take your fingers off and then finger it again.
Try it with the thumb and all your fingers in the right hand. Take your
fingers off and try it again
Now let's put it all together with that D minor 9 chord. First, form the chord
ready try it one, two, three and four and one and two and three, four. How did you do? Try with me again, one more time, ready
go one, two, three and four and one, and two and three , four.
Okay, now twice in a row. Ready go one, two, three and four and one, and two and three , four and one and two and three four... one, two, three and four and one and two and three, four. Okay, now let me show you a little.
embellishment. We're gonna alternate the bass note.
Look at my D minor 9 chord. The base note is my thumb on the fifth string as a
D note. We're gonna alternate by moving the second finger over to the sixth string
fifth fret that's an A note so the fingers stay in the same place on the
right hand and on the left hand it's just that second finger that moves back
and forth. The D and the A. D the fifth string A six string. So often the way we
use this alternating bass note is every other beat so we'll go like this
one two three and four and one and two and three four. Try it nice and slow with
me, here we go, one two ready start. One two three and four and one and two and
three, four. Again, one two three and four and one and two and three, four. One more time, one two three and four and one and two and three four okay. Now if
you're ready for this, I'd like to show you a little longer chord progression
that you can use to practice it and make it more fun. We're going to need a couple
more chords for that. We've already got the D minor 9. We're gonna add to that
that the G13 chord. It look like this and a C major 9.
Let's do that G 13. We're gonna put the first finger on the third fret of the
sixth string. Skip the fifth string and put the second finger on the third
fret of the fourth string. Yes, fourth string. Now we need the third finger on
the fourth fret of the third string mm-hmm that looks right and then the
pinky on the fifth fret. Yes, fifth fret and that's the second string.
So you've got your thumb on the sixth string now. So let's try that chord and
then take it off and put your hand back on third fret third fret fourth fret and
pinky on the fifth fret -G 13. We're going on to the C major 9. We're gonna
use the fifth string for that third fret second finger. On the fourth string, I'm
going to put my first finger on the second fret. Now I've got my pinky on the
third string fourth fret and finally the third finger on the second string third
fret, pretty good. Let's play that. Thumb on the fifth string, all together.
Now for alternating base notes. For the C major 9, we're
gonna alternate by putting the second finger over to the 6th string 3rd fret
then you put your thumb over there in the right hand too. Try that a little bit
fifth string now to the 6th string 5th string 6th string. For the A13 we're not
going to use the alternating base note. So now the whole progression sounds like
this ... start with the D minor 9, one full strum pattern
to the G13 and then two full strum patterns on the C major 9.
A little faster.
Thanks for hanging out with me in this lesson. I have created something that I
want to mention to you I think will help you. It's called a guitar success
checklist. This is a simple 5-minute exercise and at the end you'll be able
to download a report that's customized just for you. This type of information
can save you months of guitar training practice time if it help you focus in on
exactly what you want to work on and how to organize it. It's free and I'll
include the link down here in the description below. If you haven't
subscribed to my YouTube channel yet do it now. I look forward to seeing you
again soon. By the way I'm curious what type of guitar you'll be using for this
lesson. If you have a nylon string or if you're
gonna try it on another type of guitar. Let me know in the comment fields below
and it'll help me when I make more videos to know what you're working with.
Take care for now. See you soon