[Acoustic] Bossa Nova Recommendation

If you have an acoustic guitar (especially a gut guitar), you might want to immerse yourself in Bossa Nova. Although the chord progression & composition is complicated, the indescribable laid back feeling is attractive.

"The Girl from Ipanema", composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and played by Joao Gilberto
The note at the beginning of the melody is G, but the chord is Fmaj7 and the constituent notes are F, A, C, E.
There is no G sound at all, but depending on the score, 9th G may be included as a tension chord like Fmaj7 (9). I wonder if such a chord helps to create a fashionable atmosphere.

9th sounds such as Gm9 often appear in the middle of the song. I don't think you would have the same atmosphere if you played this with Gm. At first you need to get used to the unfamiliar chord form.

Furthermore, depending on the score, #11th, ♭9th, etc. can also be found. It feels like it’s slightly wrong, doesn’t it? In fact, the chord around here seems to be different depending on the arrangement. To be honest, it's difficult to play these sections. I'm wondering if my singing and playing actually match.

During the complicated chord change of the left hand, the right hand is playing syncopation.

To be able to play, you have to listen carefully. When I learned to play the guitar part, I memorized the guitar part first, and then practiced singing. It getting more fun to be able to play Bossa Nova and sing at the same time.

If you practice a few Bossa Nova songs and learn them well, you will be able to play other songs even if some complicated chords appear in the scores. In that sense, I think the playing experience of Bossa Nova will come to life.

The above is an explanation for the famous "The Girl from Ipanema", but since there are other songs that incorporate Bossa Nova arrangements in Japanese songs or pops. I would like to introduce one from Masatoshi Nakamura. "The Girl from Ipanema" and "Mr. Summer Time" in Circus are arranged in Bossa Nova, and they feel fashionable.
In addition, "Fly Me to the Moon", which was a big hit by Frank Sinatra and was later introduced into the world of jazz as a Bossa Nova arrangement, is covered by Megumi Hayashibara (also active as an anime voice actor in Evangelion) and an early album by Hikaru Utada. When Bart Howard produced it in 1954, it was three beats, but the one arranged as Bossa Nova has the four beat jazz standard, and the two covers are also this four beat Bossa Nova.

I was particular and thought "Bossa Nova must be played with a catgut guitar" because of its shape, but now I think it's okay to play it with steel strings. In fact, it seems that not only semi-acoustic guitars but also Strats and Gibson acoustic guitars are used, so I have come to think that I don't have to be so particular about it.

For Bossa Nova, there are some video sites that show semi-acoustic and finger styles, but recently I think that flat picks are also acceptable.

For those who want to play in a fashionable way, how about learning to play Bossa Nova?

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