3 Bossa Nova Exercises

Here are 4 Bossa Nova exercises, each exercise uses the same 2 chords : Am6 and Am7 with voicing on strings 2 to 4.

Its a good idea to practice with a metronome at a comfortable tempo. Note that the bass part is always on beats 1 and 3, while the chords vary between begin played on the off the beat.  There is a natural stress or emphasis when playing on the beat especially beats 1 and 3, while offbeat or syncopated rhythms should have a lighter more “up” feel. Bossa Nova (as with all Latin styles) is all about the feeling the contrast between on and offbeat. Its all about the rhythm and the inflections and subtleties created when playing the rhythms. There is often a sense of anticipation and a lightness of feel.

You can also practice just the chords by themselves, then add the bass. You can also just keep the bass as an A pedal (on the 5th string, and not go to the E).