How to play Bossa Nova Samba on the piano

By Thomas Gunther

March 2, 2024

Bossa Nova Samba, Brazilian Piano, Latin Piano

What you learn from this post

How to create/play classic Bossa Nova Samba piano accompaniments for the purpose of accompanying a singer or an instrumentalist all by yourself
Bossa Nova Samba left hand bass patterns
Arranging/playing a song from lead-sheet in Bossa Nova Style

Authenticity is paramount!

Each example presented here is based on original Bossa Nova Samba recordings by world class Brazilian musicians like Antonio Carlos Jobim who composed some of the most beautiful Brazilian songs, such as The Girl From Ipanema and One Note Samba.

Free Download Offer!

Subscribe to our mailing list now (you may unsubscribe any time) and download the pdf of our amazing collection of Authentic Bossa Nova Samba Piano Accompaniment Patterns & Exercises free of charge.

After downloading your free pdf you may watch the related video tutorial below that explains all the different accompaniment patterns shown in the pdf.

What does Bossa Nova mean

Bossa Nova is a softer, commercialized and heavily jazz influenced type of traditional Samba music that originated in Brazil.
In Brazil it is actually called Bossa Nova Samba, or Samba Bossa Nova.

When listening to songs that have the name "Samba" in them, we find that there is a great variety in tempo, feel, and rhythm, and many of them sound just like what jazz musicians would call Bossa Nova.

It is important to understand that in Brazil the "Bossa Nova Beat" is characteristic of a samba style rather than an autonomous genre. In the USA and Europe, jazz musicians often consider Bossa Nova to be its own genre however.

About Our Free Video Tutorial on Bossa Nova Samba Piano Accompaniment

I created a comprehensive video tutorial that is based on authentic Brazilian Bossa Nova Samba music. Since the acoustic guitar is so important in Bossa Nova Samba music, many of the rhythm patterns explained in the video are inspired by the guitar pattern played by famous Brazilian Bossa Nova Samba guitarists.

Here are the main points the video focuses on

Examples of the most important classic Bossa Nova Samba guitar and piano patterns
How to adapt Bossa Nova Samba guitar patterns for the piano
Left hand patterns
Right hand patterns

Our Most Popular Solo Piano Arrangement

Our best selling Solo Piano Arrangement Of The Month is THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA.
It is one of the most beautiful Brazilian Bossa Nova Samba songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim ever written. Get the sheet music for only $5.99 now!

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Thomas Gunther

About the author

Thomas Gunther (alias Thommy Günther) is a versatile internationally active jazz pianist and keyboardist, music producer, and music educator. Born in Germany, Thomas moved to Chicago after receiving his masters in teaching popular music and jazz, with focus on piano and electronic keyboard performance from State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart/Germany.
In Chicago he soon become the principle pianist with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble let by Stan Kanton's music arranger and composer William Russo. Soon he formed his own bands playing piano and keyboards all over town and touring Europe regularly.
He has produced and recorded lots of music as a leader and sideman, appearing on over a dozent albums. He also offers music arranging and orchestration services. Thomas currenly serves as adjunct Professor of instruction at Columbia College Chicago where he designs and teaches courses for the Contemporary Jazz & Urban Music Program. The courses he has been (or is currently) teaching include Pop-Jazz Keyboards, Music Theory, Applied Music Production, Contemporary Arranging & Music Production.
Thomas is also the creator and owner of several educational websites such as PopJazzKeys.com and MusicTrainingOnline.com. He also teaches group and private lessons on Zoom.
Visit http://www.ThomasGunther.com for more info.

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