A Felicidade

Antonio-Carlos Jobim

Bossa NovaC4/4

90

chords

18

different scales

7

tonal centres

First bars

Cmaj7Cmaj7Cmaj7Cmaj7

Ninety chords, eight sections, seven tonal centres. A Felicidade alternates between minor and major as if it were two songs stitched together — and it's that seam that trips up improvisers.

Thirty-four chords admit more than one reading. There are eight half-diminished chords, a chord almost always played with the wrong scale because the most obvious choice sounds harsh over it.

The full analysis of this song

  • The scale for every chord
  • The triads
  • The arpeggio
  • The reason behind the choice
  • The player in all 12 keys
  • Thiago's commentary
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