Aquarela do Brasil

Ary Barroso

SambaEb2/4

126

chords

19

different scales

11

tonal centres

First bars

Ebmaj7Ebmaj7Ebmaj7Ebmaj7

One hundred and twenty-six chords, seventy-two of them dominants. It's the most dominant-driven tune in this library, and that's not a detail: the dominant is the chord that allows the most choice.

Fifty-six chords have more than one defensible reading — nearly half. Eleven tonal centres across six sections. That's why Aquarela sounds completely different in each musician's hands: everyone is choosing, even without knowing they chose.

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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