The Girl From Ipanema

Antonio-Carlos Jobim

Bossa NovaF4/4

46

chords

13

different scales

10

tonal centres

First bars

Fmaj7Fmaj7G7(#11)G7(#11)

Everyone knows the first section. It's the second one that separates the players who did the work from the ones who didn't: the tune leaves F and passes through ten tonal centres before coming home, all in a handful of bars.

Forty-six chords, half of them dominants. The dominant is the chord that allows the most choice — which is why it's where a solo most clearly shows a player's level. Hitting a right note here is easy; making the right choice is what shows.

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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