Triste

Antonio-Carlos Jobim

Bossa NovaBb4/4

76

chords

24

different scales

9

tonal centres

First bars

Bbmaj7Bbmaj7Gbmaj7(#11)Gbmaj7(#11)

Triste is fast and looks simple because the melody is built almost entirely from repeated notes. The harmony underneath is not: seventy-six chords, twenty-four different scales, nine centres.

The second bar already warns you — a major chord with a raised fourth right after the home chord. That kind of chord is the one most players get wrong, because the obvious scale clashes with it. Twenty-two chords in this tune admit more than one reading.

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
See plans