Bossa Nova Chords #3

In this series I will introduce various Bossa Nova chord progressions. Some are taken directly from famous recordings, others are suitable as exercises for important chord types or often used harmonic cliches.

Chord Progression #3 is a strange  one. It doesn’t really fit into the classic patterns of Jazz and Bossa Nova chord progressions, yet sounds very smooth and logical. Tom Jobim uses it in Batidinha and Red Blouse, and it can be found in several jazz standards such as Wayne Shorters E.S.P..  

The chord progression features only two chord types:

  •  a Major7 chord with extension tone 9 – a classic jazz and bossa chord, very mellow and bright.
  • a Dominant7 chord with extension tone #9 – this is a very bluesy sounding chord most famously used by Jimi Hendrix.

These chords progress in semitones (FMaj9 to E7#9) ) and then repeat a whole tone below thus creating a chromatic chord sequence: 

Unbenannte Partitur-1
2
4
3

This chromatic chord progression could basically be repeated forever as it is a never ending sequence of dominant (tension) to tonic (release) chords. Its unusual structure can be explained if you start analyzing it from the Dominant7 chord.

The E7(#9) chord can be also be seen as a Bb7(13) chord if you exchange the root notes. This principle is known as tritone substitution because the interval between Bb and E is called a tritone. This substitution is usually only done on Dominant7 chords as the two chords that are exchanged have two notes in common: the major 3rd and the flat 7th. In this case the two notes are Ab/G# (7th of Bb7 and 3rd of E7) and D (7th of E7 and 3rd of Bb7).

 

Tritone Substitution

2
5

Now, if you would substitute Bb7 in this chord progression, you can see that this is just the regular dominant chord to EbMaj7. This part of the chord sequence then turns out to be very basic. Yet, starting on the unrelated F Major7 chord and ending on a dominant7 chord without resolution (D7#9), this chord progression just seems to float in musical space. Which is exactly what makes it so beautiful. 

Suggested Songs:

  • Batidinha
  • Red Blouse
  • E.S.P.
  • The Girl from Ipanema
  • Night in Tunisia
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