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 #4 is a classic Line Cliché. Although I am demonstrating a modern pop song in the video, this chord progression is one of the oldest clichés and comes from the early days of Jazz & Broadway music. A Line Clicheé is a short, often times repetitive melody that moves through one or several chords. Usually, the movement is chromatic or at least stepwise. One of the first popular songs to feature a Line Cliché was the jazz standard My Funny Valentine. Some of the most famous songs are Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin or While My Guitar Gently Weeps by The Beatles.
Here is “The perfect Pair” by beabadoobee:
This particular chord progression is very similar to My Funny Valentine and Stairway to Heaven. Like its famous cousins it features a chromatic line that moves downwards through a minor chord. It starts on the root, moves down to the sixth and finally resolves to a Major Chord on the bVI degree. This Line Cliché is probably the most famous and there are countless songs that use this idea. Once you have internalized the melody, you will recognize it other songs immediately!
The latin feel that makes this particular chord progression so upbeat and groovy is established by its heavily syncopated rhythm. Take a look a the first four bars:
The rhythmic figure is a typical Bossa Nova pattern. If you analyze it closer, you can see that the second bar is identical to the first but rhythmically reversed:
- First Bar: 1 2 3+(4)+
- Second Bar: 4 3 2+(1)+
I suggest you learn this Line Cliché and the rhythm pattern to be able to use it in other song as well. If you struggle to learn the rhythm pattern you can start with the basic Bossa Nova pattern and the Partido Alto rhythm.
Here are some suggestion If you want to work on other songs with this Line Cliché:
- My Funny Valentine
- Stairway to heaven
- Blue Skies
- What are you doing the rest of your life?
- Quern Sabe Isso Quer Dizer Amor
- Idle Moments
- Here’s that rainy Day
- In a sentimental mood
- Nature Boy