Só Danço Samba is a Bossa Nova song by Tom Jobim . The simple chords make it an excellent song for beginners . The most famous recording dates from 1964, with Joao Gilberto singing and playing guitar:
The song begins with a short guitar intro before the actual form begins. Tom Jobim follows the classic pattern of American pop songs of this time: AABA. The first part (A) is played twice before the second part (B) is followed by a reprise of the first part. The chord sequence is also based on ideas of American composers such as Cole Porter or George Gershwin. Only the dancing rhythm of Joao Gilbertos guitar is the innovation of the Brazilian musicians. Gilberto plays some rhythmic variations here and often obscures the basic rhythm. For this arrangement, however, I chose his Bossa Nova basic rhythm, which you can find here.
Guitar Chords fo Beginners
I have also adapted the chord grips to make it easier for all interested guitarists to get started. The first part consists of just four different chords.
The most difficult chord is definitely the E7 chord. The recommended fingering is 2-1-4. Both the middle and little fingers remain in place when changing to the Em7. The middle finger can even be held up to the A7 chord. A rewarding fingering sequence!
The first part ends with a so-called II-V-I cadence. Here, the chords progress according to the degrees of the home key and form a cadence, a chord sequence with a final resolution. The chord fingerings here are particularly easy to learn.
Expand your chord Repertoire
The second part consists of two more II-V chord progreessions. Bm7 to E7 is followed by Em7 to A7 which resolves to the beginning of the song and the tonic chord D6. The American influence is clearly audible here. The chords are a little more difficult to play, especially in the last four bars.
Nevertheless, So Danco Samba is an excellent piece to start with in the world of Bossa Nova guitar playing. Get the simplified guitar arrangement in the shop and learn the first chords!