The Definitive Recording
While many jazz musicians play this in D-Minor, João Gilberto’s definitive version is in B-Minor, a key that makes complex chord fingerings easier on the guitar.
Harmonic Analysis: The “All-Purpose Glue”
The song is built on a two-part form of 8 bars each, characterized by a chromatic descent in the bass.
- The Diminished Link: In the second bar, a diminished chord connects the tonic B-Minor to A-Minor6. This chromatic descent continues until it resolves at G-Major7 in bar 5.
- Rootless Dominants: Gilberto interprets a diminished chord on the raised VII degree (like A#-Diminished) as a rootless dominant seventh chord (F#7/A#). This “double meaning” is a cornerstone of his harmonic vocabulary.
- Voice Leading: The downward-moving diminished chords serve as passing chords with coherent internal voice leading that connects unrelated harmonies elegantly.
Voicings as a Reference Point
In the key of A-Minor, Gilberto uses specific voicings that have become the ultimate reference for Bossa Nova guitar.
Chord-by-Chord Breakdown
- Am6 Start: A essential Bossa classic. Immediately following it is a diminished chord functioning as a passing chord toward Gm7.
- C7/G (The Dominant): Gilberto plays the C7 with a ninth (9) for a mellow sound, but crucially places the **fifth (G) in the bass**.
- F6 Mix: At the end of the II-V cadence, he mixes the usual FMaj7 with the F6 chord for a subtle, softer tonic detail.
- The Minor Subdominant: The F6 shifts to **Fm6**, which functions as the minor subdominant to C Major.
- G7 Variations: Notice how Gilberto blends F/G and Fm/G to create sophisticated G7sus4 textures before returning to the home key.
Jobim’s Answer to Critics
Jobim wrote this to defend Bossa Nova’s complex harmonies. Gilberto plays this in **D-Major**, which leverages the guitar’s open strings more effectively than the standard jazz key of F-Major.
The Hidden Melody Line
The “Guide Tone Lines” are often found in the middle voices of Gilberto’s chords. Observe the descent in the first three chords (DMaj7 – E7 – Em7):
- Note **A** (5th of DMaj7) lowers to **G#** (3rd of E7).
- Note **G#** lowers to **G** (minor 3rd of Em7).
Technical Highlights
- The DMaj7/F#: He starts with the third (F#) in the bass to initiate smooth voice leading.
- The Bb-Major Trick: Jobim directs the harmony effortlessly to Bb-Major via an intermediate F#7 dominant, a rare but effective compositional move.
- The EbMaj7 Suspension: Just before the repetition, an EbMaj7 is inserted. This is a common jazz suspension—the Major7 chord of the diminished second degree—returning to the tonic.
Tonal Excursion
In the key of Db-Major, Gilberto adapts his voicings to follow Jobim’s “shifting tonal centers” in Part II.
Part I: Bass Choice Consistency
Gilberto uses only four chords for the first part, emphasizing the fifth in the bass for stability:
- Db6/9: Fifth in the bass.
- Eb7: Ninth in the soprano, fifth in the bass.
- Ebm9: Achieved with an inconspicuous movement of the index finger to lower the third.
- Ab7: The most “impressive” chord, featuring the b9 and 13th, with the b9 notably placed in the bass.
Part II: The Drama of Unrequited Love
The harmony moves away from the tonal center with a series of rising Major7 and Dominant7 pairs:
- DMaj7/G7 → FMaj7/Bb7 → GbMaj7/B7: This upward shift mirrors the unrequited love described in the lyrics.
- Cadence: The section concludes with a typical iii-VI-ii-V cadence (Fm7 – Bb7#11 – Ebm7 – Ab7#11) returning to the home key.