Download Brazilian Accents - MATT WARNOCK GUITAR

Brazilian Accents
Over the centuries, Brazil has developed and exported some of the most common and popular
rhythmic patterns in modern music, leaving a musical legacy that continues to this day. In this
section, we will look at several of the most popular Brazilian styles and rhythmic patterns and
how you can apply them to accent patterns in order to develop your technique as well as explore
these important rhythmic groupings at the same time.
First, it is helpful to point out that there are many, many different ways to play bossa nova. The
first example that we will look at uses a bossa nova rhythm, where the accents fall on the first
and third notes of the first half of the bar, and the second and fourth notes in the second half of
the bar. If you look at this rhythm closely, you will notice that the second half of the bar is just a
transposed version of the first half, with the two accents being moved over by one eighth-note.
Start slowly with this accent pattern as it will be the foundation for each of the subsequent
Brazilian rhythms that we will explore in this section.
Audio Example 3:14
You can also apply a retrograde version of the bossa nova rhythm to your accent exercises by
flipping around the first and second halves of each bar. Here, the second and fourth notes are
accenting in the first half of the bar, while the first and third are accented in the second half of
the bar, essentially playing the original bossa nova rhythm backwards. This rhythmic grouping
can be thought of as a reverse bossa nova, and it is an important component of the samba rhythm,
which you will see in the next example.
Audio Example 3:15
Now that you have explored the bossa nova and reverse bossa nova accent patterns, you can
combine then to form a longer rhythmic grouping used in samba music. Again, there are many,
many different types of samba patterns to choose from. The samba rhythm I have chosen here is
built by playing a reverse bossa for one bar, followed by a normal bossa nova rhythm in the
second bar. If you can think about it as two, one-bar phrases that you already know, it will make
things easier when practicing and learning this popular rhythm.
Audio Example 3:16
As well, you can switch the first and second bars of the samba to form what can be thought of as
a reverse samba. Here, you play the bossa nova rhythm in the first bar, followed by the reverse
bossa nova in the second bar. As an exercise, to develop this rhythm further, you can practice
playing two bars of the samba rhythm, then switch to two bars of the reverse samba rhythm as
you ascend and descend the scale. Being able to switch between these, or any, accent patterns in
your playing is an important skill to have, and one that will contribute to you mastering these
patterns over time.
Audio Example 3:17
Choro is a popular genre of music in Brazil, and one that has contributed several important
rhythms to the modern, musical vernacular. One of the most common rhythms to come out of
choro is placing accents on every second note in a line. You can see this pattern below, where the
second and fourth notes of each four-note grouping are accented. Practice this exercise slowly at
first.
Because the accents never fall on a downbeat, they constantly provide forward momentum to the
music. This is a common characteristic of choro and a part of what makes it such an exciting
music to listen to. But, it can cause you to rush the tempo if you aren’t careful. So, take your time
with this pattern, start slow and build the metronome up from there as you become comfortable
with these accents.
Audio Example 3:18
The final Brazilian rhythm that we will explore in this section is called the baião. This rhythm is
based on a 3+3+2 accent pattern, where you accent the first, fourth and seventh eighth notes
within the span of one bar. Again, this syncopated rhythm can be hard to get into your fingers
and ears when you are first exploring it in the practice room, so take your time with this pattern
and work slowly until you are fully comfortable with this interesting and fun rhythmic pattern.
Audio Example 3:19