Chord and FretSamba · ciclo de quintas — Guitar
What is the Samba · ciclo de quintas progression?
The Samba · ciclo de quintas progression is GmGmGmGm → CmCmCmCm → F → A# (vi – ii – V – I), in the key of Bb. Read as harmonic function it moves tonic → subdominant → dominant → tonic, arriving home on a cadence. Play one chord per bar and let it loop.
Four chords, a whole story: Gm (vi, home) → Cm (ii, the stroll) → F (V, time to come back) → A# (I, home). Hit play. First pass, just listen. Second pass, follow with your finger on the names — and notice that by the second-to-last chord, your body already knows A# — home — is coming.
Guitar
On the acoustic guitar you hold the whole song in your hands: the low sixth string lays down a bass note while the higher strings build the chord above it. The acoustic guitar sits at the very heart of Brazilian music: bossa nova was practically invented on it, and it carries samba, choro and MPB with equal ease. Its home chord A# keeps its lowest note on A#.
Cadences — Harmony comes to rest here — hear every cadence type and train your ear · open in Chord and Fret
Save this progression in Chord and FretReharmonize — Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize the progression in a tap · use it in Chord and Fret
Learn each chord of the trip
This is one shape of A#. In Chord and Fret, you open every position of all 4 chords in this progression along the neck — on any instrument, and hear each one. Open in Chord and Fret →
Metronome — Drill this change in time, with tap tempo and subdivisions · see it in Chord and Fret
If you want to keep exploring, the Chord and Fret app picks up right here, with every chord and scale variation one tap away. On Google Play, today.