Left-hand pattern · Bossa beach
Bossa sway
Long-short, long-short, leaning ahead: a gentle Brazilian sway. Musicians call it root bass, bossa (1, 2&, 3, 4&).
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Bossa sway goes
One bar over a C chord: a row for each key, a column for each step, the finger on each note. Over another chord, move the same shape to its root.
Root bass rhythm: Just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
Songs with Bossa sway
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Bossa sway, from verse to chorus.
More heartbeats
All patternsQuestions about Bossa sway
What is Bossa sway on piano?
Long-short, long-short, leaning ahead: a gentle Brazilian sway. Musicians call it root bass, bossa (1, 2&, 3, 4&), one of the root bass rhythm patterns: just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
How do I play root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&) with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C3 (5); the number after each note is the finger (1 is the thumb). Over any other chord, move the same shape to that chord's root.
What songs use Bossa sway?
It is heard in thousands of songs of the library, as the main groove of 476 songs, such as I Will Always Love You, My Heart Will Go On, Havana, The Girl From Ipanema (Garota De Ipanema).
Is Bossa sway easy?
It is an easy pattern, in 4/4, usually around 100 beats a minute.