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Chord & Fret

Forró · vamp nordestino — Electric guitar

What is the Forró · vamp nordestino progression?

The Forró · vamp nordestino progression is A → G (I – bVII), in the key of A. Read as harmonic function it moves tonic → dominant, arriving home on a cadence. Play one chord per bar and let it loop.

Play any song you love and it does this: leaves home, takes a walk, and at the right moment somebody yells "come back!". This progression is that route, road sign by road sign: A (I, home) → G (bVII, time to come back). Hit play and follow with your finger on the names — when you reach the chord marked "time to come back", notice your own body waiting for A — the home chord.

Electric guitar

On an electric guitar you rarely have to cover the low bass yourself, because in a band the bass player takes that job, so your chords can sit higher and cleaner. The electric guitar is not the traditional voice of samba or choro, but it fits MPB and modern arrangements well, adding smooth chords and quiet fills beside the core rhythm instruments. Its home chord A keeps its lowest note on A and rings 2 open strings.

Cadences — Harmony comes to rest here — hear every cadence type and train your ear · open in Chord & Fret

Save this progression in Chord & Fret

Reharmonize — Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize the progression in a tap · use it in Chord & Fret

Learn each chord of the trip

A · G

A, x 0 2 2 2 0A111×AEAC#E

This is one shape of A. In Chord & Fret, you open every position of all 2 chords in this progression along the neck — on any instrument, and hear each one. Open in Chord & Fret →

Metronome — Drill this change in time, with tap tempo and subdivisions · try it in Chord & Fret

Want to change keys without redoing any of this? In the Chord & Fret app you drag and the whole neck rewrites itself — App Store and Google Play.