Chord & FretSamba · ciclo de quintas — Guitar
What is the Samba · ciclo de quintas progression?
The Samba · ciclo de quintas progression is Gm → Cm → 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 & Fret
Save this progression in Chord & FretReharmonize — Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize the progression in a tap · use it in Chord & Fret
Learn each chord of the trip
This is one shape of A#. In Chord & 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 & Fret →
Metronome — Drill this change in time, with tap tempo and subdivisions · see it in Chord & Fret
If you want to keep exploring, the Chord & Fret app picks up right here, with every chord and scale variation one tap away. App stores, today.