Chord & FretSamba · ii-V-I — Guitar
What is the Samba · ii-V-I progression?
The Samba · ii-V-I progression is Cm → F → A# (ii – V – I), in the key of Bb. Read as harmonic function it moves subdominant → dominant → tonic, arriving home on a cadence. Play one chord per bar and let it loop.
Four chords, a whole story: 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 · see it in Chord & Fret
Save this progression in Chord & FretReharmonize — Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize the progression in a tap · try 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 3 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 · use 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 — it's on the app stores.