Forró on guitar

Forró on guitar: the strumming pattern “pé-de-serra”, in 2/4 and the progressions Brazilian Northeast vamp (I–bVII) and simple I-IV-V (I–IV–V), each with audio on its own page. 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.

Close-partner dancing and festive nights in Brazil's Northeast: forró has a warm swing that pulls the whole room onto the floor, from slow shuffles to breakneck tempos. Here you'll find the Northeastern vamp — best understood as a short two-chord back-and-forth that loops endlessly — and the simple I-IV-V, popular music's most traditional chord trio.

Grooves

Progressions

My Chords & Scales: Build the genre's repertoire: saving chords and scales to the Notebook is part of Pro · use it in Chord and Fret

Updated October 20, 2026