Bossa nova comping
“Comping” (short for accompanying) is what a pianist plays under a singer or a soloist. In bossa nova it is two simple jobs at once. The left hand plays a slow, steady bass: a low note on beat 1 and another on beat 3. The right hand plays short chords that land in a pattern of gaps, called the clave. Neither hand is hard alone. The skill is keeping the left hand steady while the right hand jumps around it. This page builds it in five steps over three chords: C major 7, D minor 7 and G7.
Before you start
The three chords. A “7” chord is a normal chord with one more note stacked on top, which gives it the soft, jazzy sound that bossa nova lives on. Other chord types explains where the extra note comes from. Here are the notes you will play:
| Chord | Notes | Left hand |
|---|---|---|
| C major 7 (Cmaj7) | C E G B | C, then G |
| D minor 7 (Dm7) | D F A C | D, then A |
| G7 | G B D F | G, then D |
The clave. It lasts two bars. Count each bar “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &”. In the first bar the right hand plays on 1, the & of 2 and 4. In the second bar it plays on 2 and the & of 3. That is the same five-hit pattern as the bossa nova clave in the Rhythm room. Clap it on your knees first, saying the count out loud, before you touch the keys.
Every exercise below has buttons to hear each hand alone and both together. Learn the left hand alone, then the right hand alone, then both. Start at 50 and keep every chord short and light: play it and let go straight away.
Five steps
Ready when
- You can play step 3 for four rounds at 60 without the left hand moving when the right hand does.
- You can play step 4 and hear that the F stays put between D minor 7 and G7.
- You can start step 5 on the two-hit bar and still land on the right chord in bar 3.
The same pattern is played on other instruments: Guitar · Bossa nova and Latin comping (thumb and fingers) and Drums · Timelines (the clave on the rim). The left-hand rhythms on their own are on Rhythm in the hands.