One of the challenges facing the pianist learning Brazilian styles is the delegation of roles between the left and right hands. Whereas in Cuban music the piano has a clear role – it is primarily a percussion instrument playing rhythms to back singers and horn players – in Brazilian music the piano plays a wider variety of roles. If you were to perform The Girl from Ipanema in a band in which the melody was taken by a singer, sax player or other instrumentalist, it would not be played on the piano. Instead, you would be expected to do one of two things: When playing solo piano, it is always useful to be able to play a bass line in the left hand, as shown in the arrangement of The Girl from Ipanema given on p. 136. However, if both hands play single notes the resulting texture can be very thin, which was compensated for in the above arrangement by adding some chord shapes in the right hand beneath the melody. Another solution is to play chords in the left hand, without dropping the bass line. In jazz piano this would be called stride, a style in which the left hand alternates deep bass notes with central chords, most often played on the beat (see IBP and EJP). When playing Latin music, a more syncopated result is desirable. The following example shows a partido alto pattern adapted to combine both bass and chords: Fig 3.39 Partido alto (2:3) left hand with bass and chords • Comp – play chords in one of the rhythm patterns given on p. 135 (or partido alto) • Play decorative single-line ‘fills’ in the spaces between the melody The second option is necessary if a guitarist is present, since two people comping together tends to give too cluttered a result. You can hear Jobim assuming this role in the ‘Getz/Gilberto’ recording of The Girl from Ipanema, against João Gilberto’s guitar comping – check out his delightfully understated piano fills on the bridge, beginning around 0:40, and again at 1:55. Another illustration of these options can be found on two different songs by the legendary singer Elis Regina (both of which can be found on YouTube). In the first, Madalena, the piano provides the main rhythmic thrust, setting up the groove and general dynamic of the song. The second song, E Com Esse Qui Eu Vou, starts with some gentle guitar playing, the piano joining in but not playing chords, just a right-hand melody. After the vocals enter the piano takes a more decorative role, playing counter-melodies around the voice, and joining in with chordal playing only in the louder sections of the song. Cesar Camargo Mariano (the pianist on these recordings) is a master at doing this and is essential listening for anyone wishing to play bossa novas and sambas on the piano. Because of the need to fulfill these two roles, sometimes together, it is recommended that the pianist studying Brazilian music should learn to play all rhythms in both hands independently of each other. The playing of a melody in the right hand and partido alto (or similar two-bar pattern) in the left is perhaps one of the biggest challenges and must be approached with patience. Brazilian Styles Solo Piano Left Hand with Bass and Chords The above example uses only root position chords. When the chords move round a cycle (roots moving up in 4ths or down in 5ths), as in the II – V – I patterns above, this involves quite a bit of jumping around. Another way of playing involves more open voicings and intervals of a tenth: Fig 3.40 More advanced version for larger hands A good rule to adopt for the open voicings is to play all chords as triads, except for dominant sevenths, which should include the 7th. Thus, in the above example: y • Am7, Bø, Dm7, C Δ R 5 3 • E7, G7 R73 If you have small hands Fig 3.40 may seem to include some big stretches, but remember that you don’t actually have to keep the bottom note ringing while you play the top notes. A light touch and flexible wrist will go a long way towards making it easier to play. It’s often best to minimize the jumping around by using a combination of close and open voicings. Experiment to find out which configuration suits your hand and sounds best. Here’s an example: Fig. 3.41 Combining close and open voicings All the above patterns should also be practised over a 3:2 partido alto, eg: Fig 3.42 Partido alto (3:2) left hand with bass and chords Cesar Camargo Mariano, an accomplished master of the subtle art of bossa nova accompaniment, was married to and performed with legendary Brazilian vocalist Elis Regina. Photo © Samambaia Music Exploring Latin Piano Right- and Left-hand Roles in Brazilian Music How do you decide which kind of partido alto to use to accompany a given tune? Very often, a close look at the rhythm of the melody will make the answer obvious – look for places where the melody falls on the downbeat, and for places where it is consistently syncopated. If in doubt, try it both ways to see which fits best. Bear in mind that not all tunes are designed to fit one way or the other! The following tune Manhã de Carnival is tailor-made for a 2:3 partido alto. The arrangement combines close and open left-hand voicings in various ways. 145