7th Chords Bossa-Nova style
Today I would like to show you how to play 7th chords on the cello, and be a groovy cellist!
I’ll be showing you how I approach 7th chords through one of my favorite songs, One Note Samba by Antonio Jobim.
Have a listen to the video to hear how I play the chords.
When arranging chords onto the cello, you want to consider 2 things:
1. Voicing | 2. Fingering
- Voicing – each 7th chord has the 1(Root) 3rd , 5th and 7th. So we want to figure out in which order can we play it on the cello, so that it gives us a chord that is playable. In my approach to these 7th chords, I like to voice the chords in the order of 1, 7, then 3. It’s very comfortable on the fingering. The challenging in this piece is that you have all different kinds of 7th chords – major 7th chords, minor 7th chords, and flat 5 chords (with the seventh), so the fingerings are constantly changing.
- Fingering – the fingering is going to be determined by the voicing on the chords (and thus the notes you need to play).
I hope this video has inspired you to explore this piece more. Be blessed and have a wonderful day.
