Sad was the night of Sunday, May 25, 2003.
Date of the tragic and stupid interruption of a long systematic and very productive work on part of the Brazilian cultural identity. Brutally murdered with 4 shots to the head, the guitarist, arranger, teacher, editor and music producer Almir Chediak radically stopped imagining that day.
He was 52 years old and had countless exciting future projects to develop │ His personal commitment to the Bossa Nova legacy came to an end that day.
His body was abandoned by his murderers on a road in Petrópolis (RJ) and along with him, the edition of many other Songbooks was also left unused, which we will no longer be able to enjoy.
Almir Chediak 's Songbooks are carefully designed books, with the precious encrypted content of transcriptions of scores and harmonies of the emblematic songs of the main authors of Brazilian Popular Music (MPB).
This uninterrupted series of publications originated in 1988, with the first 2 volumes dedicated to the musician and composer Caetano Veloso.
Shortly afterwards, various books gradually appeared with the best compositions by Antônio Calos Jobim, Dorival Caymmi, Noel Rosa, Ary Barroso, Vinícius de Moraes, Chico Buarque, Marcos Valle, Toquinho, Gilberto Gil, João Bosco, Braguinha, Djavan, João Donato, Rita Lee, Cazuza, to name just a few of the artists represented and studied in the dozens of editions that included thousands of scores and/or musical works.
The 5-volume Bossa Nova collection deserves a special mention, where there is an accurate selection of the main music of this movement and musical genre.
Almir Chediak personally consulted the composers themselves, in order to achieve the most profound and faithful transcription of the chords, harmonies, melodies and lyrics of the original scores. The goal was to be able to capture the spirit of the song on paper.
Each Songbook was consensual and deeply reviewed.
In addition to filling the enormous void that had always existed in the Brazilian musical pedagogical scene, the meticulous work of Chediak and his Editora Lumiar, exalted the "Musical Art of Brazil", disseminating it with pride throughout the country itself, as well as in the abroad.
His books, and the numerous albums he produced as well, remain timeless. They are perfectly updated over time. Serving as an important (almost essential) source of study and consultation, available to musicians of all ages and levels of learning.
But Almir did not edit and/or did not have time to produce a Songbook dedicated to João Gilberto .
Perhaps due to the fact of understanding, in a normal and understandable way, that the Bahian is not exactly a typical composer.
João composed some songs, as well as some instrumental songs, but his enormous cultural importance does not lie fundamentally in that part of his creation as a composer.
The most outstanding thing about João Gilberto 's Art (and it should be considered a rich and inexhaustible source of learning) is the exceptional, sophisticated, transgressive, imaginative, personal and authorial way in which he approaches the songs and original works of other composers.
Aware of the need to record João Gilberto 's interpretations in writing, the Bahian guitarist and teacher Aberbal Duarte started some time ago the project " Scripta da Bossa " (with the endorsement of João Gilberto himself).
This initiative is dedicated to the translation and analysis of the musician's extensive work. Unfortunately, the lack of resources (among other circumstances) prevents making any prediction regarding the final edition of the work and/or the conclusion of said cultural enterprise.
While we wait for the result of the work and efforts of Maestro Aberbal , we encourage you to finish creating this or to start any other initiative in the sense of realizing something similar to the achievements of Almir Chediak.
And being faithful to this research philosophy, this was actually how Fernado Romeiro de Carvalho's initial idea arose to create this Songbook or "Book of Figures" dedicated entirely to João Gilberto .
This book is published in .pdf file format available for free on the internet | free download, for all Desafinados who play " violão" (guitar).
The free edition │ free download of this Songbook is also a form of tribute to the great Almir Chediak and his interrupted work...! ❤
This Songbook by João Gilberto that presents Bossa Nova Clube has a scheme, design and typology of chords, very similar (in some cases identical) to that original design of the old and classic Songsbooks of the Lumiar publishing house.
It is also worth clarifying that this first compilation of harmonies (still incomplete but with the aim of growing) was made based on the study of repeated auditions of the albums and fundamentally the result of various consultations, selectively reviewing the extensive material already available on the internet.
To highlight the fantastic work of Takashi Nakajima, a young Japanese man so passionate about Brazilian culture that he sometimes prefers to sign himself as Carlos Nakajima.
The title or slogan: " We learn with João Gilberto to be a Desafinado ", does justice to the main intention, which is to facilitate access to the understanding of what João Gilberto does in each music, especially with his left hand. . That is, to synthesize by drawing in detail on paper, the mysterious world of its chords.
It is to dissociate and synthesize in coded grids, the sophisticated dissonant sound of the chains and their surprising harmonic sequences.
Comment that on the other hand, this Songbook does not stop to analyze the rhythm of the right hand, the syncopation of the Samba, and/or the complicated counter-tempo of the " balanço ", that great rhythmic secret of the Bossa Nova accompaniment.
Nor does he stop at the purely melodic aspects, that modern style of singing without fixed modulations, the perfect intonation and the unpredictable phrasing in the divisions.
Anyone who has ever tried to play and sing Bossa Nova knows exactly what I mean in these descriptions of the Songbook.
Since the scores are not included in the book, these figures will only be useful for those musicians who know the recordings.
The exercise of trying to play with and like João can be quite productive if the learner does not initially become frustrated with the extreme difficulty of this task.
The mechanical and orderly repetition of each part of the song will help you achieve better results. It is advisable to memorize the chords, in order to be able to fully dedicate yourself to concentrating on the Bossa Nova rhythm, in time and offbeat.
This "Book of Figures" Volume 1, contains in order all the songs from the first 3 and legendary LPs by João Gilberto .
" Chega de Saudade " (1959) │ " O amor, o sorriso ea flor " (1960) │ " João Gilberto " (1961).
The specific graphic presentation of the lyrics and chords of each song are represented on independent pages. This makes it more comfortable to play, without interruptions to turn the page.
Regarding the brands and/or signs used:
The sign ( *) indicates the repetition of the previous chord at the beginning of a new measure.
In most cases, the chords that appear in " bold " are at the beginning of the measure, while those without bold type divide the same measure with the previous chord in bold.
Possible little balls (o) placed in the chord design are attempts to represent movements of the left hand. in lighter or simpler notes.
The nomenclature to designate chords and intervals (a little different from Chediak's) was arbitrarily chosen among the countless that exist. It has been selected based on totally personal taste. I hope this does not hinder normal musical understanding.
"Book of Figures".pdf can be obtained by downloading freely │ free download at the link:
► Songbook João Gilberto │ Libro de Cifras vol.1.pdf The edition of this specific work and its entirety, like all Bossa Nova Clube projects , is a 100% altruistic, non-profit initiative that aims in the future Next, cover the entire recorded work of the great artist. For this reason, this musical project is open to collaborations, corrections, suggestions, praise and/or criticism, in addition to any manifestation or sincere comment.
This first "Book of Figures" was published on the occasion of the 82nd anniversary of the birth of João Gilberto .
" Um grande hug no João " │ Thank you for so many wonderful things...!
And our thanks also to everyone for your interest.
Fernando Romeiro & Carlos Anglada │ Bossa Nova Clube Rio de Janeiro, June 10, 2013
Carlos Anglada │ Bossa Nova Clube & Fernando Romeiro de Carvalho , agree to collaborate in the dissemination, promotion and/or free dissemination of this ambitious work, with the clear objective and main interest of being able to reach and interest guitarists and musicians who are fond of Music of the Brazil and that in turn, they can learn with João Gilberto to be true Detuned...! Do you want to try...?
► Bossa Nova Clube is proud to have created the 1st João Gilberto International Fan Club .
A thematic Facebook group, where you study, listen, share, play, sing and love João Gilberto . We will wait for you...!
► If you want to automatically receive all Bossa Nova Clube updates , you can register on the contact page .
PS ► This post was originally published on www.bossanovaclube.blogspot.com on 06/15/2013