How Insensitive Chords - Original Jobim Version

[hag01]

I've tried find by ear, I've listened to this performance:

And that is what I've got:
D-7,D-7,A7,A7,C-6,C-6,G7\B,G7\B,
BbMaj6,BbMaj6,EbMaj6,EbMaj6,E-7b5,A7,D-7,D-7
F7,F7,D°7,D°7,BbMaj7,E-7b5 A7,D-7,D-7
F7,F7,E7\B,E7\B,E-7b5,A7,D-7,D-7

What do you think??

[jobbe]

[rpguitar]

It's basically what I play, with one exception in the last set of chords:

F7,F7,E7\B,E7\B, BbMaj7#11 ,A7,D-7,D-7

[KirkP]

One could think of rpguitar's BbMaj7#11 as E-7b5 with a b9th and 11th added.

[rpguitar]

Also, I forgot - where you have A7 in bars 3 and 4 I actually play an A7b9, voiced as a C#dim7 chord:

x4535x

And I play the song in Bm, but that's another story.

[ronjazz]

The changes are from a Chopin Prelude, I believe. I don't favor the sound of a minor 7th as the tonic chord, though, it wants to resolve to its dominant 7. I prefer just plain Dm, especially for the opening of the tune, or Dm with a E added next to the F, for a minor 2nd within the chord, very cool sound.

[KirkP]

I think Jobim starts the tune with minor 7th but finally resolves to straight minor or minor 6th. Listen closely to the guitar and you can hear the minor 7th through most of the tune, except the resolutions (each time around). I think the minor 7 helps move the progression forward.

[Norman2]

Hi, Please visit bossanovaguitar.com. At the top of the page are the alphabet letters. Under each letter there is a
list of bossa Nova songs. If you go to I you will find Insensatez and all the lyrics and chords. There are chords for
many many Bossa Novas and all that are of any importance. Good tool. Regards
Norman2

[hag01]

Also, I forgot - where you have A7 in bars 3 and 4 I actually play an A7b9, voiced as a C#dim7 chord:

x4535x

And I play the song in Bm, but that's another story.

I also play this A7 with a b9.

[KirkP]

Hi, Please visit bossanovaguitar.com. At the top of the page are the alphabet letters. Under each letter there is a
list of bossa Nova songs. If you go to I you will find Insensatez and all the lyrics and chords. There are chords for
many many Bossa Novas and all that are of any importance. Good tool. Regards
Norman2

It's a really nice site, but I think they got the 2nd chord of Insensatez wrong. In the key of Bminor, the second chord should be called Bbdim7 or F#7b9/Bb, not A7b9. On the original recording that I posted yesterday the bass is playing Bb not A.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

It's a really nice site, but I think they got the 2nd chord of Insensatez wrong. In the key of Bminor, the second chord should be called Bbdim7 or F#7b9/Bb, not A7b9. On the original recording that I posted yesterday the bass is playing Bb not A.

Am I doing it wrong? I think of Bbdim7 and A7b9 as the same chord. I guess one key thing is what is the expected bass note and it's Bb, but that's par for a A7b9 in such a progression.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

BTW, Pat in a tux! That's worth the price of admission.

[KirkP]

A7b9 contains the four notes of Bbdim7, but it's not the same chord since it adds the root A. If the guitar plays A while the bass plays Bb you'll have a mess! F#7b9/Bb also includes all notes of Bbdim7 and it's root doesn't clash with the bass, so it's a better choice.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

A7b9 contains the four notes of Bbdim7, but it's not the same chord since it adds the root A. If the guitar plays A while the bass plays Bb you'll have a mess! F#7b9/Bb also includes all notes of Bbdim7 and it's root doesn't clash with the bass, so it's a better choice.

Hmmm... I like sound of A over the Bb bass -- it's the leading tone. I'd play it high enough so that it didn't clash in register.

One option would be the Bbdim7 scale:

Bb C Db Eb Fb Gb Abb Anat

There's that pesky A!

[christianm77]

I make the first few bars of the progression Dm9 C#dim7 Cm6 G/B Bbmaj7

Scale wise I would usually play D harmonic minor over the C#minor. Dim scale would work of course, but melodically can be a bit harder to work in than just raising the 7 in the D minor scale. I think of the dim scale as the next step further out - more appropriate for a second or third chorus then the first when you are just starting things off....

G/B actually belongs to C melodic minor which makes life easier too - Cm6 G/B Bbmaj7 can be regarded as a kind of funny version of a Bb ii-V-I, where G/B (or Bm7b5) can be thought an unusual sub for F7#11 or B7alt..

Pretty unusual progression... In the Realbook they have G7/B which I like less.

D dorian or natural minor --> D harmonic minor --> C melodic minor allows you to handle the first couple of bars with minimal fuss...

[KirkP]

Hmmm... I like sound of A over the Bb bass -- it's the leading tone. I'd play it high enough so that it didn't clash in register.

I just object to naming A as the root of that chord since it clashes with the bass. If it's played as leading tone in another register it's not serving as a root. I'd cringe in a jam if someone played A7 for that chord. :-)

Most of us know there are four 7/b9 chords containing the notes of Bbdim7 (F#7b9, A7b9, C7b9, Eb7b9). But that doesn't mean they're interchangeable. Some might work as subs, but for a basic chord chart I'd like to use a chord name that's consistent with the composer's original bass line.