JazzIntermediate

How to Play The Girl From Ipanema

Antônio Carlos Jobim (1962) · F major · AABA (32 bars)

'The Girl From Ipanema' (Garota de Ipanema) is one of the most recorded jazz standards of all time and a cornerstone of the bossa nova repertoire. Written by Antônio Carlos Jobim in 1962 with lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes, it has been covered by everyone from Stan Getz and João Gilberto to Frank Sinatra and Amy Winehouse.

The tune sits comfortably in F major and follows a 32-bar AABA form. The A sections use a classic IImaj7 → bVIImaj7 movement that gives bossa nova its dreamy, floating quality, while the bridge (B section) modulates and takes you on a chromatic journey before resolving back to the head.

This tutorial uses LoopTube's video looper so you can slow down the tempo, loop tricky bars, and practice each section in isolation. The video below has a visual chord chart that highlights each chord as it plays — perfect for guitar, piano, bass, or any instrument.

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Loop a section

Pick a section chip in the player to set the loop to that part of the tune.

  1. 1Intro / Count-in 0:00–0:01The count-in before the first A section begins.
  2. 2A Section 0:01–0:29The main melody and chord progression. The harmony moves through IImaj7 and bVIImaj7 — a signature bossa nova sound.
  3. 3B Section (Bridge) 0:29–0:56The bridge lifts to a new key centre. Watch for the chromatic chord movement as it resolves back to the top.
  4. 4A Section (Reprise) 0:56–1:24The A section returns. Try looping just the final bars to nail the ending.

How to practice The Girl From Ipanema

  1. Start with the A section at half speed (0.5×) so you can hear the chord movement clearly.
  2. Loop just the bridge until the chromatic chord changes feel natural — this is where most players stumble.
  3. Once you have each section under your fingers, loop the whole tune at 0.75× and play along.
  4. For comping, focus on the bossa nova rhythm: a steady pulse with syncopated accents. The visual chord chart will show you when each change lands.
  5. For soloing, try the F major scale over the A sections and pay attention to the key centres in the bridge.

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Loop any section, slow it down, build back up to full speed.

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