One Note Samba — Chord Changes & Harmonic Analysis
- Composer:
- Antonio Carlos Jobim
- Year:
- 1961
- Key:
- Bb major
- Form:
- AABA (32 bars)
- Style:
- Bossa Nova
- Tempo:
- 130–200 BPM
Also known as "Samba de Uma Nota So," this playful Jobim composition features a repeated melody note over shifting harmonies. The A section demonstrates the bossa nova technique of constant melodic repetition with harmonic variation.
About This Standard
Composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim in 1959 (originally titled "Samba de Uma Nota Só"), One Note Samba is a cornerstone of the bossa nova and Brazilian jazz repertoire. Jobim's genius in this tune is the contrast between the static, repeated melody (hovering on a single pitch) and the richly chromatic harmonies moving beneath it — a compositional technique that influenced generations of jazz composers.
Notable recordings:
- Stan Getz & João Gilberto — Getz/Gilberto (1963)
- Antônio Carlos Jobim — The Composer of Desafinado Plays (1963)
- Ella Fitzgerald — Ella Abraça Jobim (1981)
Chord Changes
Notation
Harmonic Analysis
One Note Samba features a static melody over chromatic harmonic movement, creating tension between the surface simplicity and underlying complexity. The harmony moves through a descending chromatic sequence of ii-V pairs: Bbm7→Eb7→Abmaj7, then Am7→D7→Gmaj7, then Abm7→Db7→Gbmaj7, before returning to Bb major through a ii-V-I. This chromatic descending cycle of major ii-V-Is (a half-step apart) is the tune's defining harmonic feature and a great vehicle for practicing ii-V patterns through non-diatonic key centers.