Here's the second of the (relatively) simple cavaquinho accompaniments I have prepared for novice cavaquinho players working on CCNE's 2025 Core Repertoire. This tune is a samba and I use a -- again, relatively -- simple samba "levada" (strumming pattern) for *most of the tune. If the levada is new to you, I suggest you ignore the chords at first and just try to match the 2-bar right hand strumming pattern at a tempo that's comfortable to you. The videos I'll link you to below are on youtube, which allows you to play them at the speed of your choice.
* One place I break the strumming pattern is in the A section, in bars 8/9 and again in the first ending: F-Am-Gm-C7. Here again, the best way to get this is by listening and watching, but if it's helpful, those single strums on each chord are falling on the 16th note before beats 1 and 2.
Another obvious place to break with the levada I am using throughout this tune is in measures that contain two chords, especially if there are several such measures in a row, as in the opening bars of the B section. A common approach to playing such sections would be to play a choro rhythm: (1) e & uh (2) e & uh, leaving the beats in parenthesis silent or with very muted short strum. I'm sure we'll see that approach to fast moving chords in other tunes in this series.
Links to sheet music and videos are below. Enjoy!
Sheet music with chord diagrams:
Videos:
As always, this accompaniment comes with the disclaimer that it is intended to help newcomers to the cavaquinho. Hopefully it will keep someone from getting utterly discouraged and giving up altogether. But I am far from an expert cavaquinista and, sooner rather than later, I encourage you to find one to study with!
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