The bossa nova is a quiet groove. The hi-hat plays steady 8ths, the cross-stick (rim click) plays a pattern derived from the clave, and the bass drum plays a recurring two-beat figure: kick on 1, kick on the & of 2, kick on 3, kick on the & of 4. Once those three layers are in place, you have bossa.
The cross-stick is a snare-rim click — laid the stick across the rim with the tip on the head, then strike. The notation below uses the snare line, but you should play it as cross-stick, not as a full snare backbeat. Volume is everything in bossa: hi-hat soft, cross-stick softer, bass drum quietest of all. It should sound like a whisper, not a slap.
Exercises
1 — Hi-Hat 8ths Alone
Steady 8ths. Quiet — barely audible. Bossa is a soft groove from the start; if your hi-hat is loud, the rest of the texture won't fit underneath it.
2 — Add the Bossa Bass Drum
Bass drum on 1, & of 2, 3, & of 4 — a recurring two-beat figure. This is the same shape as the "pop kick" pattern in foundations, but at bossa tempo and volume it carries a completely different feel: rolling, not driving.
3 — Add Cross-Stick on 2 and 4
Snare line shows on 2 and 4, but play it as a cross-stick — stick laid flat across the rim, tip on the head, click instead of crack. Simple two-and-four cross-stick is the bossa entry point; the more elaborate clave-based pattern comes in Understanding Clave.
4 — Bossa Synthesis
A clave-flavored cross-stick pattern: hits on the & of 1, 3, and & of 4. This is approximately the rhythmic shape of a 3-2 clave, simplified for one bar. Played as cross-stick over the bass-drum-and-hi-hat texture, this is recognizably bossa.