The simple secret to putting magic in your tango

January 14th, 2018
Musicality What women want Performance videos

I'll never forget my embarrassment about 20 years ago when, during a momentary power outage in a milonga in Rome, we all stood there in the darkness, our tangos interrupted, but still in close embrace. Angelo, my partner for that tanda, blurted out at full volume, "Sento il tuo cuore più che sento la musica!" - "I can feel your heart more than I can hear the music!" I thought, "Please! If my heart's beating hard can't be MY secret, at least it can be OUR secret."

In the photo: Adrian and Amanda Costa

Whether or not he was conscious of it, Angelo understood something about making magic in his tango: he often paused at the end of those musical phrases in which the bass gives the orchestra and the dancers a rest. 


In the silences of the rhythmic pauses in a tango, magic can happen! It's not the quantity of figures you use, nor your skill at executing them, that will make your tango unforgettable for your partners. Rather, one of your most important ingredients in making magic is how you interpret the music.


To develop more magic in your tango, start by paying careful attention to when you can hear the bass playing, or alternately the low keys of the piano, when used as the rhythmic instrument . . . and pay particular attention to when you can hear no rhythmic instrument playing.

I suggest that you practice listening very carefully for the rhythmic silences in tangos; using a headset will help you distinguish the bass from the melodic instruments.
   

Then, to fill your tango with beautiful emotion, respond to those rhythmic silences, during which one or more melodic instruments play without the bass. The melodic instruments (violins, bandoneons, piano) could be playing an embellishment or other brief intervention at the rhythmically silent end of a musical phrase. Or they could be playing up to a whole phrase of melody while the rhythm remains quiet, which happens sometimes in tangos of 1945 and later. Pugliese's arrangements do this a lot. As you practice listening for the rhythmic base and for its absence, you'll discover various ways in which the orchestras play with rhythmic silences.

How can you respond to the rhythmic silences? You can start simply by pausing during those intervals. That's the easiest way to start making magic for you and your partner.  (I discuss what to "do" during the pauses in Tip #6 of my "9 Surprising Tango Tips for Men" free e-course. Click "E-course" at the top of this page to subscribe.)

Here's an assignment to help you become more expert at making magic happen by responding to the rhythmic silences in tangos:

Look at the performance video of Adrian and Amanda Costa that I chose for an earlier article, "The Power in Your Gap - Part 2", in which I talk about "filling the 'gap' with your presence."  Here's the Costa video example again on Youtube:  https://youtu.be/u8nT1ZmePYo?t=2m35s. It starts at 2:35, with Troilo's 1949 instrumental, "Patetico". (Skip the Di Sarli milonga at the beginning of the video.) As you watch the video, observe all the times that Adrian chooses to pause, and see if you can understand what in the music prompted each pause! Adrian and Amanda help us in this exercise by walking the entire tango, so their musical decisions are not obscured by figures. You can use a headset to listen as you watch the video. 

My questions for you:

1) In the comment section below, please identify a couple of Andrian and Amanda's pauses in their performance of "Patetico above" - your choice - and tell us what you hear in the music that prompted them to pause. Using a headset or earbuds as you watch the video could be helpful.

2) Also, or alternately, please share with us below how you make magic happen in your tangos. I'd love to hear about it!

Abrazos,

Helaine

You have my permission to use this post. All I ask is that you include the following at the end:

Helaine Treitman is here to help you dance tango calmly and confidently, fully expressing your masculine self as you beautifully connect with the woman in your embrace. You’ll gain a deeply-informed understanding of tango music so you’ll know how to create magic for your partners, tanda after tanda. Start learning from Helaine now, with her FREE e-course, “9 Surprising Tango Tips for Men” — Get FREE Access Now!