[Tango-L] What is tango music?

[Bruno Afonso]

The "chan chan" at the end is not the distinguishing element that
makes tango music, tango music. It's a mere adornment and a matter of
musical interpretation of the orchestra leader. Some orchestras do it,
some don't. Minor detail.

Here's some stuff on the web:
http://www.lafi.org/magazine/articles/tango.html

For example, this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmomDbanm0U

it features orquestra tipica playing a short stretch at around 1:45 or
so. It has, in terms of a II chord (Cm7, minor chord), the following
notes from the sca

1 3b (minor) 5 7b (dominant, tension) 6b 5b 5
(if you consider the last notes are already on G, then it's 1b 1 7)

This playing and use of notes around 5th is somewhat associated to
tango sound and it is present in a lot of others compositions. Also,
the way play it, helps. Notice that although they syncopate, it's very
"on beat", not so much swinging like a more jazzy player would do.

b

On 12/10/07, Alexis Cousein <al at sgi.com> wrote:
> Chris, UK wrote:
> > Janis wrote
> >
> >> Listen to Tristezas de la Calle Corrientes ... All tangos end on the
> > tonic but with two extra notes added-- ... the "chan chan"
> >
> > Last night I had to leave for the bus just before those last two notes -
> > still the piece felt like tango. ;)
> >
> Not to mention the orchestras that break this convention on purpose - are
> these no longer playing tango?
>
>
> --
> Alexis Cousein                                  al at sgi.com
> Senior Systems Engineer/Solutions Architect     SGI/Silicon Graphics
> --
> <If I have seen further, it is by standing on reference manuals>
>
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-- 
Bruno Afonso
http://brunoafonso.com (personal, mostly portuguese)
http://openwetware.org/wiki/User:BrunoAfonso (Professional, english)