[Tango-L] What's the difference between a tango and a milonga?

[Jeff Gaynor]

Ming Mar wrote:

>I pose this question to the musicians on this mailing
>list.  
>
>The difference isn't speed.  If it were, then all the
>tangos that Roberto Firpo played became milongas.  (He
>played them really fast.)  But nobody considers them
>milongas.
>
>  
>
Historically, as I understand it milonga came first and tango came out 
of slower milongas. There is a bit of blurriness in some of the older 
music and there are at least a couple where it is hard to tell which is 
which.

>Is it the rhythm?  A lot of milongas, from "Milonga
>Sentimental" to "Tango Negro," share the same rhythm,
>viz.:  quarter note, quarter rest, eighth note, eighth
>note, quarter note.  But "Taquito militar" doesn't use
>that rhythm.
>  
>
Partly. A milonga has (usually the bass) giving a repeated rhythm, like 
many popular dances. The lack of percussion (aside from piano) tends to 
somewhat soften the effect so it is not so brazen as, say, salsa. It is 
not the rhythm but its insistence that makes you want to start moving in 
a good milonga. Tango usually doesn't just grind a long this way, being 
more lyrical and having more emphasis on suspensions for dramatic effect.

There are also form differences. None of these as set in stone, but a 
tango (and vals) often has ternary ABA form (e.g. Bahia Blanca -- di 
Sarli was a very tidy architect too, I might add). Which just means the 
first part of the piece is repeated as the last part. A milonga really 
is a song that while falling into two (sometimes 3) sections, just is 
repeated several times as e.g.  AB,AB,AB, etc. often ending with a coda 
(a short section whose sole purpose is to bring the piece to a close).  
There are often strong key relations so that some of the sections are in 
in the parallel major or minor too. If you go to 
http://www.todotango.com and look under musicians you can find a lot of 
sheet music (I don't who runs this site but Thank You!) for your 
favorite pieces.

I've taken to writing a few of these simply because it forces me to come 
to grips with how they function. While not the path most people can 
take, I can tell it has made me much more aware of a lot of what goes on 
in the music, for which I'm sure my partners will be grateful. There not 
being too many people to practice with in my neck of the woods, I've got 
to extend my horizons as best I can...

>I thought I'd ask this question now because I noticed
>that there were two musicians actively participating,
>one a university-educated musician 
>
That's be me, the music geek. ;D But any more I'm just an amateur. Not 
sure what sort of an answer you are looking for or what your background is.

>and the other a
>member of a working tango band.
>
>
> 
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>  
>