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

[Jacob Eggers]

I have a more subtle question now, what the difference between a
milonga and a candombe. There are many songs that clearly fall
somewhere in between, so this might not be a question that'll get a
satisfactory answer, but it might spur on some good discussion.

jacob

On 1/29/07, Jeff Gaynor <jjg at jqhome.net> wrote:
> 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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