[Tango-L] Milonga rhythms

[steve pastor]

Jay wrote, 
  "Was it Janis or Steven who wrote:

> There are two rhythms in milonga:
> 
> 1) double rhythm -- two steps in two beats of music; and
> 2) triple rhythm (called traspie) -- three steps in two beats of music (like
> a triple step in swing).

I'm not a trained musician, except for piano lessons as a pre-teen, but the three steps/notes in two beats sounds like what I remember being called a "triplet" in musical notation. For the life of me I don't think I've ever heard such a thing in tango, except rarely, and certainly not to an extent to justify its being a description of a class of milonga songs. OTOH I have heard and seen a lot of traspie done to double-time or half-beats or (incorrectly but popularly called) synchopation. In this mode, you've got 4 notes/steps in two beats.

I'd be interested in some examples of milongas that use triplets with three steps/notes in two beats."
   
  See the score for Milonga Triste at this url...
  http://www.todotango.com/english/biblioteca/partituras/partitura.asp?id=254
   
  Happens 6 times (that I see) in this score.
   
  I'd say that any time something has been going along as 1/4 notes, then has a few 1/8
  notes, or 1/2 notes followed by a few 1/4 notes, (what Jay is calling double time or half beats, and note that I put quote marks around synchopation in my previous post) makes it
  feel like you can or should take that extra, in between step. 
  Triplets, double time? Hey, who's counting?
   
  Looking at the scores can make a person crazy. It seems like it's much easier to just listen
  to the darn music. That's because not only is there both the treble and bass clef going if it's
  a piano, but there are usually several instruments, and they often take turns regarding who
  is playing the most obvious line at any given time.
   
  Anyone who is taking baby steps on this like I am, may find this url helpful
  http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/19triplets.html
   
  With apologies to those of you who are "real" musicians. This is part of my learning process.
   
  P.S. I don't think I wrote the text Jay referred to.
   

       
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