[Tango-L] Recognizing Tango Music

[Trini y Sean (PATangoS)]

--- On Thu, 6/10/10, Myk Dowling <politas at gmail.com> wrote:


> (PATangoS) wrote:
> > But, Myk, would it be wrong, though, for a tango to
> have a specific rhythm?  It could be very boring, but
> couldn't it still be defined as a tango?  It strikes me
> that older pieces would have had a repetitive structure.
> >    
> 
> It's not that it would be "wrong", it's that it wouldn't be
> tango. If you put a tango melody to a cha cha rhythm, you
> get a cha cha. If you put it to a rock n' roll rhythm, you
> get a rock n' roll tune. If you put it to a samba rhythm,
> you get a samba. Dance music is defined by its rhythm.
> Except for tango, which is (fairly poorly) defined by its
> lack of one.
> 

Let me try to clarify.  If a tango melody played straight through to a specific rhythm of 1-3-1-&3-4, for example, just to pull some numbers out of the air, wouldn't it still be a tango, even if the rhythm is repetitive?  Or are you saying that it would have to have some other variation?  And if so, why do you say that.

Trini