[Tango-L] Recognizing Tango Music

[Myk Dowling]

On 11/06/10 08:16, Trini y Sean (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.

As an example of changing the style of a tune by changing its rhythm, 
check out the swinger - a python program that takes any tune in 4/4 and 
turns it into a swing tune by stretching and shrinking alternate beats.
http://musicmachinery.com/2010/05/21/the-swinger/

Myk,
in Canberra