The following is a copy of the notes provided to participants at a “Tango Tips” musicality interlude at the Toca Tango Practilonga in Auckland. TANGO TIPS – 10 August 2025
Today’s tip is about a way to practice walking to 8 compas-beat phrases while listening to one of many tangos that consist only of 8 compas-beat phrases within an A and a B section of music, with both sections repeated throughout the tango.
The tango I have chosen is POEMA as recorded by Orquesta Romantica Milonguera, which is a tango composed in Europe by Francisco Canaro Orquesta violinist Eduardo Bianco, with input from other orquesta members. The Canaro recording was very popular internationally, but was avoided by many in Argentina, because its lyrics were interpreted to be a confession by the composer of the murder of the orquesta’s pianist, who was thought to have had an affair with the composer’s wife.
The practice exercise is for couples to take a practice embrace, then take a repeated series of 8 steps forward and 8 steps backward to match the 8 beat phrases.
Compas has a very clear metronome beat
A Sections have four 8-compas beat phrases
B sections have two 8-compas beat phrases
Very clear starts to the phrases
A and B sections have different rhythms (inviting different dance steps)
Clever little instrumental fills through the vocal A sections
Very clear ends to the phrases
Deceleration to finish
Structure:
Instrumental A section – two phrases
Instrumental A section with “sad” start
Instrumental B section – two phrases
Vocal A section 1st two phases
Vocal A section 2nd two phrases
Vocal A section 3rd two phases
Vocal A section with “sad” start
Instrumental B section – two phrases
Instrumental A section 1st two phrases
Instrumental A section 2nd two phrases
Instrumental A section with some vocal “scat”
Instrumental A section with “sad” start
Stu 10 August 2025
