Miradamiranda
Well-Known Member
Haha, so I guess I misinterpreted YOUR typo which I understood as the opposite and went on to argue the opposite when we actually agree. Funny.
Leaders. How was your Tango journey?
- Thread starter Pharaoh
- Start date
Curious if there is a playlist on Spotify of tango/vals/milonga songs that would likely be at any Milonga. Of course DJs can be different and there can be variations, but I am talking about the songs that statistically have the highest chance to show up. I've noticed that good dancers seem to know the songs by heart and react quickly to any shifts in melody. There are major orchestras of course: Di Sarli, D'arienzo, Pugliese, Troilo but I guess there can be a lot of songs under each orchestra although I did not count...So, I am curious if there is a list or playlist of the "important" songs. Knowing them will make leading easier.
TTanguero
Forum Master
Clive Harrison put together a list of 500 popular songs which used to have a Spotify playlist to accompany it. The playlist is no more, but I created the tango songs here:
opendoor
Forum Master
These leaders do step projection. I'm surprised that only a few of you do it, because it is the accepted leading technique in tango. You lead in such a way that the weight is only transferred to the ground at the very last moment, and on the beat. Before that, leg and foot remain in the air. This way, each step can be brought back to the starting position milliseconds before it would hit the ground and the weight is finally shifted irreversibly. The projection begins clearly ahead of the weight shift and much earlier than the beat.
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ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
Some nice tandas in there. Love the Domingo Federico tanda. There are a couple of others by him I like very much that don't get played as much as these.Clive Harrison put together a list of 500 popular songs which used to have a Spotify playlist to accompany it. The playlist is no more, but I created the tango songs here:
opendoor
Forum Master
On the contrary, this kind of approach makes leading more difficult. The really good and "important" songs were each recorded by three or four orchestras. However, only one version of each song found its way into the milongas, and often not the best one. When I play a different version of a good and "important" song, many leaders are totally unsettled on the floor, or even confused. This exposes seemingly confident leaders as helpless deceivers.
So my advice is to free yourself from just memorizing. Tango is an improvised dance that thrives on grasping music on the fly and translating it into movement. Your insecurity has completely different reasons. Fight it at the root instead of treating the symptoms superficially!
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JournalInTime
Forum Master
When dancing to recorded music, it's important to know the important orquestas and their general moods and eras for two reasons:
1. Invitations. Followers have preferences, both for the music itself and for how specific leaders interpret that music. I have partners who love, say, Canaro . . . but only with me.
2. Expectations. That is, what you'll have to do to express the music properly and deliver the promise of your invitation – fast, dramatic, romantic, or whatever. Don't commit yourself to the fastest D'Arienzo when you're dead on your feet, and then barely move, disappointing your partner and annoying everybody behind you. Sit out heavy, marching Pugliese when there's 10cm between couples and you'll be unable to do the music any kind of justice (some DJs are clueless . . .). That kind of thing.
That's where "knowing the music" starts and ends for me.
Leading should be improvised. Just because I know what's being played doesn't mean I'm going to dance it the same way I did the last time! The joy of tango is acting on inspiration you never felt before even in tunes you've heard 1,000 times, surprising your partner, turning errors by either of you into art, and accepting and making something beautiful out of counterproposals. The practical skills of a good leader include adapting interpretation to space (from empty to crowded), traffic (from smooth to chaotic), the condition of the floor (from slippery to sticky), obstacles (tables, chairs, bags left on the floor), and so on. You cannot truly expect the unexpected – from a little error or follower proposition to someone cutting in front of you or sliding a chair out – so you must learn to react to not only the music, but also the moment.
It helps all this to learn the structures of tango music, to learn to divine phrasing and likely tempo shifts, syncopations, and variations. If you do this, you can lead unknown pieces by known orquestas, music by orquestas you've never heard of, and live music. But I think this comes later, after you've learned the classics (for invitations and expectations) and improvisation (for art and survival).
1. Invitations. Followers have preferences, both for the music itself and for how specific leaders interpret that music. I have partners who love, say, Canaro . . . but only with me.
2. Expectations. That is, what you'll have to do to express the music properly and deliver the promise of your invitation – fast, dramatic, romantic, or whatever. Don't commit yourself to the fastest D'Arienzo when you're dead on your feet, and then barely move, disappointing your partner and annoying everybody behind you. Sit out heavy, marching Pugliese when there's 10cm between couples and you'll be unable to do the music any kind of justice (some DJs are clueless . . .). That kind of thing.
That's where "knowing the music" starts and ends for me.
Leading should be improvised. Just because I know what's being played doesn't mean I'm going to dance it the same way I did the last time! The joy of tango is acting on inspiration you never felt before even in tunes you've heard 1,000 times, surprising your partner, turning errors by either of you into art, and accepting and making something beautiful out of counterproposals. The practical skills of a good leader include adapting interpretation to space (from empty to crowded), traffic (from smooth to chaotic), the condition of the floor (from slippery to sticky), obstacles (tables, chairs, bags left on the floor), and so on. You cannot truly expect the unexpected – from a little error or follower proposition to someone cutting in front of you or sliding a chair out – so you must learn to react to not only the music, but also the moment.
It helps all this to learn the structures of tango music, to learn to divine phrasing and likely tempo shifts, syncopations, and variations. If you do this, you can lead unknown pieces by known orquestas, music by orquestas you've never heard of, and live music. But I think this comes later, after you've learned the classics (for invitations and expectations) and improvisation (for art and survival).
opendoor
Forum Master
I don't entirely agree with the aspects you mentioned, Journal.
We tango dancers don't know a series of pieces in order to be able to dance them better. The same applies to the vocabulary of figures. A follower doesn't have to learn ochos and volcadas in order to be able to dance these figures better.
The knowledge of the forms in tango, be it the knowledge of the pieces of music or the knowledge of certain figures, is a by-product of our hobby, but not the goal of our efforts. Knowing this music and being able to dance these figures comes from constantly engaging with the material. It is the intellectual horizon of our hobby.
We tango dancers don't know a series of pieces in order to be able to dance them better. The same applies to the vocabulary of figures. A follower doesn't have to learn ochos and volcadas in order to be able to dance these figures better.
The knowledge of the forms in tango, be it the knowledge of the pieces of music or the knowledge of certain figures, is a by-product of our hobby, but not the goal of our efforts. Knowing this music and being able to dance these figures comes from constantly engaging with the material. It is the intellectual horizon of our hobby.
ArbeeNYC
Forum Master
This is important. Both leaders and followers have their favorites. Both styles and orchestras. Not all followers like vals, for example. But they may like D'Arienzo (but not his valses). So it's good to know who likes what and what's being played. At least in general, stylistic terms if you can't identify a particular song or orchestra right off the bat.
I recomend to all who are not every second day on milonga to listen music. When you are working on you garden, housekeeping, cooking, ironing.. My favourite music for my home tango trainings are virtual milongas by Sabelotodo tango published on YT during covid times. Daily listening of Tango is more important then one musicallity lesson every month. If you are familiar with music, you can feel phrases, structures, endings, pauses. You do not need to count to 4, 8, 16.. You can focus more on leading and joy of your partner. There is nothing like to memorize 50 most famous songs to master your tango.
You need to be soaked by all kind of this music and as good leader you can work with Canaro, Pugliese or di Sarli and then have pure joy dancing old canyengue songs played by Orchestra Typica Victor.
You need to be soaked by all kind of this music and as good leader you can work with Canaro, Pugliese or di Sarli and then have pure joy dancing old canyengue songs played by Orchestra Typica Victor.
opendoor
Forum Master
Well said!
I don’t know which follower likes what because they rarely tell me.
I have never cared to master the orchestras. I do know what kind of music inspires me to dance. I really don’t care which orchestra it belongs to.
I have felt familiar with the music without having to follow the recommendation you made. I do realise that it is common wisdom to advise dancers to listen to music a lot when they are not dancing. I don’t have patience to listen to the music outside of milongas.
I don’t know why anyone should count. I never counted.
Which you can do right from the beginning. You may not have all the tools. But you can have focus and joy.
If you listen to music a lot, it is natural to remember. That is organic.
Off the dance floor?
As good leader can dance to any kind of music. Whether the music inspires him or her to dance is a personal preference.