3787  Slow, slow, quick-quick slo...

Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 03:20:00 +0000
From: Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Slow, slow, quick-quick slo...

My very good friend Trini says very well :

"I find it interesting that many Argentines I have met
seem to have a different way of describing tango
rhythm than North Americans. A "taka-taka-ta" with an
occasional "boom-ba". I haven't figured out yet
whether the extra syllables indicates something I am
not hearing."

Trini de Pittsburgh

Ballroom is taught as figures, some of them fairly long ones. It is
customary to teach them counting the steps using numbers from 1 on, and
describing the rhythm as any combinations of Slows, quicks and here and
there "and".

Argentine Tango is taught as an improvised dance, there is no need to count.
The rhythm is taught by walking with the student side by side or/and using
meaningless words such as the one mentioned by Trini.

Counting helps to memorize figures but the problem is that many students
count for the rest of their lives. This counting distracts the mind from the
music and everything else.

Tango requires absolute concentration in the music, the partner and the rest
of the dancers on the floor + acquiring insight about the feeling for all
that, so we should avoid using anything that is going to cause us to
distract our mind such as unnecessary counting either in numbers or as
slows-quicks.

A typical example is the note that originated this discussion. Some students
are concerned with quicks and slows when that is totally irrelevant. The
rhythm should be shown by the instructor making the student step at the
right time and if possible never explaining too much about the musical
structure or anything else as all that is totally irrelevant.

This is only my opinion, others may have a different approach as valid as
mine as there are many ways to teach tango.

Best Regards, Sergio