Last Tango In Paris Chords

[Zenia]

OnceI have my mind set firmly on what sort of song I want to write (in this case a tango), I go hunting for other ideas to keep the inspiration flowing. This is a really important step because it helps form ideas for lyrics and to really think about what style of tango to create.

From there I start to visually construct the scene that my song is centred around. I started thinking of everything I associate with Paris; love, romance, satin sheets and art. On the shadow side, heartbreak, small lonely apartments, jealous lovers and dimly lit streets. This step helps me to brainstorm ideas for lyrics; the words I will use and the emotion I am trying to capture.

I curated my own Pinterest board filled with other tango images I liked. I love using Pinterest for this kind of image brainstorming. Its such a fantastic platform because it is completely image based and the quality and variety of images you can obtain are far better than what you can get by Googling alone.

This kind of brainstorming is really just compounding ideas for lyrics, words, emotions and helps me to solidify that visual scene in my head which I will use to write a song about. If I am not writing about my own experiences, I literally see my imaginary characters play out a make believe scene before me in full colour and audio and I just create the soundtrack behind it.

OK, so where to from here? There are many ways to compose a song (and I use most of them) but for this example, we are starting off with lyrics. Using the words gathered from your inspiration hunting, start scribbling down a few sentences you like the sound of. I always try to keep a rhythm to the words as if they would be placed in a song.

I like to use Avid Software Sibelius (extremely awesome music notation software) to keep my songwriting nice and neat. I used to write all of the notes out by hand but now I am too lazy. Sibelius is great because it plays the notes back to you and you can move them around if you want.

The tango is traditionally played by a small ensemble, including a bandoneon (a type of accordion), a guitar, a double bass, and a violin. These instruments give the tango its unique sound, and using them in your composition will help to create an authentic and sizzling tango.

The tango is known for its harmonies, which are often complex and sophisticated. Experimenting with different chord progressions and using dissonance and tension can create a dramatic and passionate tango. Try using minor keys, augmented chords, and diminished chords to add depth and complexity to your composition.

Silence is an essential element of the tango. Pauses and silences are used to create tension and drama, and to highlight specific moments in the dance. Using silence in your composition can create a sense of anticipation and make the music feel more dynamic.

The melody of the tango is just as important as the rhythm. A good tango melody should be expressive, sensuous, and evoke the passion and drama of the dance. Creating a melody that dances is all about playing with rhythm and phrasing, using syncopation and staccato notes to create movement.

The tango is known for its storytelling. The lyrics of a tango are often passionate, melancholic, and full of drama. Using lyrics in your tango composition can help to create a narrative and add emotional depth to the music. Try to tell a story with your lyrics, and use them to evoke the mood and feeling of the dance.

This is another video and conversation topic for my concertina learning website, Concertina Corner. Perhaps this video will be a little less controversial, and more obviously an example of a "work in progress."

Because the concertina has very little "attack" and "decay" time (the notes are pretty much on or off), and you can't slide or bend notes, it's common to use ornaments to add flavor and variety to the sound. The biggest difficulty for me is getting them quick and smooth enough so that they're not obtrusive...I feel like you want to hear the tune, not the ornaments. To this end, I try to play any "cuts" or "grace notes" with a brief brush of a button...so quick and light that if I make a mistake, the note will be nonexistent, instead of too long. No grace note is better than an obnoxious one!

Here's I'm practicing a slippery stringband ragtime tune I got from a recording from the 1920s. The fiddler slides between notes at certain times, which I'm trying to approximate by adding in quick grace notes that fit between the melody notes. This clip gives some examples of where I think it works well, and where I think it doesn't. Turn on the annotations to see what I'm trying to do and when.

I feel like when simulating a slide up into a note, adding a bit of space before the grace note tricks my ear into hearing it more like a true slide. A little punch of volume from the bellows also sometimes helps. I usually prefer sliding from a half-step below, but a whole step works too, and may sound better or be easier to finger in some instances. I also strive to not allow the grace note to overlap the notes before and after it, which makes a somewhat harsh sound.

Because the concertina has very little "attack" and "decay" time (the notes are pretty much on or off), and you can't slide or bend notes, it's common to use ornaments to add flavor and variety to the sound.

The biggest difficulty for me is getting them quick and smooth enough so that they're not obtrusive...I feel like you want to hear the tune, not the ornaments. To this end, I try to play any "cuts" or "grace notes" with a brief brush of a button...so quick and light that if I make a mistake, the note will be nonexistent, instead of too long. No grace note is better than an obnoxious one!

Assuming you are addressing concertina players at large and not just the Irish enthusiasts, that last line says it all for me, Jeff. Once in a while maybe. (although I reserve judgement even here) With any frequency, as in your example, awful. They don't add, they're distracting and annoying. I strongly feel you're heading off down a dead end with this idea.

Really? I hear it a lot. I think it's more of a "traditional music" thing in general, not just Irish players. Accordion players do it a lot too. For two quick examples, Alan Day recently posted about his "note bending cheat," very similar to what I'm doing. And I hear Rachel Hall of Simple Gifts do grace notes often on the English, check for example "Bumblebee Sirba" on this page:

You do realize I'm practicing the same few measures several times through, yes? It's not an example of how often I would use those techniques. It's an example of trying it several times in a row, with varying results. What do you think of the last "slide" example, the one on the video I said I liked? What about my "Baby Elephant Walk" video, where I use similar techniques many times?

Maybe I'll give that a try on a different tune sometime. But, doing anything with my left hand does affect greatly the speed and fluidity of my right hand, I find. I'm just not all that good a player.

Oh Yes ! I do like your "Baby Elephant Walk" it is one of my favorite Youtube videos and the humor of the playing comes through very nicely even with the extra humor of your wonderfull Pink Elephant dancer.

I've got no argument with the Baby Elephant Walk; that's a favourite of mine too (and Whistling Rufus is STILL one of my all time concertina favourites, by the way) the grace notes give it a pleasing jazzy feel. Clifton Chenier used to do that sort of thing a lot i seem to remember? But I think that's a very specific case.

There's a definitions matter going on here. The Bumblebee thing, having just given it a whirl, has to have the grace notes; it's a defining part of the tune. That's fine and I have no trouble with it. If that is what you are mostly talking about I withdraw all objections. It's the idea that you are going to start adding lots of extra notes gratuitously and routinely as you play 'because they are needed to define the notes' that I'm at odds with, because I think that's wrong.

Of course not, if I understand you correctly. I use more grace notes on Baby Elephant Walk than I do on Little Black Mustache. I don't think I play any in the A part of the tune (which isn't part of the video). But as the first word of the post, and the video say, this was about practicing such things. I've repeated phrases over and over, and left in some not-very-good parts which of course ruins the tune. Which is a big part of the point, once again.

It's easy to do many takes, and post a version without many mistakes, and be done with it. That's what I've done in the past. This "project" is more like sitting next to someone showing you little unfinished snippets of things he's working on, warts and all, to stimulate discussion and experimenting. I see so many people talking about techniques they're working on, but without hearing (and preferably seeing) them, I really don't know if they're just spouting theory or are making valid points.

I have an idea: Is there anything anyone here would specifically like to see me record and discuss? I have a new (to me) ornament I've tried in an Irish tune, but I have a feeling I'd be ripped to shreds for that one. Maybe something comparing ideas I use to try to balance chords and melody? That's something else I often hear talked about, but I don't think I've ever heard an audio example of different approaches.

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