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Hello all. I have met a small challenge regarding the Tangos rhythm and hope others could offer their opinions. My last teacher, recognized by everyone as one of the best, taught the compas with the accents on 2.5 and 4. I've been playing it that way.
My new teacher, who studied in Spain and is also very knowledgeable, told me the accents are on 2 and 4. Then I looked at my first teacher’s video and it appears his accent is on 3.5 every other bar.
I know the philosophical answer that I should learn to play it different ways and can, theoretically accent where I want. But I would like to know how you folks are playing it.
modern players accent just about anywhere and then return to the groove. the way any particular palo is grooved changes from player to player, region to region and generation to generation. learn as many ways to groove as possible. just because because someone studied in Spain doesn't mean that their way of explaining things has more weight than another player. decide who you want to play like, which for most is a combination of different players. the accents people refer to have more to do with palmas and the underlying backbeat. it is the job of the guitars to decorate that backbeat with things of their choosing. hopefully those choices relate well to the accents given. learn to play palmas well and you will understand a lot more about compas and what "accents" really mean. its nothing as "etched in stone" as some teachers might have you believe. punching the "3.5" in tangos is common and it sits on top of the "accents." As a player you can accentuate ANY beat or counter time you wish as long as you can recover from it and keep the groove happening.
all of the above and other combinations...it's probably better for you to think of the 2-4 way, but you will definitely encounter all kinds of tangos that make use of different accenting...
Traditional is 2 and 4. That's the foundation and I believe you should play it that way until you have it down to the bone. After understanding it that way, you can play around with the rhythm and choose to give it a bit more push/pull swing to the rhythm -- i.e. it can be syncopated. A lot of the modern styles go off of the basics and accent pretty much wherever they choose, but done in a meaningful fashion where they always hear the basic compas (palmas) in their head while they're doing it. Accenting it at 2.5 like you mention gives it a sort of pull feel, but that's not to say you're 'off compas' because in the end, you still hear the basic accents on the 2 and 4. If you have palmas in the background, you'll hear and hopefully feel the tug and dramatic effect it can give, should you want that phrasing.
In 12 beat compas, they do similar things where they can accent the "AND" after 9 to give it that sudden rush of urgency, but they don't ever lose track of the compas.
Haha, nice! With regards as to where I accent, I often hit it on the 3.5, right before the accent. Sometimes I do a golpe on the 4 right after accenting the AND of 3 just so that I don't lose track of the compas groove if I'm too into my own swing...
Fred, Grady told me not to drop names. But Aunt Esther agrees with you.
So, sometimes I think I got it figured out, but when I get new info I need some assistance making sure I'm on the right track. These posts confirm I'm doing ok. I'll start playing the tangos with more variety in the compas.
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