INTRODUCTION TO THE ORQUESTA TÍPICA
Transform forever the way you hear and understand tango.
You will not be the same after this experience;
you will have a new pair of ears at the end of the course!
Listen. Understand. Enjoy. Improve.
Understanding what we hear makes us enjoy more, makes us dance better, makes us play better and makes us teach better.
Aimed at dancers, musicians and amateurs alike, with this course anyone can learn to recognize and enjoy the different styles of tango in its full dimension.
No previous musical knowledge is necessary.
Whether you are a milonguero, choreographer, musician or just curious about tango, this course will transform your listening to a place of understanding that you had not imagined possible.
The courses in The Essential Styles of Tango are a journey into the heart of the music we love, bringing us closer to each of the stylistic aspects of the great tango orchestras in a way which is clear, didactic and fun.
Using language which is friendly and accessible, this adventure is revealing and transforming, regardless of your level of musical knowledge.
You will listen better, dance better, play better and enjoy much more!
Good information vs. bad information
In today’s world there’s a ton of bad information out there, confusing us a lot and teaching us very little.
Many people try to explain things they know nothing about, like tour guides on a path they’ve never taken.
Explaining syncopation without understanding its mechanism, forms and functions is like teaching someone to run before they can walk.
Talking about polyrhythms without understanding the various ways of combining them or how accompaniment patterns can be superimposed is, at the very least, irresponsible.
At the same time it’s also important to know how to identify other details, such as whether the bass is playing with the bow or pizzicato, and to understand that each of these variables has an impact on what we hear.
Being able to determine how many layers of information you’re hearing and recognize what each one is made of will change the way you listen and dance to tango.
There’s no magic in this, but there is a clear path, a step-by-step program, carefully designed so that anyone can improve the way they listen to tango, increasing their understanding and enjoyment forever.
These courses are much more than musicality lessons.
We’ll never use made-up terminology or esoteric perspectives; instead we’ll be coming from within music, but using friendly, accessible language, and taking as much time as needed for each idea and concept to be clearly understood.
No one will be left out. We’ll be discussing music, performance practices, stylistic secrets and all of the many details which make up the whole when we listen to and dance tango.
Each detail counts; at the end of the day, the world is made up of details.
Passing on the flame
After almost 30 years of research (during which I’ve been involved in tango as a musician, producer, collector, educator and author) I’ve discovered that an organized analysis of the many musical and stylistic elements of tango can help anyone become better at listening to and understanding tango’s different styles in a much deeper way.
All of the courses in The Essential Styles of Tango are infused with my experiences as bassist in the tango orchestra El Arranque, founder and Artistic Director of the Emilio Balcarce Tango School Orchestra, producer of over 50 albums, presenter at conferences in universities and conservatories around the world, and author of the method book The Double Bass in Tango.
When blended together, these multiple points of view help me better reflect and communicate about the topic of tango with a single goal: to pass on the flame of this extraordinary tradition.
I believe that in a way all of my activities and experiences were the preparation I needed to create these courses in which I share everything I learned and received directly from masters such as Emilio Balcarce, Leopoldo Federico, Horacio Salgán, José Libertella, Ernesto Franco, Julián Plaza and Víctor Lavallén, to name just a few of my biggest mentors, all of whom are protagonists of the classic tango era.
Today I know that anyone can develop a complete, in-depth way of listening to tango and its styles. You only need to make an organized journey through the various possibilities, patterns, and formulas found in the orquesta típica.
In order to do that it’s important to follow a carefully thought out and well-designed outline, allowing knowledge to accumulate in a completely natural, organic way.
The effort is relatively little, the reward enormous and the transformation definitive.
The courses, a life's work
This package of courses called The Essential Styles of Tango is designed for all audiences. Dancers, musicians, aficionados and the generally curious will learn how to listen more closely and better enjoy and understand orchestral tango in its various styles.
While the first course is an Introduction to the Orquesta Típica (a comprehensive toolbox for understanding the other courses), the rest are devoted to the orchestral styles of Carlos Di Sarli, Aníbal Troilo, Juan D’Arienzo, Osvaldo Pugliese, Alfredo Gobbi, Astor Piazzolla and Horacio Salgán.
There are 8 courses full of valuable, curated, organized information which is not be available anywhere else.
These 8 courses have been meticulously designed to be your constant companions and explain what makes up an orquesta típica, as well as the structure and inner workings of the most important and influential styles in tango history.
Each course takes a detailed look at all of the elements that define a given style, progressing from general to specific and illustrating the concepts with hundreds of audio excerpts from the discographies of each of the orchestras.
Each element which is covered is illustrated with at least 3 or 4 different examples, making it easier to hear and creating various opportunities for discovering and understanding every detail.
Additionally, a group of musicians with expertise in each style of tango offers a generous number of examples, all filmed in a recording studio. They give their perspective, share their experiences, and show you how to play each example with a level of detail previously unseen.
Although the courses can be viewed at random, the suggested order is the following:
- Introduction to the Orquesta Típica
- Carlos Di Sarli's Style
- Aníbal Troilo's Style
- Juan D’Arienzo's Style
- Osvaldo Pugliese's Style
- Alfredo Gobbi's Style
- Astor Piazzolla's Style
- Horacio Salgán's Style
These courses contain everything I have learned over more than 30 years. More than three decades of obsessively listening to tango, collecting records, playing tango professionally on the double bass, producing records by great artists of the genre, teaching all over the world and sharing countless experiences with the very protagonists of the orchestras we admire so much. I will always be grateful to the great masters who shared all their knowledge with me with the greatest humility and generosity imaginable. This work is also a tribute to all of them.
Here is everything, a life's work, explained and ordered in a format that leaves no one out. The path is very friendly and full of opportunities to discover all that defines the styles from a loving and celebratory place.
From neophyte to expert: a possible and fun journey
Throughout the various courses you’ll learn to listen and develop a deep understanding of the complete, beautiful, complex musical mechanism of the orquesta típica and its various styles.
This is a new way of listening which will change the way you dance, play, teach and share tango with others.
Among other things, you’ll learn:
- To differentiate one style from another, without needing previous musical knowledge.
- To clearly distinguish the various accompaniment patterns and all of their variants.
- To understand the 4 foundational elements of music and how they work and interact in tango.
- To detect and recognize the various layers of information in a clear and simple way.
- To hear a multiplicity of simultaneous musical ideas easily.
- To differentiate between “musical” and “stylistic" concepts.
- To learn about tango’s various articulations, their sounds and their uses.
- To recognize the various melodic treatments according to who’s playing.
- To understand the role and importance of each section in the orchestra.
- To hear the interactions between the various members of an orchestra.
- To enjoy the personalities of the various soloists in an orchestra.
- To observe how the same material can be played in many different ways.
- To recognize various patterns which are repeated in each style.
- To explain the various musical elements of tango.
- To call things by their name.
Introduction to the Orquesta Típica:
a foolproof program*
MODULE 1
What is the Orquesta Típica made of?
- The 4 elements of music: how they are defined and how they impact what we hear.
- The musical and stylistic aspects: the difference between the written and the unwritten. Endless ways of playing the same thing.
MODULE 2
RHYTHM
- Measures and metrics: how to count the beats and the subdivisions of the tango to place ourselves rhythmically.
TEMPO
- The 3 approaches to tempo: the logic and impact of each one in the different styles of tango.
MARKING MODELS
- Habanera: from the primordial tango to its implementation in the orquesta típica.
- Marcato in 4: the rhythmic quintessence of tango. All its forms and variants.
- Accentuations, articulations and arrastres: what makes tango tango.
- The role of the double bass: its enormous impact on the sound of any style.
- Marcato in 2: its definition and functions.
- Syncopation: all you have to know to not fear it, to know how to dance it and to be able to enjoy it in all its variants.
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Other rhythmic patterns: from the 3-3-2 to the bordoneo, from the polyrhythms to the "3 inside the 4." The rhythmic development of the tango beyond marcato and syncopation.
MODULE 3
MELODY
- The importance of melody: how to recognize the melodic value of a theme.
- Cantabile melody and rhythmic melody: a game of contrasts that defines the genre.
- Tuttis: how to listen to who is playing and how to distinguish the different sonorities.
- Cantabile tutti and rhythmic tutti: the importance of writing, the role of the arranger.
- Dynamics: the secret weapon of every leader in the search for expression and effects.
- Leading: the deepest and subtlest dimension of dynamics.
- Solis: the different interpretative approaches according to row and style.
- Variations: what they are made of. Formulas and variations.
- Solos: the importance of personality and its stylistic impact.
- Adornments and comments: how they are defined, what are their functions.
MODULE 4
HARMONY: an introduction to one of the most important elements of music.
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Modulations: how the surprising harmonic turns present in many styles work and their function.
MODULE 5
TIMBRE: its importance in music and its impact on the listener.
- Textures: variants and possibilities. The great gift of tango to universal music.
- Layers of information: how to detect them. Their functions and most common variants.
- Counterpoint: an introduction to one of the most extraordinary musical techniques. Its application in the orquesta típica.
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Percussion effects: who plays them and how they play each one of the effects that surprise and amuse us.
MODULE 6
- Final comment: thoughts and gratitude.
MODULE 7
- Measure by measure: a complete theme analyzed graphically in real time. Three layers of information explained second by second, measure by measure.
*Some of these contents are not included in the Pocket version of the course.
Buy "Introduction to the Orquesta Típica" course
This is a great opportunity, don't miss it!
A great number of private lessons, group classes and musicality workshops wouldn’t be enough to get anywhere close to approaching the content in The Essential Styles of Tango.
At the same time, the cost of all of those lessons and classes would add up to thousands of dollars without guaranteeing any results. These courses guarantee very concrete results for a fraction of the cost, and can be viewed as many times as necessary, anywhere and anytime.
The price of the Pocket Version of the courses is the same as the average prices of a private lesson, but the information in The Essential Styles of Tango is infinitely more generous and absolutely transformative.
The price of the Full Version of the courses is the same as the average price of a good quality pair of tango shoes, but while shoes wear out quickly, the information in The Essential Styles of Tango does not expire, but lasts forever.
Exclusive bonuses
Each course includes exclusive bonus material for The Essential Styles of Tango members.
Among other things this includes:
- Recommended bibliographies
- Glossary
- Reliable discographies
- Exclusive playlists which accompany each module
- Interactive games
- Exclusive video of musical analysis in three layers (in real time, second by second)
- Extra videos (in some courses)
- Community forum for commenting, asking questions and interacting with other members
Deciding to grow
No one is the same after viewing the courses included in The Essential Styles of Tango. The change in terms of listening to and understanding tango is obvious and definitive.
This transformation has a strong impact on each person’s tango activities, whether it be on dancing if you’re a dancer, on playing if you’re a musician, on teaching if you’re a teacher or in terms of enjoyment no matter what you do.
Sharing the passion for tango with others happens on a new level for those who take the The Essential Styles of Tango courses.
Concepts, vocabulary, and possibilities begin to multiply, and so does your enjoyment.
This course IS for you if ...
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you are a person who is passionate about tango and who wants to make a quality leap in your understanding of what you hear.
- you are a dancer and you want to develop your dance by deepening your relationship with the music you dance to.
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you are a musician and you want to understand each style: to be able to identify its defining elements, understand its logic and embrace its swing.
- you teach and you want to expand your knowledge and vocabulary.
- to this day you don't really understand what a syncopation is or what the difference is between a 3-3-2 and a bordoneo.
- you are tired of spending money on lessons that don't clear up your doubts.
- you feel the desire to share with others from a better understanding.
- you are willing to make the small effort to open your ears and heart to the music you are passionate about.
This course IS NOT for you if...
- you are not interested in making a minimal effort to unblock your own obstacles.
- you expect magical results without dedicating the time and love that this beautiful music deserves. If you don't dedicate a little time and love to it, I can't guarantee results.
FAQ
Will I understand the courses if I know nothing about music?
You don’t need to have any prior musical knowledge in order to understand and enjoy the courses. The language is clear, friendly, and intended for all audiences.
Are the courses for musicians only?
No, the courses have been created and designed so that anyone can enjoy them: dancers, musicians, aficionados, curious people and more. Everyone is welcome!
Are there examples of historical recordings?
Yes, there are many! Each course includes an average of 300 audio examples carefully selected and edited in order to illustrate the explanations as clearly as possible. Each of the elements explained in the courses is complemented with 3 or 4 examples from the catalog of each orchestra. It’s impossible not to hear what’s being explained.
Are there musicians playing live?
Yes, we added a group of distinguished musicians to the explanations whenever it was necessary to show something on an instrument. Whether as soloists or in a group, the musicians take the time to show a great number of musical and stylistic elements in detail, illustrating the ideas being presented.
Are there English subtitles?
Yes, all of the courses have English subtitles created by an expert who is a native of the United States and a professional tango musician.
Are there subtitles in languages other than English?
Not yet, but we plan to do subtitles in other languages in the future.
For how long can I watch the courses I purchase?
The courses can be viewed indefinitely. Once you buy access to a course, you can watch and rewatch it as many times as you like, whenever and wherever you want. Forever.
Can I watch on my phone or computer?
Yes, the platform which hosts the courses is specially designed so that they can be enjoyed equally on computers, TV’s and phones. In fact, the format adjusts automatically if you choose to watch on your smartphone or tablet.
How many hours is each course?
Each course has an average duration of 6 to 7 hours (except for the Pocket Version, which lasts an average of 3 hours). This might seem like a lot, but each course is divided into many shorter units which can be watched at whatever rhythm is comfortable for you, wherever and whenever. There’s nothing superfluous and nothing left out in The Essential Styles of Tango. The courses are very carefully designed to cover everything we need to know about each style without getting bored, in a way that is dynamic and accessible to anyone.
If I buy the Pocket Version of the course, can I buy an upgrade to the Full Version or do I have to buy the whole thing again?
Any course purchased as a Pocket Version can be upgraded to the Full Version simply by paying for an upgrade, which means simply paying the difference in price between the Pocket Version and the Full Version.
Open your heart and ears to the Orquesta Típica.
Join all those who are already part of the community of The Essential Styles of Tango.
The choice is yours...
Choose the version of the course that best suits your needs.
