El Choclo (tango)

Ángel Villoldo · Level 5 (Advanced) · 20th century · Piano

One of the very first great Argentine tangos (Buenos Aires, 1903). After an introduction in D major, the theme in D minor unrolls its sixteenths and triplets over the swaying tango bass, dotted then in chords; then come a fortissimo middle section, a trio in D major and the return of the theme (“D.S. al Fine”, written out here in full). D minor, 2/4, 65 bars (about 2 minutes), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• Everything rests on the left hand: a dotted bass (dotted eighth, sixteenth) then a chord, crisp and steady. Practise it alone before adding the melody, which should stay supple and singing. Triplets and other tuplets must be perfectly even: count them aloud with the metronome. The left hand makes wide leaps: look at the landing note in advance and move early, without rushing the rhythm. For chords, shape the hand in the air before landing, all notes together.

Source : PDMX / MuseScore · CC0 1.0