Tango in Depth

  “El ciego se llevó el secreto a la tumba”  – The blind man took the secret to his grave. This is what Aníbal Troilo said upon hearing of the death of Carlos Di Sarli, one of the greatest tango pianists of all time. Di Sarli’s sonorous piano playing was wrapped in mystery because he never revealed anything about his technique, and we are still guessing how he created all those effects that his piano texture is famous for. Especially the strong bass notes he played with his left hand are a constant object of admiration – they might boom like thunder or support a bright chord in secret. In the following example, Esta noche de luna by José García and Graciano Gómez, he uses both hands to play explosive, steely chords that astonishingly suit the ecstatic melody https://youtu.be/JoXYxcFb-Xs?si=xylWRnZCMtMkUGil&t=32 Di Sarli’s secret lies in a clever use of overtone resonances between the strings of the piano, aided by the sustain pedal, short octave doublings, and a subtle use...

  At the last milonga we had before the pandemic, a DJ friend marveled at Láurenz’s valses and said there must be something special in them because they are so compelling to dance to. This interpretation of  Paisaje  by  Piana  and  Manzi  was her favorite: Paisaje - Pedro Laurenz - Alberto Podestá 1943.08.06 I couldn’t say anything specific then, but afterwards, when I listened  Paisaje  once again, it was pretty clear to me what made it so special: The pianist was playing  arrastres  with his left hand. A piano  arrastre  is a quick chromatic movement of 2 to 4 notes towards the downbeat. Playing arrastres is commonplace in tango interpretations, but with valses they are rarely used. When playing a vals, most golden-age tango pianists play strong but relatively short bass notes, typically using the little finger of their left hand. In  Paisaje , however, the pianist uses 4 to 5 fingers to play the bass note when an ...