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Tangito by Brian Slawson is an excellent way for developing percussion students to dive into the passionate world of tango, storytelling through music, and the broader realm of Latin music.
The piece is anchored by the syncopated habanera rhythm, foundational to many of today's Latin music styles. Its measured tempo of 112 beats per minute will demand patience and rhythmic maturity from the performers, while the Adagio tempo section in the middle will really put their timing and groove maintenance to the test.
Slawson’s performance notes offer guidance for achieving the music's authentic flavor, while the clear, concise compositional style naturally guides the players towards the tango's characteristic feel.
Add a little sabor de pasion to your next percussion ensemble concert with Tangito!
Use of this product is governed by the license terms outlined here.
Glockenspiel
Xylophone
Vibraphone
2 Marimbas — (1) low A, (1) 4-octave
4 Timpani
Percussion — castanets, concert snare drum, suspended cymbal
Written to introduce beginning percussionists to tango music, Brian Slawson has composed an exciting piece! While Slawson’s catalog features pieces at a variety of difficulty levels, he seems to have a gift for writing pieces that are easy to put together, leaving plenty of time to work on style. With parts for nine players and a common instrumentation, this piece should be accessible for a variety of music programs.
“Tangito” is written for seven keyboard parts and two unpitched parts. The keyboard parts can fit on as few as five instruments, with all four marimba parts playable on two instruments. The unpitched parts include one player on four timpani and a multiple-percussion player on snare drum, castanets, and suspended cymbals. While the multiple-percussion part features several instruments, the player has ample time to move from one instrument to another. The timpani part does not involve tuning and is often rhythmically paired with the marimba four part.
While “Tangito” is written in A minor, it features very few accidentals throughout. There is much repetition, making the few tricky sections easy to troubleshoot in rehearsal. There are plenty of syncopated rhythms between the keyboard parts; however, they tend to be isolated rhythms related to the Habanera rhythm. While this may pose a challenge for some players, it creates an opportunity for a larger discussion on this rhythm and its application throughout traditional Latin styles all the way up through modern pop music.
There is a lot of repetition and frequent syncopations in the snare drum part. Whoever is assigned this part will solidify tempo for the ensemble and will frequently be asked to play rhythms independently from the other ensemble members. Because of the repetition, there is plenty of room to instill an awareness of style and form to help keep this player engaged throughout rehearsals.
“Tangito” would make a great addition to the percussion library for middle or beginning high school percussion ensembles with limited rehearsal time. It would also be valuable for college and university programs with pedagogy or methods courses, to allow these students exposure to beginning literature. At around 31⁄2 minutes, “Tangito” would fit perfectly on a percussion ensemble concert or as a percussion feature on a band concert.
—Quintin Mallette
Percussive Notes
Vol. 62, No. 2, April 2024
Tangito by Brian Slawson is an excellent way for developing percussion students to dive into the passionate world of tango, storytelling through music, and the broader realm of Latin music.
The piece is anchored by the syncopated habanera rhythm, foundational to many of today's Latin music styles. Its measured tempo of 112 beats per minute will demand patience and rhythmic maturity from the performers, while the Adagio tempo section in the middle will really put their timing and groove maintenance to the test.
Slawson’s performance notes offer guidance for achieving the music's authentic flavor, while the clear, concise compositional style naturally guides the players towards the tango's characteristic feel.
Add a little sabor de pasion to your next percussion ensemble concert with Tangito!
Use of this product is governed by the license terms outlined here.
Glockenspiel
Xylophone
Vibraphone
2 Marimbas — (1) low A, (1) 4-octave
4 Timpani
Percussion — castanets, concert snare drum, suspended cymbal
Written to introduce beginning percussionists to tango music, Brian Slawson has composed an exciting piece! While Slawson’s catalog features pieces at a variety of difficulty levels, he seems to have a gift for writing pieces that are easy to put together, leaving plenty of time to work on style. With parts for nine players and a common instrumentation, this piece should be accessible for a variety of music programs.
“Tangito” is written for seven keyboard parts and two unpitched parts. The keyboard parts can fit on as few as five instruments, with all four marimba parts playable on two instruments. The unpitched parts include one player on four timpani and a multiple-percussion player on snare drum, castanets, and suspended cymbals. While the multiple-percussion part features several instruments, the player has ample time to move from one instrument to another. The timpani part does not involve tuning and is often rhythmically paired with the marimba four part.
While “Tangito” is written in A minor, it features very few accidentals throughout. There is much repetition, making the few tricky sections easy to troubleshoot in rehearsal. There are plenty of syncopated rhythms between the keyboard parts; however, they tend to be isolated rhythms related to the Habanera rhythm. While this may pose a challenge for some players, it creates an opportunity for a larger discussion on this rhythm and its application throughout traditional Latin styles all the way up through modern pop music.
There is a lot of repetition and frequent syncopations in the snare drum part. Whoever is assigned this part will solidify tempo for the ensemble and will frequently be asked to play rhythms independently from the other ensemble members. Because of the repetition, there is plenty of room to instill an awareness of style and form to help keep this player engaged throughout rehearsals.
“Tangito” would make a great addition to the percussion library for middle or beginning high school percussion ensembles with limited rehearsal time. It would also be valuable for college and university programs with pedagogy or methods courses, to allow these students exposure to beginning literature. At around 31⁄2 minutes, “Tangito” would fit perfectly on a percussion ensemble concert or as a percussion feature on a band concert.
—Quintin Mallette
Percussive Notes
Vol. 62, No. 2, April 2024
