Developed by pianist Rodolfo Biagi and orchestra director Juan D’Arienzo in 1935, the double-time or quick-quick-slow rhythm combines tango music and tango dancing. While critics called the music unsubtle and stale, the public loved the fast-paced rhythms. Termed “electric,” the double-time rhythm played an important part in the development of tango rhythms.
Walking rhythms in tango music are slow and deliberate. Examples of the walking rhythm can be heard in the music of Carlos Di Sarli and his orchestra, who developed this style in the northwest section of Buenas Aires. Di Sarli’s walking rhythm relied on strong piano and string instrument sound. As with many tango rhythms, the walking rhythm complemented the similar slow dancing style of the residents of the area of the city where it was developed.
Exemplified by Anibal Troilo in the 1940s, the three-three-two rhythm, also known as long-long-short, combined the traditions of tango music with music from around the world. This rhythm is not unique to tango but is rather heard in many types of traditional music. Musically, the three-three-two rhythm translates into three strokes and five rests.
Originating in Havana, Cuba, in the early 1800s, habanera rhythms are at the root of not only the tango music of Argentina but also musical forms in the rest of South America, the Caribbean and even Europe. The rhythm was developed when African musicians matched musical rhythms to the folk dances of England, France and Spain. Habaneras rhythms used either two stroke and four rest or six stroke and eight rest combinations and became the basis for the original tango sound which has been expanded upon in both tango and non-tango musical forms.