The journal

Fifty things worth knowing about tango, theory, accordions and the double bass.

Written by the people who teach and play these instruments in Singapore. History, mechanics, repertoire, and honest buying advice with no affiliate links in it.


Tango & Piazzolla

How to listen to tango

New to tango? Start with the rhythm section, not the tune. A short guide to the eras, the orchestras and ten recordings that make the rest of it make sense.

Read · 6 min read
Tango & Piazzolla

Tango outside Argentina

Tango left Buenos Aires before 1913 and never came home. The Paris craze, Finland's own tango, Japan's century-long obsession, and where it sits in Asia now.

Read · 7 min read
Tango & Piazzolla

The Quinteto Nuevo Tango line-up

Bandoneon, violin, piano, electric guitar, bass. Why Piazzolla settled on five players in 1960, what each one does, and why the balance was hard to beat.

Read · 7 min read
Tango & Piazzolla

How tango rhythm actually works

Marcato, sincopa, arrastre and the 3-3-2: the four devices that make tango sound like tango, explained for players who have the notes but not the feel.

Read · 7 min read
Music theory

Improvisation basics for classical players

Improvising is a learnable skill, not a talent. Where to start if you read fluently but freeze without a score: ground bass, ornamentation and guide tones.

Read · 6 min read
Tango & Piazzolla

Carlos Gardel and the sung tango

Carlos Gardel turned tango from dance music into song. His 1917 recording, the Paris years, the 1935 crash, and why Argentina still says he sings better.

Read · 7 min read
Music theory

Rhythm and subdivision explained

Subdivision is the habit of feeling the smaller units inside every beat. Here is what it is, why it fixes timing problems, and how to practise it.

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Buying guides

Discovering the world of bowed string instruments

Violin, viola, cello and double bass compared: how they differ, how sizing works, what the price tiers really buy, and how to try one before you commit.

Read · 6 min read
Tango & Piazzolla

Bandoneon vs accordion in tango

The bandoneon and the accordion are cousins, not twins. How each one works, why tango picked the bandoneon, and what changes when you play tango on accordion.

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Tango & Piazzolla

Libertango, explained

Piazzolla recorded Libertango in Milan in 1974. Here is what the title means, how it is built, why it took over, and what makes it hard to play well.

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Music theory

Tuning systems and temperament, explained

Pure intervals do not fit into an octave. How just intonation, meantone and equal temperament each solve that, and what it means for reeds, strings and ears.

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Accordion

The Stradella bass system, explained

Six rows of buttons arranged by fifths: counter-bass, bass, major, minor, seventh, diminished. How the Stradella layout works and where free bass takes over.

Read · 6 min read
Tango & Piazzolla

What is nuevo tango?

Nuevo tango is what Piazzolla did to the form: fugue, dissonance, jazz solos, a 3-3-2 pulse and music built for listening. A musician's breakdown.

Read · 7 min read
Buying guides

Accordion lessons and buying options in Singapore

Lesson formats, what tuition generally costs, where accordions come from, and whether to rent or buy. A practical look at starting the accordion in Singapore.

Read · 6 min read
Tango & Piazzolla

Who was Astor Piazzolla?

Astor Piazzolla, 1921-1992: the bandoneonist who broke tango open, the Nadia Boulanger lesson that redirected him, and why Buenos Aires hated him first.

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Music theory

Tempo markings and rubato

What Adagio, Andante and Allegro really specify, how metronome marks differ from the Italian words, and what rubato means when it is done well.

Read · 6 min read
Accordion

The accordion as a concert instrument

Zolotaryov, Gubaidulina and Nordheim gave the accordion a serious repertoire. How free bass, conservatory training and a few composers changed its standing.

Read · 6 min read
Tango & Piazzolla

Where tango actually came from

Tango was born in the port districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo in the 1880s, out of habanera, candombe and milonga. Here is how it really happened.

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Double bass

Looking after a double bass in the tropics

Open seams, swollen wood, corroding strings and the air-conditioning shock behind most of it. How to keep a double bass stable in a humid tropical climate.

Read · 6 min read
Accordion

Accordion repertoire, grade by grade

Named pieces for every stage, from first folk melodies through Bach transcriptions to Zolotaryov and Gubaidulina, with what each level is actually testing.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

Ornaments explained: trills, mordents and grace notes

Trills, mordents, turns, appoggiaturas and acciaccaturas: what each symbol means, which note it starts on, and how the answer changes with period and style.

Read · 6 min read
Double bass

Jazz bass and orchestral bass: the real differences

Same instrument, two trades. Action height, strings, amplification and what the bass is for all differ between the jazz rhythm section and the orchestra.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

How to read sheet music from scratch

Sheet music tells you which note, how long, and how loud. Here is how to read pitch, rhythm and the rest of the page, starting from nothing.

Read · 6 min read
Accordion

Learning the accordion as an adult

What the first year on the accordion really looks like: weeks one to four, month three, month twelve, plus practice time, common mistakes and honest limits.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

Ear training: how to start

Ear training is learning to name what you hear. Intervals, chord quality, rhythm and function, with a practice routine that takes ten minutes a day.

Read · 6 min read
Double bass

A short history of the double bass

The double bass is the violin family's odd relative, descended partly from viols. Dragonetti, Bottesini and Koussevitzky pulled it out of the back row.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

Modes explained, from Dorian to Locrian

The seven modes are the major scale started from each of its degrees. Here is what each sounds like, the note that defines it, and where to hear it.

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Accordion

Keeping an accordion alive in the tropics

At 80 percent humidity reeds rust, wax softens and leather valves curl. Practical storage, dehumidifier settings and servicing intervals for the tropics.

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Double bass

How a double bass actually works

Why a double bass is shaped as it is, how a vibrating string becomes sound you can hear, and the practical reason it is tuned in fourths rather than fifths.

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Music theory

What is a cadence?

A cadence is the chord pattern that ends a phrase, and it works like punctuation. Here are the four main types and how to hear and play each one.

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Music theory

Musical form explained: binary, rondo and sonata

Form is how a piece is laid out in time. Binary, ternary, rondo, theme and variations and sonata form, with what each one does to a listener's expectations.

Read · 6 min read
Accordion

Accordion registers, explained

Bassoon, clarinet, master, musette: what each register switch does to the reeds, what the dot diagrams mean, and how to choose one that suits the music.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

Time signatures explained

The two numbers after the clef tell you how many beats are in a bar and which note gets the beat. Here is how to read simple, compound and odd metres.

Read · 6 min read
Double bass

French and German double bass bows compared

Two bow holds, two frogs, two ways of reaching the string. What actually differs between French and German double bass bows, and how players end up choosing.

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Music theory

Harmony and voice leading, the basics

Chords are only half the story. Voice leading is how each note moves to the next, and it is what makes a progression sound smooth rather than merely correct.

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Accordion

Accordion facts and history

Patented in Vienna in 1829, spread by factory production, adopted worldwide, then mocked and rehabilitated. The accordion's strange two-century career.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

The circle of fifths explained

The circle of fifths orders the twelve keys by closeness. Here is how it is built, what it tells you about key signatures and chords, and how to use it.

Read · 6 min read
Buying guides

Seven mistakes people make buying an accordion

Buying too big, ignoring weight, trusting a photo, skipping the leak test: seven errors that turn a new accordion into a cupboard ornament, and the fixes.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

How chords are built: triads and sevenths

Chords are stacked thirds. Here is how the four triad types and the main seventh chords are constructed, named, and found under your own hands.

Read · 6 min read
Accordion

What is a bayan?

The bayan is a B-system chromatic button accordion with dry tuning, deep cassotto and a free-bass converter. Here is what sets it apart and what it plays.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

Counterpoint for beginners

Counterpoint is two or more melodies sounding together, each one worth hearing on its own. The species, contrary motion, imitation and how to practise it.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

Intervals explained

An interval is the distance between two notes, named by letters counted and by quality. Here is how to name any interval and hear it without counting.

Read · 6 min read
Buying guides

How to choose a double bass

Choosing a double bass means settling three things: body size, how the top and back are made, and who sets it up. A practical guide from a working player.

Read · 6 min read
Accordion

Piano accordion vs button accordion

Range, hand size, fingering logic, repertoire and resale. An honest comparison of piano-key and chromatic button accordions, and how to pick one.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

Major and minor scales explained

Major and minor scales differ by the pattern of tones and semitones inside them. Here is the pattern, the three minor forms, and why the third matters.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

Dynamics and articulation, explained

Dynamics tell you how loud; articulation tells you how each note starts and stops. What the marks mean, and how bellows and bow actually produce them.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

Transposition explained

Transposing means shifting every note by the same interval so the tune keeps its shape in a new key. How to do it by interval, by scale degree and by clef.

Read · 6 min read
Buying guides

How to choose an accordion

Picking an accordion means matching bass count, weight and reed quality to the player's body and repertoire. A plain guide to sizes, budgets and what to skip.

Read · 6 min read
Accordion

How an accordion actually works

Inside the box: free reeds riveted to plates, two per note, leather valves, a pallet board, reed blocks and register sliders. A plain mechanical explanation.

Read · 6 min read
Music theory

What is a key signature?

The sharps or flats after the clef tell you which notes are altered for the whole piece. Here is how to read one in two seconds and what it means.

Read · 6 min read