Cacho Tirao's arrangements

The melodies invite us to sing, the rhythms invite us to dance

Maybe to start off this article, we could ask ourselves:

"What makes a great arrangement?"

One of my college professors asked me to identify the three fundamental elements of music, the three basic ingredients:

Melody-Harmony-Rhythm

'When these three elements are in balance, the music will be very good' he asserted.

So perhaps that might make a good starting point when looking at arrangements.

Tonality

What is the best tonality for the arrangement? This is the first and most important decision of all, as this will determine how the melody sits on the fingerboard.

If the key chosen is too low and places the melody in or around the first position, then the guitar will not sing out the melody as well as it might in a higher position. A melody set in a higher position will also most likely allow for the melody to be repeated later in the piece, in the bass register.

If the melody is set too low, it will fall between the two, probably not then allowing for the possibility of an octave change later on in the piece. Then, if there is to be a reprise of the theme, it will just be a direct repeat, which might be a little dull.

Arrangements that allow the melody to appear in different octaves will make the guitar appear to have a greater range and therefore feel more spacious.

It's important that the tessitura of the melody is considered; if it can be set on the first string in the 'meat' of the fingerboard, then it will sing out well. Melodies that are set in this way invite us to silently sing along as we listen to the music. When playing arrangements of tango, for example, many in the audience will be familiar with the lyrics and will be remembering the lyrics as the music is played.

Cacho always chose appropriate tonalities for his arrangements. In some ways he followed, and then developed further, the model of Miguel Llobet, whose arrangements of Catalan songs usually involved: melody in the treble, melody in the bass, melody in octave harmonics and then a coda. Like Cacho, he chose appropriate tonalities for his pieces, and Llobet's Catalan folk song arrangements have become a much loved part of the guitar repertoire.

Examples of arrangements with prominent and well-set melodies:

Tomo y Obligo (E minor)

Triunfal (E minor)

La Casita de mis Viejos (F minor) -- a good example of melody in different octaves

Soledad (E flat major)

Mi Buenos Aires Querido (A major)

Golondrinas (C major)

Already we can see Cacho using a variety of tonalities. Many guitar arrangements favour A major/minor as it allows a good range, with open basses for tonic and dominant, but it can become an over used key.

Harmony

Cacho's use of key leads us nicely to his use of harmony. He had the left hand of a jazzero, and loved using jazz harmony with chords using 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th notes. Pieces using flat keys have that very soft and jazzy flavour (as they rely very little on open strings, which can have quite an aggressive sound). Asking Cacho about flat keys, he said that many of the arrangements are in the original key.

The harmony that he uses is very rich, more so than in many of the originals, but it never feels out of place. As guitarist and arranger Pepe Ferrer commented to me: 'the aim of the arranger is to enrich the harmony without destroying it'!

Following along with the idea of Cacho as a jazzero, his arrangements often play through the tune once in a relatively 'straight' way, and then the second time through he would do a kind of jazz improvisation of the tune, sometimes changing the tonality.

Some examples:

Sur (C minor and A major)

Sus Ojos se Cerraron (G minor and G sharp minor)

This also develops the pieces into larger works, more satisfying to play than just a 'once through the tune'. Sometimes he included some very imaginative passages, such as the 'tap dance' sequence in Pedacito de Cielo. Whenever I play that it brings to mind Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell!

Some of the pieces use the 'chord-melody' style, where each melody note comes with a small chord. Nunca Tuvo Novio is a good example of this style.

Rhythm

Moving then to rhythm, the final element as described by my old professor. This is particularly noticeable in Cacho's arrangements of milongas and valsecitos.

As we noted in the tangos and melodic pieces, his arrangements invite us to sing along. In the milongas and valses he invites us to dance!

He does this by using counterpoint, sometimes between just two voices. Two parts, with perfectly controlled dynamics and articulation, can produce an infectious rhythm. A good example would be Corralera and another the opening of Milonga del 900. The upper part of each is slightly staccato (a common feature of his tango/milonga arrangements) and with the second voice offering punctuations, almost like small explosions in the bass! The control of the right thumb and the slightly staccato treble are vital for creating this effect. Cacho's thumb was once described as "del otra planeta" such was its capacity to create notes, to mute them, and to tidy up any unwanted resonances. The thumb certainly has to work very hard to generate this ryhthmic effect! The short, staccato basses are also used in the valses. How beautifully he creates the valsecito rhythm in Pedacito de Cielo, and the bass in Palomita Blanca is equally rhythmic.

Special Effects

Cacho was a master of the guitar's special effects department, and he sprinkled these liberally throughout the arrangements. Some of them may have been of his own creation, others taking existing effects and developing them to another level.

The tapping used to evoke the dancer's heels in the malambo is absolutely startling. Originally, I only had an audio version of this piece and was left wondering just how the effect was done, thinking it surely was provided by another player or percussionist!

Crossing the strings with lightening speed in the Berimbao was another, and then using that crossed string effect to create the illusion of Brazilian percussion.

Harmonics were used in a very imaginative way, often suggesting Brazilian rhythm (as in Bebedero). Harmonics were also used in a traditional way, although in Los Mareados there are only harmonics with no left hand thumb accompaniment (as is usual in more conventional harmonic passages). The effect is almost ethereal!

Other Genres

He had a great understanding of Argentine folk forms, often appearing with the great percussionist, Domingo Cura. Solo pieces that I especially like are Nostalgias Tucumanas (Zamba de Yupanqui), Las Dos Puntas (Cueca), and La Vieja (Chacarera). Cacho seemed to really like the Chacarera trunca.

I really like the Peruvian valses, La Flor de la Canela and Amarraditos. Cacho caught the flavour of these pieces brilliantly and they are so attractive.

He brought his special skill to more popular pieces as well, and favourites of mine are

Under the Skies of Paris, Somewhere over the Rainbow, and Moonlight Serenade.

Compositions

He was a fine composer too, often in the tango/milonga style, which was obviously his first love. His ' Don Taco' written for his dad, is a marvellous piece.

Summary

There is just so much for a player to enjoy in this music.If you are able to match Cacho's incredible turn of speed (thinking of Czardas or La Cumparsita), then you will be 'going some,' as we say here! A careful study of articulation and some of the techniques he employs may lead a player to develop their own technique in these areas. This has certainly been the case for me, having played many of the pieces for around thirty years and finding they are still not yet to my own satisfaction!

More than anything else, what is to be enjoyed is the wonderful flavour and sentiment that Cacho imparts into his pieces. He doesn't only capture the notes of the pieces, but gets to their very essence.

Closing Thoughts

I'll close with a few things that I remember him saying:

Any explanation of one of his difficult techniques was always preceded with him saying: "es facile"!!

He said that Piazzolla told him that arrangements should always "follow the melody" and that was advice he always kept in mind.

Asked about his early arrangements he said: "I must have been crazy to put so many notes there"!!

What an amazing legacy he has left us with, a veritable treasure trove of music. It was because of Cacho that I first visited Argentina in 1997, hoping to meet him in person. Thanks to my Argentine brother, Juan Gallino, this was made possible, and Cacho and his family became our friends. He came along to our concerts, invited us to his house in San Telmo and was kind enough to listen and give an opinion on my work with his arrangements.

It was a great honour to have known him and to have had a glimpse into the the musical mind of a genius of the guitar!