The idea for a new composition sometimes starts with a title. The tropical fruit I love so much rhymes with tango, a dance I’d like to master one day. We can easily simulate the tango rhythm with a simple two bar ostinato. As it’s easier to write a duet than a solo piece, let’s see if the high G ukuleles can occupy the same sonic space, i.e. the same register in “Mango Tango Ostinato.”
Straight, strict tempo is important to keep the duet together. For this reason, the second ukulele must stick to it’s tango rhythm in alternating C5 and C+. It’s also possible and advised to add a third ukulele to strum the chords for a fuller sound. Sometimes it’s a C major. Sometimes it’s a C minor.
The first ukulele inserts itself into the tango, first with one accented note. Repeat the two bars as shown or more often.
To save space, I’ve clipped out the 2nd ukulele whose movements are predictable: C5 and C+.
The 1st ukulele gets busier and busier, eventually reaching a climax.
For most of the duet, the 2nd duet follows the strict C5 and C+ ostinato. However, there are occasions when it deviates a little.
There are a few occasions where strumming is required. In this case, do a down strum on the first beat. Down on the second beat (eighth note) and up on the next eighth note and down on the third beat. It’s general practice to execute down strokes on the 1, 2, 3, and 4th beats and up strokes on the “and” beats, i.e. the eighth notes following the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th beats.
Mango Tango
If you google “Mango Tango” you’ll find a cocktail, a strain of cannabis, a refreshing drink, a plant (Agastache ‘Mango Tango’), a children’s book, a food seasoning, a song, a YouTube channel, a clothing store, a restaurant, and possibly a color.
And now it’s a new ukulele duet!
Ostinato
An obstinate person is a stubborn one. The Italian term ostinato means stubborn. The musical term refers to a motif or passage that persistently repeats.
Compositional Note
This way of adding notes reminds me of my earlier piano piece for many hands. I wrote “Three on One” during my studies at Utrecht Conservatory. That summer, fellow composer friends and I sightread “Three on One” in a contemporary music festival in Tuscany. It received its US premiere on Maui when I moved there. The “three” refers to three pianists on one piano.
Besides ostinato, the technique I used here is one of interlocking two voices, each with their own melodies and harmonies, to create new melodies and harmonies. This is the staple of gamelan music. Having lived in Southeast Asia, I really learned to appreciate the music of world cultures when I taught the semester long college course in Hawaii.
