Unrelenting march-like tempos and heavy percussion present in this music often overpowers adornos or other subtle expressions between dancers. Beginning dancers in Argentine tango often yearn for a heavy beat in the music to mark the timing of their steps. As dancers acquire more skill in tango, the beat is more felt than heard. Experienced tango dancers often perceive overly percussive musical arrangements as being too intrusive and monotonous to permit artistry in the dance dialogue between partners. To dance Argentine tango properly requires the right music.
Some recordings are the equivalent of American country and western music.
Other recordings sound like jazz. Tango nuevo can be loosely thought of as a sort of jazz-like tango. It is often challenging for musicians to play and impossible for most social dancers to dance. Tango nuevo music evolved for the ear, rather than the feet. Piazzolla s early career involved playing traditional danceable tangos.