This was my method

After dreaming about it for what seemed like forever, I finally got my first bandoneon in 2004. Exactly 20 years ago. I was 21 years of age.

The problem was, I got it by post, I lived in Finland, there were no teachers in the city I lived, nor anywhere nearby that I knew of…

No YouTube, no tutorials, no methods, nothing…

I was on my own.

So of course, I had to learn on my own.

My method was to learn, by ear, the music that had made me fall in love with the instrument in the first place: Piazzolla´s works for the New Tango Quintet.

I analyzed and wrote down each and every note, not only for the bandoneon but for the rest of the ensemble: piano, electric guitar, violin, and double bass.

I immersed myself into the world of tango, visiting every public library in Finland that I could, and I would check out all the available material on his music and on tango music, reading every book I could and listening to every track of every CD, cassette tape and vinyl I got in my hands.

I could identify any of his works known to me by hearing just a fraction of a second of them. They became second nature to me.

Now, I only needed to be able to play them on my new instrument…

The process was extremely hard: the bandoneon is a notoriously difficult instrument to learn to play. But I put so much effort into it that half a year after I got it, I was already playing my first concert for an audience. It was a great achievement for me.

I haven´t stopped since.

Piazzolla´s music has meant so much to me.

I thought it would be a nice idea to make a playlist with some of the recordings by him that I hold closest to my heart. Most of them are not among his most well-known works or recordings, but they´re among the most important to me and my musical journey.

I´m sharing this playlist with you today, I hope you enjoy it. Click here.

Have a great day,

Claudio.

P.D. The second (and last) batch of albums is going out by post today, so to all of you who ordered them, you´ll be getting them soon :)