The habanera rhythm is one of the key elements tango music. It’s the rhythmic pulse that underlies tango, an omnipresent syncopation that is always fueling the music, even when it isn’t explicitly heard. Here is what it looks like in music notation:
With the underlying 8th note syncopation looking like this:
The classic tango composition “Libertango” by Astor Piazzolla uses these rhythms heavily. Listen to how the bass line fits in with the melody and the counterline as well as the drum groove.
Gaston Kaisin | Trumpeter 