Tangos and violins just go together. There’s something fun and exciting about adding some Spanish flair to your playing. When it comes to tango music for violin, there’s three famous pieces that come to mind. Our first two tangos are from Bizet’s Carmen and the last tango is one that should be on everyone’s “must learn” list. Okay, let’s tango!

Toreador Sheet Music for Violin

Let’s start off with the Toreador Song, a famous tune from Carmen. This tango is in F major which means we have one flat, B flat. So think low first fingers on the A and E string.

(Need some help with F major finger patterns? Click here)

If you’re learning second position on the violin, the Toreador Song actually fits very well in your hand in second position, since there’s not as many string crossings.

Notice how all of our violin tangos feature two distinct sections. There’s always a sharp, accented style alternating with a smoother, more legato section. Some tangos start with the accented part, some start with the legato part. See if you pick out the various styles in each violin tango!

Habanera Sheet Music for Violin

Our next tango from Carmen gets even saucier! We’re once again in F major but Habanera has lots of accidentals. In the first two measures, you’re moving chromatically which means every note is a half step apart.

Triplets play an important role in this song. Here’s a little music theory: when you see a group of three 8th notes with a “3” above or below the notes, those are triplets. A triplet is simply a quarter note divided into three equal parts.

The last line does go up to third position, but if you’re not comfortable with third position not he violin, I’ve also added an optional ending that stays in first position.

Por una Cabeza Sheet Music for Violin

Last in our list of 3 famous violin tangos is perhaps the most famous of all, Por tuna Cabeza! This classic tango was featured in the tango scene from Scent of a Woman. This is one tango that you won't be able to stop playing!

For this tango, we’re in good ole G major, but don’t get too lazy, there’s lots of accidentals. This violin tango features more half step chromaticism, more challenging third position as well as a fun harmonic and a double stop at the end.

This violin tango has it all! Enjoy Por tuna Cabeza for the violin!

I hope you enjoy these violin tangos! While I love writing out these songs, like all of the sheet music I produce on my website, they take a considerable amount of time to notation, arrange, edit, test-play, and upload. If you would like to download any of these violin tangos as PDFS, you can (and much more) when you sign up to my online studio. Try it out here!