Without having studied music, he played by ear, and yet he was a very good instrumentalist and a better composer; as he did not know how to write them, his creations were put on paper by other musicians, among which were Eduardo Arolas, Augusto Berto, Agustín Bardi, and Francisco Canaro.
He was greatly intuitive, who learned to play the piano by watching his friends play.
He even left the music on several occasions to work as a salaryman in different companies, such as Bunge & Born, Dreyfus, and in a notary's office.
His professional career began in 1911, with a trio formed with Augusto Berto on bandoneon and Julio Doutry on violin.
He used to make up the melody of his compositions improvising during his concerts.
At one point he joined a group with Francisco Canaro, who brought him his first work "Pura uva" to paper.
Once he had gained experience, playing in cafeterias in La Boca, he was summoned by Eduardo Arolas to fill the place left vacant by none other than Agustín Bardi.
In this period, Arolas would be in charge of the transcription of his compositions.