Mariachi Music in Mexico

The term mariachi encompasses an entire culture of music, dance and costume and is one of the most recognisable aspects of Mexican culture internationally.

Whether you’ve experienced extravagantly-dressed mariachi bands serenading you at your dinner table or you’ve heard the style in films like ‘Desperado‘, we can all instantly recognise where the music originates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY3BDXaKjKQ

But are these songs really representative of the traditional mariachi repertoire? What other gems are there to discover?

It is said that the Irish save their best Guinness for themselves and export the rest. Could the Mexicans be doing the same with their tequila and mariachi music? Well, there’s only one way to find out.

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On A Mexican Mission

The Search for the Secret Mariachi Recipe

First things first, we know we’ve got to have a grito mexicano or two in there…

But what other musical ingredients could be giving it that mouthwatering flavour?

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Some Serious Strumming

What’s going on with those silky strumming skills?

With hands flying everywhere, there’s no shortage of slap, and a there’s a torrent of tickle.

But the strumming looks so bouncy and off-beat, you’re left wondering: where does the slapping start and when will the tickling end?

I’ll be hunting down some Mexican experts to guide us through the gauntlet.

A Tight Team

The mariachi ensemble is bound together by an absolute string fest.

Guitar relatives line up in the form of a big brother guitarrón, who plays the bass role, and little rhythmic cousin vihuela. There’s also some violins and a harp thrown in there for good measure.

And, with soaring operatic vocals and powerful trumpets, there’s plenty more for us to look towards for musical inspiration.

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Mariachi: Genre or Style?

Mexico is a vast republic with a collection of genres that have formed and been influenced by a variety of ethnic, geographical and economic factors.

People of Spanish and African descent settled in various coastal, lowland, highland and desert areas, mixing with indigenous cultures to varying degrees. This diversity has played its part in Mexican music’s regional development. It seems to be this rich palette of regional rhythms and flavours that makes Mexican music tick.

Mariachi is more of a ‘super-genre’ or broad musical culture. It has brought a selection of Mexican and other Latin American genres under its umbrella and has styled them in its own way. By learning about mariachi music, I think we’ll be getting a good insight into traditional Mexican music as a whole.

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Guadalajara

Capital of Mariachi Music

The musical genesis of this style is generally accepted to have taken place in the western states of Mexico.

As with many world music genres, there are varying opinions as to exactly where it first sprouted. However, its modern manifestation occurred most prominently in the state of Jalisco and surrounding areas.

Ultimately, it has concentrated itself in Jalisco’s capital, Guadalajara, which is known as the ‘Capital of Mariachi Music’. And that’s where my mariachi journey will begin…