Mariachi is a type of Mexican folk music. It is a popular genre of music all around Mexico and the United States. When one refers to mariachi, it can mean the type of music or the musicians. Mariachis often perform at birthday parties, weddings or bars. They are also often hired to serenade a man or woman. The mariachi often play in groups consisting of a guitar player, violinist, a guitarrón mexicano player, someone who plays the guitarra de golpe, and a trumpet player. There are sometimes women who play in these bands, but is it a mostly male-dominated genre of music. When women are in the mariachi band, they often are the lead singer, but you will occasionally find a woman who plays an instrument. The bands wear matching charro outfits. The mariachi play only requested songs but tend to know hundreds. Most of Mariachi music is about love, death, betrayal, politics and revolutionary heroes.
Mariachi music started as a regional folk style called "Son Jaliscience" from the province of Jalisco, in the center west in Mexico. Son Jaliscience musicians only played string instruments. When people started to immigrate from rural towns to cities like Mexico City and Guadalajara, the Son Jaliscience musicians started adding brass instruments into the bands and made a change in their name from Son Jaliscience to Mariachi.
One popular mariachi band is Mariachi Vargas de Tecaitlán. The band formed in 1897 and has since changed every single member many times over. A popular mariachi singer is Vicente Fernandez, son of Alejandro Fernandez. One of my favorite songs by him is called "Estos Celos." The song is literally translated into "This Jealousy." It is about how he cannot bear to see this woman with another man. In the chorus, he says "ay ay amor, ay ay que dolor", translating to "ay love, ay what a pain", showing that it hurts him to see her with someone else. This is a good example of what type of songs are incorporated in the style of music. Another good example is a song called "Un Rinconcito en el Cielo." This means "A little corner of the sky." The song is about how he is trying to find a little corner of the sky for him and this girl to hide and to be united together forever. Mariachi is a really cool genre of music and I recommend it to anyone who loves Spanish music!
Mariachi has had a huge influence on Mexican music since its beginning. Although mariachi is typically played in groups, many famous mexican singers have branched off to just sing solo, but have kept mariachi in the background. Today, mariachi music has influenced many amazing artists.
Mariachi Instruments
The instruments played in the Mariachi bands are super cool! One instrument that is confusing to people is the “guitarra de golpe.” This is a stringed instrument from Mexico. It has five nylon strings. During the 20th century, there was discussion on whether to use the guitarra de golpe and it was eventually replaced by the classical guitar. However, the guitarra de golpe is still very important in the mariachi music. Another confusing instrument is the guitarron. This is a large, deep-bodied six string acoustic bass that is the principal rhythm instrument in mariachi groups.