Mariachi Music Essay

In my research I will discuss the changes Mariachi music underwent in transition throughout generations and different places like Los Angeles. I will also introduce Mariachi’s origin and uniqueness to fully understand how it has become standardized through its many innovations of style and music. The Word Mariachi refers to a specific ensemble made up of violins, guitar, vihuelas, and guitarrón, often including a harp. Best scholarly opinion states that the word mariachi has native roots, and the popular theory is that it comes from the name of the wood that was used to make a platform for the performers, as they danced and performed. The word also refers to the different styles of Music that the groups play, which now includes popular songs

The common six-string guitar was introduced later, and in some ensembles is found together with its requinto, a smaller version tuned a fourth higher. The requinto takes the melodic part and is normally played by plucking or picking, while the guitarra sexta takes the harmonic role and is played by strumming the trumpet. Early experiments were also made with trombone and accordion in the 1920s. In the 1940s, mariachis used a piston, that had also been used by mariachis in San Gabriel, Jalisco. The trumpet itself had appeared in several early Coculan mariachis during the 1920s. In previous generations, the use the tambora in the mariachi ensemble was not uncommon. In highland Jalisco, it was considered an “indigenous mariachi” sound and until the mid- to late-twentieth century such groups were still used at weddings, bullfights, and religious festivals. The tambora forms one-half of the chirimía, a traditional ensemble of a Spanish-derived reed instrument and drum, also native to the western region and used for religious processions the chirimía reed instrument formed part of proto-mariachi groups in Jalisco in the early 19th century. In the arpa grande groups of Michoacán, the percussive role is

Much of the formations changed due to Mariachis involvement in recordings, radio, and especially film. Mass media has also caused the homogenization of the music, making the differences between rural and regional styles obsolete. Although, the evolution of the Urban Mariachi, which is separate from the rural mariachi, are both still closely tied to the development of mass media in