Miami, the Gateway to the Americas, is a city of many cultures. Latin American culture dominates with a large part of the population originally hailing from countries like Cuba, Colombia, the Dmonican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras. These communities brought with them their music, including Cuban conga and rumba, Colombian cumbia and Dominican merengue. Adding to this salsa is a more recent addition in the form of Mexican mariachis in Miami.
No style of music is as synonymous with Mexico as mariachi, which is a type of folk music. The music originally developed in the nineteenth century in states like Jalisco, in the central-western part of the country. It gained popularity with the advent of the twentieth century, when radio shows and Mexican films helped take it to the masses.
Today it's almost impossible to attend any kind of Mexican-themed event without the presence of a group of musicians in charro suits. Whether it's a Cinco de Mayo celebration or a wedding, there will be a band serenading the guests. Good Mexican restaurants all over the world hire these musicians to create an authentic sound to complement the tamales, mole, quesadillas and of course Jalisco's other famous export, tequila.
The sound of mariachi music is created mainly by stringed instruments. Guitars are essential and there will be at least one in a group. The round-backed vihuela is a type of guitar that produces a high-pitched sound and adds rhythm. Bass comes from the guitarron, which looks like a guitar made for giants.
Violins feature strongly too and it is not unheard of for a band to have eight violinists. These instruments provide the melody. Another stringed instrument that can add to the melody is a type of harp, although not all bands use this instrument. To complete the ensemble, there will also be trumpets and maybe an accordion too. There isn't normally a lead singer, but all the band members take turns to sing.
Traditionally only men played in the bands. However, in recent years it has become more accepted to include female musicians too. There are now even a growing number of all-female bands, especially in the United States.
Male and female musicians alike don an outfit known as a charro suit. This is a tailored three-piece suit with lots of embroidery and silver buttons, often along the seams of the pant legs. The suit, usually black, is worn with boots, a soft tie and a sombrero, which is a kind of wide-brimmed hat. Even though charros are actually Jalisco horsemen, Mexican Western-style movies known as 'comedia ranchera' inextricably linked the outfits with mariachi musicians.
There is an ever-increasing number of mariachis in Miami. They cater to the growing population of Mexican descent, but you can hire their services even if you don't have a drop of Mexican blood. Tunes like 'Cielito Lindo' and the ever-popular 'La Cucaracha' are universally recognizable and standard in a mariachi repertoire, so your guests will be able to enjoy the music even if their Spanish is limited to words like 'tortilla' and 'burrito'. All you need to add to the mix is the tequila.
No style of music is as synonymous with Mexico as mariachi, which is a type of folk music. The music originally developed in the nineteenth century in states like Jalisco, in the central-western part of the country. It gained popularity with the advent of the twentieth century, when radio shows and Mexican films helped take it to the masses.
Today it's almost impossible to attend any kind of Mexican-themed event without the presence of a group of musicians in charro suits. Whether it's a Cinco de Mayo celebration or a wedding, there will be a band serenading the guests. Good Mexican restaurants all over the world hire these musicians to create an authentic sound to complement the tamales, mole, quesadillas and of course Jalisco's other famous export, tequila.
The sound of mariachi music is created mainly by stringed instruments. Guitars are essential and there will be at least one in a group. The round-backed vihuela is a type of guitar that produces a high-pitched sound and adds rhythm. Bass comes from the guitarron, which looks like a guitar made for giants.
Violins feature strongly too and it is not unheard of for a band to have eight violinists. These instruments provide the melody. Another stringed instrument that can add to the melody is a type of harp, although not all bands use this instrument. To complete the ensemble, there will also be trumpets and maybe an accordion too. There isn't normally a lead singer, but all the band members take turns to sing.
Traditionally only men played in the bands. However, in recent years it has become more accepted to include female musicians too. There are now even a growing number of all-female bands, especially in the United States.
Male and female musicians alike don an outfit known as a charro suit. This is a tailored three-piece suit with lots of embroidery and silver buttons, often along the seams of the pant legs. The suit, usually black, is worn with boots, a soft tie and a sombrero, which is a kind of wide-brimmed hat. Even though charros are actually Jalisco horsemen, Mexican Western-style movies known as 'comedia ranchera' inextricably linked the outfits with mariachi musicians.
There is an ever-increasing number of mariachis in Miami. They cater to the growing population of Mexican descent, but you can hire their services even if you don't have a drop of Mexican blood. Tunes like 'Cielito Lindo' and the ever-popular 'La Cucaracha' are universally recognizable and standard in a mariachi repertoire, so your guests will be able to enjoy the music even if their Spanish is limited to words like 'tortilla' and 'burrito'. All you need to add to the mix is the tequila.
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