Son jalisciense is a variety of

Mexican son music Son mexicano () is a style of Mexican folk music and dance that encompasses various regional genres, all of which are called ''son''. The term son literally means "sound" in Spanish, and is also applied to other unrelated genres, most notably s ...

from which modern

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...

music is derived. This ''son'' also relied on the same basic instruments, rhythms and melodies as the sones of

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

and other locations, using the same

string instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the ...

s. By the 19th century, Son jalisciense developed to be played with one

vihuela The vihuela () is a 15th-century fretted plucked Spanish string instrument, shaped like a guitar (figure-of-eight form offering strength and portability) but tuned like a lute. It was used in 15th- and 16th-century Spain as the equivalent of t ...

, two violins and a

guitarrón Guitarrón or guitarron is a common name for a number of stringed instruments found in Latin America and may refer to: * Guitarrón argentino, a six-stringed musical instrument from Argentina * Guitarrón chileno, a 25-stringed, plucked instrument ...

(which replaced the harp). The best known song of this type of ''son'' is called “La Negra”. Modern mariachi developed when

brass instrument A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. Brass instruments are also called labrosones or labrophones, from Latin a ...

s such as

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

s were added. Son jalisciense has both instrumental and vocal songs in this form, mostly in major keys. It is performed by

ensembles. It has an alternating rhythmic pattern in the harmony (guitars, vihuela) and guitarrón. Basic pattern consists of one measure of with the next measure of .

References

{{Music in Spanish Regional styles of Mexican music Mariachi

See also

References