Mexico

Náhuatl

Language of the Aztecs

Tenochtitlan

Aztec capital city, located in present-day Mexico city

Huéhuetl

A large, upright drum made from hollowed wood, covered with animal skin, played by the hands, from the Aztecs

Teponaztli

A slit drum made from hollowed wood, produces 2 pitches, played with mallets, from the Aztecs

Son

Large family of mestizo folk music and dance traditions found across Mexico, where each region developed its own variation

Arpa jarocha

A large wooden harp that plays both bass lines and melody, used in son jarocho

Requinto

A small guitar used for melodic improvisation and solos

Jarana jarocha

A small, rhythm guitar (usually 8 strings) that provides the percussive strumming patterns

Conjunto

Small folk ensemble that performs sones jaliscienses, typically includes string instruments, eventually became the prototype for the modern mariachi group

Vihuela

Small, high pitched guitar used for rhythm in sones jaliscienses

Guitarrón

Large bass guitar that replaced the harp in sones jaliscienses, used for the bass line

Coplas

Short, poetic verse, usually 4 lines

Jarabe

Mexican folk dance and music genre meaning “mixture”, typically a medley

Sonajas Mañanitas Michoacanas

A specific jarabe from the state of Michoacán

Sonajas

Rattles, a percussion instrument often used in folk dance

Sesquialtera

Metric ambiguity between duple and triple meter

Compás

Rhythmic patterns played within the meter

Manqueo

Offbeat syncopation or “limping” rhythm in son

Gritos

Vocal shouts or cries interjected by singers or audience members (son, Mexico)

Tonadillas escénicas

Spanish theatrical songs popular in the late 18th and 19th centuries

Cancioneiros

Wandering singers, appeared in the mid 19th century, travelling from town to town performing songs

Canción ranchera

“Country song” in Mexico

El Hijo de Pueblo

Refers to the common man, often from the countryside, became a national hero type after the Mexican revolution

son Jalisciense conjunto

The original rural ensemble that evolved into modern mariachi

Corrido

Narrative song/ballad that tells a story, often about real people and events

Norteño

Northern music in Mexico that resulted from a merging of corrido and ranchera, can also be a musical style of narcocorrido

Tejano

A musical style of narcocorrido with electric instruments

Banda

A musical style of narcocorrido with large brass ensembles