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 ARCHIVED TOPIC: There was a Mariachi band tonight at our favorite Mexican Restaurant


Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/264473

Mopick - Posted - 06/09/2013:  19:45:16




That big guitar is called a  guitarron.   The small guitar is called  vihuela.



 



 





This lady stood up and put the tip money in the sound hole of the guitarron.



 



 





This guy was the leader.



 



 



 





 



These guys were cool.  This is busking to the max.  They would put the tips in the guitarron.  I handed the violin player 5 bucks and he went over and put it in the guitarron.  Plus the restaurant probably gives them a few hundred bucks to come out.  The kids loved them.


Mopick - Posted - 06/09/2013:  19:50:39


They were going to be there from for three hours.  This is a busy Mexican Restaurant, I bet that guitarron was pretty full in three hours.  I wonder if it affected the tone.  That thing sounded like an acoustic bass.



And the young man playing the  vihuela was just learning how to gig.  The guy with the trumpet would tell him when to play, when to not play, as the vocalist was singing.  He would nod his head in approval when the young man did good.



Edited by - Mopick on 06/09/2013 20:03:37

gclaunch - Posted - 06/09/2013:  20:13:52


I really like Mariachi music......am going to be in Austin, Tx this weekend, and this got me all cranked up for some good Mexican food and live Mariachi...Will be visiting my daughter and her husband, they know several good places that will work.

Hankon5 - Posted - 06/09/2013:  21:57:25


NO Banjo!!!!!  What kind of band is that!!big You should at least have an Accordian!



Edited by - Hankon5 on 06/09/2013 22:01:46

Mopick - Posted - 06/10/2013:  05:42:18


quote:

Originally posted by Hankon5

 

NO Banjo!!!!!  What kind of band is that!!big You should at least have an Accordian!







I threatened to bring my banjo up next Sunday.  Other than the trumpet when he was blowing fff, my banjo would wash those guys out.  big



I'll bet it's heavier than that guitarron.  I couldn't imagine strolling around the restaurant with my banjo like those guys do.  


trapdoor2 - Posted - 06/10/2013:  06:44:29


One of the local Mexican restaurants also features a Mariachi band once a week. I enjoy it a lot. A couple years ago, we were eating there and the band was wandering around taking requests. A few tables down were a family all dressed in orange. They requested "Rocky Top" (UT fans...naturally) and the band did a great job of making it sound very mariachi-like.



We got "San Antonio Rose"...


ecg - Posted - 06/10/2013:  07:23:13


I love mariachi music, of course. "El son de la negra" and "El jarabe tapatio" are among the most popular songs that sound great with mariachi, plus many others.

Accordion is normally part of NorteƱo (Northern) music, and the basic instruments are accordion, guitar and "bajo sexto", a kind of baritone, 12-string guitar, plus a percussive called redoba, a piece of wood attached to the hip, that is hit with drumsticks.

Thanks for posting Mopick!

Paul R - Posted - 06/10/2013:  09:18:02


quote:

Originally posted by ecg

Accordion is normally part of Norteño (Northern) music, and the basic instruments are accordion, guitar and "bajo sexto", a kind of baritone, 12-string guitar, plus a percussive called redoba, a piece of wood attached to the hip, that is hit with drumsticks.




Ry Cooder "discovered" Mexican music and did a lot to popularize it.



Marc, "San Antonio Rose" is a great song!


brewerpaul - Posted - 06/10/2013:  17:16:44


Mariachi is great stuff.  A few years back my wife and I went to an all-inclusive resort in Playa Del Carmen Mexico (wonderful place, btw).  They had a mariachi band in one of the dining rooms one night.  At one point I looked up, and the trumpet player was listening to his cell phone while playing the trumpet with his free hand.  Talk about multitasking!



In addition to traditional tunes like Ceilito Lindo and La Cucaracha, they did some mariachi-ized versions of songs like "I Did It My Way".  They worked surprisingly well.


Kenneth Logsdon - Posted - 06/10/2013:  21:13:33


big Wonder if thats gonna be the next big Bluegrass Fad???   I can see us all now, with them big hats on!!  Hau chuuche racha banjer!!


MrNatch3L - Posted - 06/10/2013:  23:28:20


The guitarron has been around a lot longer than the acoustic bass guitar. I think it sounds better and projects much better. Always wondered if it could cross over into North American music and string bands. It would be somewhat easier to schlepp than a stand-up bass.


BConk - Posted - 06/11/2013:  12:14:37


I've always wanted to get me one of them Requinto guitars - they're used in Mariachi bands as well - aren't they?


Deaf Lester Crawdad - Posted - 06/11/2013:  23:59:36


quote:

Originally posted by Mopick

 
quote:


Originally posted by Hankon5

 


NO Banjo!!!!!  What kind of band is that!!big You should at least have an Accordian!








I threatened to bring my banjo up next Sunday.  Other than the trumpet when he was blowing fff, my banjo would wash those guys out.  big




I'll bet it's heavier than that guitarron.  I couldn't imagine strolling around the restaurant with my banjo like those guys do.  







Some Mariachi bands do include banjos!   5-string banjos, yet!



I once passed up the chance to purchase a nicely-done 1' Mexican-made statuette of a Mariachi musician in full uniform playing a Gibson RB-250, and still regret not having pulled the trigger.



~Pete


ecg - Posted - 06/12/2013:  06:43:38


quote:

Originally posted by BConk

 

I've always wanted to get me one of them Requinto guitars - they're used in Mariachi bands as well - aren't they?







BConk,



Requinto guitars can be used in mariachi bands, but are more used in "Trio" bands, which sing in harmonically, and usually have two guitars and one requinto, which plays the solos. An example would be:



 



youtube.com/watch?v=-_X07NVY3-A



 



The requinto is usually tuned same as the guitar, but 2 or 2 1/2 steps higher.


ecg - Posted - 06/12/2013:  06:47:24


quote:


Originally posted by Deaf Lester Crawdad

 
quote:


Originally posted by Mopick

 


quote:


Originally posted by Hankon5

 


NO Banjo!!!!!  What kind of band is that!!big You should at least have an Accordian!








I threatened to bring my banjo up next Sunday.  Other than the trumpet when he was blowing fff, my banjo would wash those guys out.  big




I'll bet it's heavier than that guitarron.  I couldn't imagine strolling around the restaurant with my banjo like those guys do.  








Some Mariachi bands do include banjos!   5-string banjos, yet!




I once passed up the chance to purchase a nicely-done 1' Mexican-made statuette of a Mariachi musician in full uniform playing a Gibson RB-250, and still regret not having pulled the trigger.




~Pete







That I´ve never seen (banjo in a mariachi band), but hey, why not? smiley


mike gregory - Posted - 06/12/2013:  07:45:03


I once did stand there with my banjo, and played "Entre Las Flores Del Campo" with a full-dress mariachi band.

And I once owned a guitarron, which, far as I know, might be Spanish for "Steroid Uke".

Do love the sound of the Steroid Uke.

Mopick - Posted - 06/12/2013:  08:53:00


That vihuela reminds me of a baritone ukulele.


Deaf Lester Crawdad - Posted - 06/12/2013:  10:48:42


quote:

Originally posted by Mopick

 

They were going to be there from for three hours.  This is a busy Mexican Restaurant, I bet that guitarron was pretty full in three hours.  I wonder if it affected the tone.  That thing sounded like an acoustic bass.






A Guitarron is an acoustic bass.



But they tend to have limited lifetimes due to their light construction and the very heavy strings.



~Pete


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