Mexican
Corrido derives from the Spanish word correr which means to run. It is known
for being a popular song genre during the late 1800's to now. These songs are
primarily found along the Texas and Mexican border. This is due to the constant
battle between Anglo-Americans and Mexican-Americans on who deserves the
rightful ownership of the land. In the late 1800's many Mexicans started
singing and creating corridos in order to spread the word of the economic
hardships. Mexican corridos are very similar to the Spanish romance songs. The
Spanish romance songs are known for the fact that the words of each of the
stanzas of four eight-syllable lines characteristic of this genre are sung. On
the other hand Mexican corridos the fact that the words of each of the stanzas of four
eight-syllable lines characteristic of this genre are sung through without any
interruption. Mexican corridos are also known to be called Mexican
ballads. There are many different instruments that are common to Mexican music.
The Vihuela is a small 5 stringed guitar, and it provides rhythm for the song. The
Guitarrón is a large, six stringed acoustic bass, and it also provides rhythm for the song. Bajo sexton,
also known as the “sixth bass”, is an acoustic guitar that has 6 sets of 2
strings; adding up to a total of 12 strings.
This is an example of the vihuela. Notice the small size of the guitar and how it resembles our acoustic guitar.
I love the bassy sound to the guitaron. You can't really see the size of the body but it is quite large.
This is an example of the Bajo sexton. It has 12 strings that are very similar to our 12 stringed guitar.
This is a very popular song that is a very basic corrido. It follows the structure of the 8 syllables per line except for the first stanza.
Lasty, this is an example of a hero corrido. A hero corrido is a type of the corrido that involves giving praise to larger than life Mexian figures. In this song it is giving praise to Gregorio Cortez and how he shot a Texas sheriff.
Coates, K. (2016). Corridos. Retrieved December 03, 2016, from
http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lessons/corridos/
DeenaR. (n.d.). Musicology Final: Corridos. Retrieved December 03, 2016, from
https://quizlet.com/22675096/musicology-final-corridos-flash-cards/
Pedrick, D. H. (1998). The Mexican Corrido. Retrieved December 3, 2016, from
http://carriagehousebandb.ca/corido.html#N_3_
Shelemay, K. K. (2015). Soundscapes: Exploring Music in a Changing World (3rd ed.). New
York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
Tijana Ilich Latin Music Expert. (2014). Corrido - History of Mexican Life in Song. Retrieved
December 03, 2016, from http://latinmusic.about.com/od/genres/p/PROCORRIDO.htm
The love the sound of the guitaron. The rhythms that the guitaron player uses in the video sounds so cool. It great to see such a unique instrument.
ReplyDeleteIt was so great to learn about the corrido genre.The hero corrido was very interesting too me. Having a whole style of corrido that celebrate heroes of your history and culture is awesome to see.
ReplyDeleteI love that "La Cucaracha" is a popular example of this genre. I have heard that song a lot growing up, and I giggle every time I think about it.:)
ReplyDeleteI really like the vihuela for both its sound and how it provides rhythmic and harmonic functions. The guy in the video is playing some awesome rifts too.
ReplyDeleteBeing a little biased, my favorite video was the first one featuring the Vihuela. The technique for playing such precise rhythms in the right hand while the left hand plays the melodic lines is incredible. I'd be interested to know what god into the technique for creating those kind of strum patterns.
ReplyDeleteI really liked listening to each of these videos. It was cool to hear how different it sounds from a guitar, even though it looks and is contracted so similarly.
ReplyDelete