Welcome to the 2007–2008 School Year!

Dear Mariachi Educator,

MENC Mariachi would like to wish you a wonderful 2007–2008 school year! Each month, we will provide you with articles and resources to assist you in your mariachi classroom.

As we start our second year of MENC Mariachi, we’d love to hear your suggestions, ideas, and news. Contact Anne Wagener at annew@menc.org for all things mariachi!

Be sure to visit our Mariachi Web Page often for curricula, a mariachi forum featuring experienced mariachi mentors, resource listings, and opportunities for professional development.

¡Viva el mariachi!
MENC Mariachi Staff

Teaching Beginning Guitarrón

John Vela has performed professionally for 27 years as a mariachi musician and has been a music educator for the past 26 years. He has published numerous mariachi arrangements, instructional videos, and a beginner guitarrón book.

The guitarrón (ghee-tah-RROHN) (Figure 1 below) is a large six-string Mexican bass guitar characterized by a rounded back and short fretless fingerboard. It was developed in the southwestern region of Mexico during the latter half of the 19th century and was largely responsible for supplanting the more unwieldy harp as the bass-note provider in the mariachi ensemble. Early guitarrones had five gut strings and were left unvarnished. The instrument’s traditional construction was probably modeled after that of the small, five-string Mexican guitar called the vihuela (vee-WHAY-lah) which is, in turn, descended from the archaic Spanish “vihuela de mano.”

The performance technique of the early guitarrón consisted of plucking single strings to produce notes. As the instrument evolved into the 20th century, however, a sixth string was added and the associated performance technique was adapted accordingly. This is known as the “double-string” technique and features pairs of strings plucked in octaves. The modern-day guitarrón has six strings, three of which are nylon-wound with a nylon core. The other three are metal-wound and are available in copper, brass, bronze, or steel.

The purpose of playing strings in pairs is to project greater volume, since bass notes are typically difficult to hear, especially when performed in support of the melodic lines of the trumpets and violins of the mariachi ensemble. Natividad (“Nati”) Santiago (1941–1993, Figure 2), former guitarronero of the renowned Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, was influential in pioneering and popularizing the double-string technique of guitarrón playing.

In 1983, Nati published Método Práctico Para Guitarrón (Practical Method for Guitarrón). From 1959 until 1993, he recorded thousands of songs and has accompanied most of the major Mexican ranchera artists. Nati once suggested to me that the characteristic tone of the guitarrón might best be expressed by the syllable “tan” (tahn); the “t” sound represents the attack and articulation of the higher-pitched nylon string, while the “an” sound reflects the depth and resonance of the accompanying lower-pitched metal string.

Parts of the Guitarrón

The following illustration (Figure 3) indicates the parts of the guitarrón in English and Spanish.

Figure 3. Parts of the Guitarrón
(Partes del Guitarrón)

Selecting a Guitarrón

Here are a few things to consider when selecting a guitarrón. As mentioned earlier, the better-sounding instruments typically feature a Spanish cedar back and sides, a mahogany neck, a rosewood fingerboard, and a tacote top. “Entry-level,” or student instruments, imported from Mexico or China, are available for purchase and are adequate for beginners. The action and setup on these instruments are acceptable, but the tone and projection are not, of course, comparable to “step-up” or professional models. When trying out an instrument, pluck each open string. The tone should be clear and steady with a long sustain, about 5–7 seconds. Any buzzing or rattling or a muted tone might indicate an inferior instrument or a “bad” string. Be sure to inspect the entire instrument, inside and out, looking for signs of good craftsmanship and attention to detail. Ensure that there are no cracks, twisted or warped wood, or indications of repairs or patchwork. Check to see that the strings at the bridge are spaced evenly and the string holes are perfectly aligned (Figure 4).

String spacing at the nut should also be equidistant. Between the neck joint and the sound hole, string height should be set between 1/2” and 5/8” above the sounding board (top). Setting the action any higher will adversely affect intonation and unnecessarily test the player’s strength and endurance. If the strings are set lower, they may tend to slap against the sounding board during performance. The guitarrón may be fitted with either metal tuning machines (Figure 5) or wooden pegs (Figure 6).

Most student instruments and some professional models feature metal tuning machines. These are recommended for beginners since they promote better intonation and they are much easier to use than wooden tuning pegs. It is important that the tuning keys turn smoothly, without any kinking, slipping, or binding. Gears on inexpensive tuning machines tend to strip very easily and eventually will need to be replaced. Higher-quality tuning machines are identifiable by both their price and the fact that the tuning key/gear interface is usually encased within a metal cover. Budget permitting, these are certainly worth the added expense.

Tuning machines are customarily installed in one of the following two ways:

• “Classic guitar” style (also called an “open tuning head”) in which two channels are cut into the headstock and tuning machines are fitted horizontally, as depicted in Figure 4, or
   
• “Retrofitted” style, in which holes are drilled into the head and the tuning machine posts are inserted vertically (this also may be the result of converting a “peg” guitarrón by inserting machine heads into the original peg holes; see Figure 7).

Retrofitted guitarrones are also more difficult to string, as the posts are frequently too short to accommodate the large-gauge strings. Furthermore, retrofitted tuning keys protrude laterally, not front to back, which may ultimately render the head too wide to fit in its case. If the guitarrón has wooden pegs, it is important that the pegs be custom-fitted to the peg holes. That is, the pegs should have a taper that matches the taper of the peg holes. Poorly-trained luthiers turning out inferior instruments frequently drill cylindrical peg holes and pair them with hand-carved, tapered wooden pegs that tend to slip, wobble, and not hold the correct pitch.

Caring For Your Guitarrón

Proper care of the guitarrón is essential for several reasons. Although it is large in size, the guitarrón is more delicate and susceptible to incidental damage than nearly all the other instruments of the mariachi ensemble. Precisely because of its size and exotic construction characteristics, many conventional luthiers and music store personnel may shy away from attempting repairs on a guitarrón, simply due to their lack of familiarity with it.

Because the climate of the region in which many guitarrones are constructed may differ greatly from that in which you will be holding your classes, cracking or splitting of the guitarrón’s sides and back is not unusual. This becomes increasingly true as the instrument ages and the wood dries more thoroughly. Considering the fact that many student-level guitarrones are made of wood from cool and humid southwestern Mexico (Paracho, Michoacán comes to mind) and many North American mariachi classes are conducted in hot and dry locales (think Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona), careful attention to temperature and humidity is essential.

Here are some general guidelines for care of the guitarrón:

• Keep the instrument in its case or gig bag (and the storage closet) when not in use.
   
• Keep the instrument away from excessive heat or cold.
   
• Adjust the humidity of the storage facility (violin humidifiers may be an option).
   
• Never leave the instrument leaning against a wall (or anywhere it might fall over).
   
• When connecting the strap, always hold the instrument with your hand.
   
• Acquire and install standard guitar strap locks, to avoid accidental dropping.
   
• Change the strings every three to six months (depending on use) or when they begin to sound dull or dead.
   
• Maintain a supply of extra 4th (G) and 5th (D) strings, as these tend to break far more frequently than others. (Students should carry spares in their cases to performances in case of emergencies.)
   
• Treat the instrument as you would a baby; both are very delicate.

Selecting Your Guitarrón Player

Now that you’ve got your guitarrón, it’s time to decide which of your students has what it takes to anchor your mariachi ensemble as your guitarronero for years to come. Prerequisite qualities to look for in prospective guitarrón students might include the following:

• Persistence and determination to “stick with it,” since it takes time to develop the calluses on the fingertips and thumbs necessary to perform comfortably
   
• A good sense of timing and rhythmic coordination, leading to the ability to feel and consistently produce a strong, steady pulse
   
• Good pitch recognition in order to produce octaves—in tune—despite the lack of a fretted fingerboard
   
• Strong sense of reliability and responsibility to the group, with exemplary records with respect to school attendance, citizenship, and academics. (Your guitarrón player is probably the one performer you can least afford to lose for academic or disciplinary reasons.)

Teachers might do well to attempt to identify double-jointed students, as they are likely to experience difficulty fingering certain notes. Left-handed students will need to have their instruments restrung in the opposite direction and taught in a mirrored fashion, in which carrying position and fingerings are reversed. Neither physical size nor gender should present problems, however, as the guitarrón is not as heavy as it looks. The teacher need only remind doubtful students that the part of the instrument that makes it look so big and intimidating is the resonating cavity—and that consists primarily of air.

Guitarrón Performance Posture

Now it’s time to actually pick up the guitarrón, strap it on, and learn to play—it’s much easier to teach it once you can play it yourself! Proper performance posture for the guitarrón includes the following:

• both feet flat on floor, shoulder-width apart
• knees slightly bent, never locked
• back straight and tall
• hips pushed slightly forward
• shoulders back and relaxed
• chin up and eyes forward

There are two ways of supporting the guitarrón with a strap. One is to simply place the strap over the right shoulder and the other is to place the strap over both the left shoulder and across the back. I once asked Nati why he favored the former method and he replied, “it’s easier to place the strap over the right shoulder quickly without having to take off your sombrero.” On the other hand, I prefer the “over-the-left-shoulder-and-across-the-back” method. It’s not only more comfortable for me, but when I tried the other way, I felt that I had to “hunch” my right shoulder to keep the strap from slipping off. That created a lot of tension in my neck, shoulder, and back.

The guitarrón should rest on the right side of the abdomen between the ribcage and navel. The sound hole should line up vertically with the right armpit, while the nut is aligned with the left shoulder (Figure 8). The strap runs parallel along the side of the instrument. The sound hole should be facing upward at a 45° angle. From the player’s perspective, the right hand is turned slightly to the left, the forearm resting lightly on the edge of the guitarrón, on the right side of the waist (Figure 9). The right hand is arched over the sound hole with the thumb extended to the left. The guitarronero’s right thumb should always be extended. Generally speaking, the fingers are positioned above and perpendicular to the strings, while the thumb is parallel to and beside them (Figure 10). The left hand cradles the neck in a “U” shape, with the thumb and index finger aligned with the nut. The left wrist is bent slightly upward, the left palm facing the neck (Figure 11). The left elbow hangs loosely alongside the ribcage.

Tuning the Guitarrón

The guitarrón may be tuned with a piano or electronic tuner. Some electronic tuners have a mic input that can be connected to a clip mic. These mics are fairly inexpensive and will allow the instrument to be tuned without any interference from outside noise. The following diagram (Figure 12) illustrates the tuning of the guitarrón.

Figure 12. Tuning the Guitarrón

Guitarrón Notation and Fingerings

Click here for detailed instructions on how to teach guitarrón notation and fingerings, including progressive classroom exercises for each note learned.

Classroom Exercises and Conclusions

Click here for musical examples to aid in the development of:

• Tone
• Scales
• Flexibility

Click here for a Fingering Chart, which may be reproduced, enlarged, and posted for convenient classroom reference. While this is just a brief introduction to the playing technique of the guitarrón, it is my hope that this material, coupled with my past experiences, will aid you in your musical knowledge of the instrument. For more in-depth study of the guitarrón, I recommend The Guitarrón Book, Vol. 1 (1990) by John A. Vela, published through Southern Music Co., San Antonio, Texas, and available through The Mariachi Connection. I also recommend Método Práctico de Guitarrón, Vol. 1 (1983) by Natividad de Santiago González, available through Mariachi Publishing Co., Montebello, California.