Mariachi Field Work
"Quick & Dirty" Version of my Field Work Notes
10/20/06
7 PM
Mar y Tierra Mexican Restaruant
Observing: Mariachi Mi Tierra
Going to do this field work obeservation was almost a last minute-decision. I was hoping to go but didn't know if I'd be able to work it in with my schedule. FORTUNATELY I could.
I went to this one alone (and by "alone" I really mean without the rest of my group. 3 of my friends went with me for dinner since Mar y Tierra is indeed a restaraunt).
I made an audio recording at this event, but ran out of tape shortly before the end.
This is a regular gig for Mi Tierra. We arrived around 7, they started playing around 7:30-7:45.
Atmostphere: The restaraunt had bright lights, except for the one above our table which kept flickering on and off. While Mi Tierra was playing (at least at first) it sounded to me like a radio was playing in the background and I noticed that the TV at the front of the restraunt was on as well.
One of my friends, we will call him "Scuba Steve" for the sake of anonymity, has been playing mariachi professionally for about 6 years outside of the Lubbock area. I asked him several vocabulary and standard technique questions unofficially as I did this observation in order to try and get as much out of it as I could without disturbing the performers to ask questions, since it was a gig.
The Mariachi uniform is called a Traje. Mi Tierra was wearing black pants, white shirts, and big red bowties. 3 of the men were wearing black vests and the female of the group was wearing a black skirt and a black vest.
Instrumentation: 1 guitar, 1 guitaron, 1 vihuela, 3 violins, 1 trumpet. All of the members of the ensemble were the same this time as the rehearsal we observed except for one of the violin players who I had never seen before.
Mi Tierra traveled from table to table playing 2 songs/tunes to each, taking requests. I couldn't see them due to a wall for the first 30 minutes, but it was continuous music, usually alternating slow and fast tempos. The first opportunity we had to see them once they came around the wall, one of the violin players who goes to Texas Tech with us recognized me and shot me a head nod. Good. One caucasian woman sitting at the table across from us stood up with her baby and danced around the floor. She looked a little awkward, but you know how people are when they have babies with them.
They began singing to two women who I'd guess were about 45-65 years old. The song, Steve informed me, was called "Amor Eterno" or "Eternal Love" and (we believe) was written by a woman who had just lost her child. Both women were crying through this song, which leads me to believe that they had lost a loved one and this song had personal significance to them. Steve also informed me that people usually cry when they hear this song, so this would definitely be one which my group would need to look at with text and ask questions about. The other song Mi Tierra played for these ladies was upbeat and apparantly more cheerful, since they got up and danced with the vihuela player.
Just a note: The trumpet player is very careful to not play right at people and make them go deaf.
Mi Tierra played for a large table of hispanic people next, and they were all very animated and enthusiastically interacting with eachother. They played a slower song and then a woman at the table request a children's song, to which they responded by playing an (perhaps) adult song with childlike musical tendencies and simple melodies.
Our table was next, and unfortunately my tape recorder had run out of tape by this point. A lot of the musicians recognized me now and smiled and we exchanged "How are you's." I don't remember the name of the song that Steve requested, but Mi Tierra had worked on it during the rehearsal we attended. The vihuela player sang, as he tended to do with most of the songs.
Note: The vihuela player is very good at making eye contact with his audience. He seems to be the "personality" one of the group. The guitaron player kind of just stared at the table for awhile (or so it looked like to me) and all of the other musicians were watching eachother for musical reasons, I assume.
After the song was through the vihuela player asked the guitaron player (in spanish) if they could play a song in english. They didn't, though, because my roommate Ashley requested a song called "Besame Mucho" which is very very popular and if you search it on iTunes you find a thousand different versions. It means "Kiss me Much" or something along those lines and it is very mushy and romantic and all that. The guitaron player sang the majority of this one with only a spoken verse done by the vihuela player.
After our turn was over, Mi Tierra migrated back to the large group and played another song or two for them before moving to the other tables. Nothing noticeably exciting happened during these few minutes, and the people in the large group seemed more preoccupied with their margaritas than with the mariachis.
By this time, my friends were ready to go home. I gave a quick wave and mouthed a goodbye and thank you across the room to the violin player who goes to Tech as we were paying. It was 9:30.
10/20/06
7 PM
Mar y Tierra Mexican Restaruant
Observing: Mariachi Mi Tierra
Going to do this field work obeservation was almost a last minute-decision. I was hoping to go but didn't know if I'd be able to work it in with my schedule. FORTUNATELY I could.
I went to this one alone (and by "alone" I really mean without the rest of my group. 3 of my friends went with me for dinner since Mar y Tierra is indeed a restaraunt).
I made an audio recording at this event, but ran out of tape shortly before the end.
This is a regular gig for Mi Tierra. We arrived around 7, they started playing around 7:30-7:45.
Atmostphere: The restaraunt had bright lights, except for the one above our table which kept flickering on and off. While Mi Tierra was playing (at least at first) it sounded to me like a radio was playing in the background and I noticed that the TV at the front of the restraunt was on as well.
One of my friends, we will call him "Scuba Steve" for the sake of anonymity, has been playing mariachi professionally for about 6 years outside of the Lubbock area. I asked him several vocabulary and standard technique questions unofficially as I did this observation in order to try and get as much out of it as I could without disturbing the performers to ask questions, since it was a gig.
The Mariachi uniform is called a Traje. Mi Tierra was wearing black pants, white shirts, and big red bowties. 3 of the men were wearing black vests and the female of the group was wearing a black skirt and a black vest.
Instrumentation: 1 guitar, 1 guitaron, 1 vihuela, 3 violins, 1 trumpet. All of the members of the ensemble were the same this time as the rehearsal we observed except for one of the violin players who I had never seen before.
Mi Tierra traveled from table to table playing 2 songs/tunes to each, taking requests. I couldn't see them due to a wall for the first 30 minutes, but it was continuous music, usually alternating slow and fast tempos. The first opportunity we had to see them once they came around the wall, one of the violin players who goes to Texas Tech with us recognized me and shot me a head nod. Good. One caucasian woman sitting at the table across from us stood up with her baby and danced around the floor. She looked a little awkward, but you know how people are when they have babies with them.
They began singing to two women who I'd guess were about 45-65 years old. The song, Steve informed me, was called "Amor Eterno" or "Eternal Love" and (we believe) was written by a woman who had just lost her child. Both women were crying through this song, which leads me to believe that they had lost a loved one and this song had personal significance to them. Steve also informed me that people usually cry when they hear this song, so this would definitely be one which my group would need to look at with text and ask questions about. The other song Mi Tierra played for these ladies was upbeat and apparantly more cheerful, since they got up and danced with the vihuela player.
Just a note: The trumpet player is very careful to not play right at people and make them go deaf.
Mi Tierra played for a large table of hispanic people next, and they were all very animated and enthusiastically interacting with eachother. They played a slower song and then a woman at the table request a children's song, to which they responded by playing an (perhaps) adult song with childlike musical tendencies and simple melodies.
Our table was next, and unfortunately my tape recorder had run out of tape by this point. A lot of the musicians recognized me now and smiled and we exchanged "How are you's." I don't remember the name of the song that Steve requested, but Mi Tierra had worked on it during the rehearsal we attended. The vihuela player sang, as he tended to do with most of the songs.
Note: The vihuela player is very good at making eye contact with his audience. He seems to be the "personality" one of the group. The guitaron player kind of just stared at the table for awhile (or so it looked like to me) and all of the other musicians were watching eachother for musical reasons, I assume.
After the song was through the vihuela player asked the guitaron player (in spanish) if they could play a song in english. They didn't, though, because my roommate Ashley requested a song called "Besame Mucho" which is very very popular and if you search it on iTunes you find a thousand different versions. It means "Kiss me Much" or something along those lines and it is very mushy and romantic and all that. The guitaron player sang the majority of this one with only a spoken verse done by the vihuela player.
After our turn was over, Mi Tierra migrated back to the large group and played another song or two for them before moving to the other tables. Nothing noticeably exciting happened during these few minutes, and the people in the large group seemed more preoccupied with their margaritas than with the mariachis.
By this time, my friends were ready to go home. I gave a quick wave and mouthed a goodbye and thank you across the room to the violin player who goes to Tech as we were paying. It was 9:30.
posted by wrocknquidditch at 5:44 PM
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