Regional styles of Mexican music


Regional styles of Mexican music vary greatly vary from state to state. Norteño, banda, duranguense, Mexican Son music and other Mexican country music genres are often known as regional Mexican music because each state produces different musical sounds and lyrics.
;Baja California: Has a characteristic style derived from the huapango norteño, known as calabaceado. Other norteño forms are also popular, such as Vals Norteño, Chotis, Mazurka and Polka.
;Chiapas: has produced many marimba bands and artists, such as Marimbas de Chiapas. Chiapas has its own "son" tradition, often played on the marimba. Mexican waltzes are also particularly popular here.
;Chihuahua: norteño is unique in that it uses the saxophone in addition to the usual accordion, and thus has two lead instruments. Zacatecas norteño is similar to norteña chihuahuense.
;Durango: is widely famous for its many duranguense bands. Duranguense bands are basically considered música norteña, but uses brass and wind instruments instead of guitars and accordions. Duranguense bands are often called Banda or Los … de Durango.
;Guerrero: has its own traditional "son" tradition, known as "Son Guerrerense", which has a violin lead, with guitar and percussion for the rhythm section. The son music from Tierra Caliente is very closely related to this. "Gustos" are another very popular song form here, and these are played at half-tempo. Violinist Juan Reynoso is a renowned interpreter of the music from this region.
;Jalisco: The Son Jalisciense is the most traditional and representative style of folk music of the mariachi tradition. El Son de la Negra is one of the pieces more representative. In the 1990s, bands such as Banda Machos, and Banda Maguey popularized techno-banda. These bands were the music for the popular dance quebradita.
;Mexico City: Danzon is a Cuban style of music which also developed in Mexico City and Veracruz. It is comparable to tango for its elegance and complex structure. Cha-cha-cha is also an important style which was played a lot in the past century, it was very popular in Mexican films. Mambo, created by Cachao López in 1938 in Cuba, derives from Cuban style of music called rumba and was popularized by Perez Prado in Mexico City where he lived from 1948 to 1989. Mexican bolero also originated in Mexico City, one of the most important Bolero singers is Agustín Lara.
;Michoacán:Pirekua is a song form of the Purépecha. The singer of a pirekua, a pirériecha, may be male or female, solo or accompanied, and pirekua may be performed instrumentally. Pirériechas act as social mediators and "express sentiments and communicate events of importance to the Purépecha communities."
;Nayarit: is recognized for Huichol music, the most notable band being El Venado Azul. Nayarit Huichol bands often play traditional ranchero and corrido songs with unique homemade violins and guitars.
;Nuevo León: norteño bands resemble traditional norteño tejano somewhat more closely than other norteño bands due to Nuevo León's proximity to the southwestern American state of Texas.
;Oaxaca: has a musical tradition/style known as Son Istmeño, which is a continuation of the son folk tradition found throughout Mexico. It has very strong indigenous roots, and the songs are sung in both the Zapotec language as well as Spanish; the rhythms are often indigenous as well, while the basic melodic/harmonic structure is Spanish. The song "La Llorona" is an example of a son istmeño. Marimba ensembles are also found here.
;Sinaloa: is widely famous for banda, or Mexican big band music. Sinaloa was where the musical genre originated. Bandas play a wide variety of songs, include rancheras, boleros, and cumbias. Bandas often adapt songs from other duranguense and norteño bands. Sinaloa also has produced famous norteño artists, such as Calibre 50, and El Veloz de Sinaloa.
;Tamaulipas: norteño is similar to Nuevo León norteño. It also has Huapango music.
;Veracruz: has a unique style in music, it is called Son Jarocho and it is played with some guitar-like instruments called "Jaranas". Recently the harp forms an important part of Son Jarocho. I Grupo Mono Blanco are a very influential band. In the capital Danzon is very popular and it is performed in the street. In the north of Veracruz Huapango music is more popular. Boleros are also very important in Veracruz.
;Yucatán: has its own musical traditions, one in particular known as "musica/danza jarana." Although the jarana is the main/central instrument in a typical ensemble, other kinds of guitars are utilized. The local music generally includes both very strong Spanish and indigenous influences as well as, to an extent, Caribbean influences. Vocal harmonies also contribute to the trademark sound of Yucatán. "Son Yucateco", the traditional son music of the region, was also probably an influence on the Cuban-born bolero, and there is a strong connection between the music of Yucatán, Mexico and the music of Cuba. Boleros and "musica trova", a Cuban musical tradition, also have a very important place in musica Yucateca.
;Zacatecas: Bandas in Zacatecas play what it is known as "Tamborazo Zacatecano", the bands are formed with a drum and wind instruments. A notable band is La Banda Jerez. Also, Zacatecas norteño closely resembles that of Chihuahua norteño because of saxophone-accordion duets in their music.