Folk Culture

The harp has been a part of mariachi music from the very beginning. From its design to its technique it is a unique instrument, very distinct from Mexico’s other versions of the folk harp.

The mariachi harp has its origins in the middle western part of Mexico, in the states of Colima, Jalisco and Michoacan. It is also known by the names of “arpa planeca,” “arpa abaje�a” and “arpa grande.” According to the area where they are built, they present slight variations in the shape and materials used, but the common characteristics always remain: The neck has a very subtle curve (as opposed to the more pronounced curve in the jaroche harp); it has four holes in the sound board, which is generally made of”tacote” wood; and it has a cedar sound box, which is very ample at the bottom and produces a thick and powerful bass sound.

The function of the harp in the mariachi, together with the bass and guitars, is to provide a harmonic accompaniment to the violins and trumpets.

The playing technique of the “arpa mariachera” is also very unique, and it has adjusted to the evolution of the music. At the beginning most of the repertoire of sones was played in the same key. However, as mariachi started to accompany singers and as the arrangements were made harmonically more and more complex, it became harder for the harp to keep up with the changes.

Trying to play polytonal music on a diatonic instrument could seem a little complicated, but after some explanation is not as hard as it seems.

First of all, the harp is tuned in C major to facilitate playing in keys with both sharps and flats. Above everything else the harp plays the bassline together with the guitarron. The bass is played in octaves, with the left hand using the thumb to play the higher note and the middle and ring finger for the lower strings.

If we are playing in a key other than C major, we will find that some of the strings are not tuned as we need them to be. For this situation we bring in the right hand’s thumb, which presses the string against the neck of the harp to create the sharp or flat note needed for that specific key.
The right hand is also used to provide a harmonic accompaniment that should be balanced rhythmically against the bass. There are many options for chord playing, but I find it more convenient to play the root position (for C major and up to three sharps). For example, in the key of C major C,E,G,C and D,F,G,D for dominant 7. This position of the dominant 7 chord eliminates the VII degree of the scale (B note), which is very helpful when moving up to the keys of G,D and A. For the keys of E and B, play the bass line only (unless you tune beforehand).

The keys of F and B are used frequently in mariachi music. To create the notes of B and E in the bass we use the R.H.’s thumb on the strings immediately below the B and E strings to make them sound like A# and D#, which are enharmonically B and E.

In the key of F, I recommend the second inversion of the chord (for the R.H.) that gives us CFAC for the tonic, CEGC for the dominant, and DFD for the subdominant.

As we move up into keys with more accidentals, we will find ourselves playing on fewer and fewer strings. That is to avoid playing notes that don’t belong to the key. However, once the principles are understood, we can play in minor keys, glissandi and arpeggio, 6/9 chords, 7/9 chords, diminished and augmented chords and lots of beautiful melodies.

As we can see, the mariachi harp has its own set of difficulties, which are seldom found in any other style of harp playing. That might be the reason why this traditional way of playing has been misunderstood by many.

A lot of factors have almost caused the extinction of this instrument, but I think the one that has really delayed its big comeback is just a lack of knowledge.

Some of the most important mariachi conferences in the U.S. do not have a mariachi harp workshop. That shows us that even those who are leading the development of mariachi culture in the U.S. still need to learn what mariachi harp is all about and how important it is tto keep it alive as a form of art and as an integral part of the mariachi.

Juan Morales is a harp and vihuela musician with Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano from California. He was one of the instructors at the third annual El Paso/Juarez International Mariachi Festival this summer.