Norteño or norteña (Spanish pronunciation: [noɾˈteɲo], northern), also called música norteña, is a type of regional Mexican music. This music usually uses two-beat and three-beat rhythms, and its songs often talk about important issues in society, though there are also many songs about love. The accordion and the bajo sexto are the most common instruments in norteño music.

This music is popular in Mexico and the United States, especially among Mexican and Mexican-American people. It has also become popular in other Spanish-speaking countries, such as Chile. Although it began in rural areas, norteño music is enjoyed in both rural and urban places.

A conjunto norteño is a type of Mexican folk group. It usually includes a button accordion, bajo sexto, electric bass or double bass, drums, and sometimes an alto saxophone, depending on the region.

Repertoire

The norteño music style includes types such as ranch-style songs, narrative songs, ballads, boleros, chotís, cumbia, northern huapango, mazurkas, polkas, redowas, and waltzes.

• Ramon Ayala, a norteño musician called the "King of the Accordion"
• Los Tigres del Norte performing at a casino in California in 2006

History

Emperor Maximilian I introduced Central European music to Mexico during his rule in the Second Mexican Empire, which began in 1863. By 1864, he had gathered marching bands and musicians to perform for him. In 1867, the Mexican Republic executed Maximilian, ending the Austrian rule in Mexico. Many of his soldiers and other people from Austria fled north and scattered into what is now the southwestern United States. Norteño music developed from a mix of Mexican and Spanish traditions, military brass band instruments, and European styles like polka and waltz.

European immigrants from Germany, Poland, and Czechia brought dance traditions such as the varsovienne to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The use of the accordion in their home countries became part of Mexican music and became an important instrument. The music was called norteño ("northern") because it was most popular in northern Mexico.

The late 1910s and 1920s were the golden age of the corrido, a type of ballad. Mexicans from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border traveled to San Antonio, Texas, to record songs in hotels. These songs described the Mexican political revolution of that time. Early norteño bands included Los Alegres de Terán and Los Donneños. Later in the century, the genre became more commercial with groups like Los Relámpagos del Norte. In recent years, bands such as Intocable have added elements of rock music and other popular styles to norteño.

Modernization

Modern norteño music has changed a lot from the older style of artists before the 1950s, such as Narciso Martínez. Since the 1970s and 1980s, most norteño bands have changed the tololoche to an electric bass guitar and the snare drum to a full drum set. The traditional bajo sexto-accordion style of groups like Los Alegres de Terán and Los Donneños changed into the modern style seen in bands such as Los Tigres del Norte, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Intocable, and Duelo. In 2014, Los Tigres del Norte released the album Realidades, which has a song called "Era Diferente" ("She Was Different") about a lesbian teenager who falls in love with her best friend. Jorge Hernández, the lead singer and songwriter, said this is the first time a norteño band has written a song about a gay love story.

• Intocable
• A pre-1970s-style norteño group in Baja California, Mexico, made up of an accordion, a tololoche, and a snare drum ("tarola").

Regional variations

Northeastern Norteño: This is the most traditional style of norteño music. It is mainly popular in Mexico’s northeastern and central states, as well as in parts of the United States with large Mexican communities from those areas. Artists who perform this style include Los Cadetes de Linares, Ramón Ayala y Los Bravos del Norte, Carlos y José, Los Invasores de Nuevo León, and Los Cardenales de Nuevo León.

Pacific Norteño: This style uses the same instruments as traditional northeastern norteño but has a rougher sound. This is partly because it is influenced by Sinaloan banda music. Some bands use a piano accordion instead of the traditional button accordion. It is mainly popular in Mexican states that border the Pacific Ocean, as well as in central states, and in parts of the United States with large Mexican populations from those regions. Artists who perform this style include Los Tigres del Norte, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Chalino Sánchez, Los Buitres de Culiacán, Los Titanes de Durango, and Marca Registrada.

Norteño-Sax: This style includes an alto saxophone as a main instrument, along with an accordion. It sounds similar to traditional norteño but focuses more on the saxophone. Some bands are influenced by grupero music and use an electronic keyboard for ballads and romantic cumbias. It is mainly popular in Mexico’s landlocked states and in parts of the United States with large Mexican populations from those regions. Artists who perform this style include Conjunto Primavera, Los Rieleros del Norte, Polo Urías y su Máquina Norteña, La Fiera de Ojinaga, and La Maquinaria Norteña.

Norteño-Banda: This style is similar to Pacific norteño but replaces the bass with a sousaphone, an instrument used in banda music for low notes. Like Pacific norteño, it is mainly popular in Mexico’s Pacific and central states, as well as in parts of the United States with large Mexican populations from those regions. Artists who perform this style include Calibre 50, Voz de Mando, Colmillo Norteño, Revolver Cannabis, and Código FN.

Norteño Light: This style is similar to northeastern norteño but has a more pop-oriented sound, relaxed rhythms, and modern lyrics. It may also include mild rock influences. It is mainly popular in Mexico’s northeastern and central states, as well as in parts of the United States with large Mexican populations from those regions. Artists who perform this style include Intocable, Duelo, Solido, Siggno, and Grupo Frontera.