On Tejano Music 4: Basic Instrumentation

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/08/31

A seasoned Musician (Vocals, Guitar and Piano), Filmmaker, and Actor, J.D. Mata has composed 100 songs and performed 100 shows and venues throughout. He has been a regular at the legendary “Whisky a Go Go,” where he has wooed audiences with his original shamanistic musical performances. He has written and directed nerous feature films, web series, and music videos. J.D. has also appeared in various national T.V. commercials and shows. Memorable appearances are TRUE BLOOD (HBO) as Tio Luca, THE UPS Store National television commercial, and the lead in the Lil Wayne music video, HOW TO LOVE, with over 129 million views. As a MOHAWK MEDICINE MAN, J.D. also led the spiritual-based film KATERI, which won the prestigious “Capex Dei” award at the Vatican in Rome. J.D. co-starred, performed and wrote the music for the original world premiere play, AN ENEMY of the PUEBLO — by one of today’s preeminent Chicana writers, Josefina Lopez! This is J.D.’s third Fringe; last year, he wrote, directed and starred in the Fringe Encore Performance award-winning “A Night at the Chicano Rock Opera.” He is in season 2 of his NEW YouTube series, ROCK god! J.D. is a native of McAllen, Texas and resides in North Hollywood, California. 

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Would you consider the accordion, the bajo sexto, brass instruments, the keyboard, or the vocals more essential in terms of production and sound? Which one typically leads the rest of the instrumentation?

J.D. Mata: The bass and the drums are the heartbeat of the music. When you’re doing a recording session, that’s the first thing you record. You record the bass and the drums first, then go on to a dummy vocal track. If you’re a dummy and you’re singing, it’s a dummy vocal track.

I’m just kidding. But yes, the bass and drums drive Tejano music. Then you have the guitar, which provides the rhythm, if you will. The bass goes boom, the guitar goes chat-chat, and the drums tie it all together. So, I would rank bass and drums tied first, then guitar, and then the keyboard. It’s essential.

Usually, the keyboard provides the opening lead and then adds the dressing. The keyboard is the dressing on the salad. If you eat the salad dry, it will taste better. But when you add some delicious dressing, that’s what the keyboards and horns are.

I would give vocals an honourable mention. In terms of driving force, bass and drums are number one. Of course, the vocals deserve an honourable mention for driving force. They are the body of the song. The human body has skin and bones, but without the heart, arteries, DNA, and white cells, the body won’t stand. It’s like having no knees—the body falls. The singing is the body of the song.

The voice and the words are the attractive part of the music. The words are the beautiful dance, the movement. But the bass and drums are the song’s heartbeat, force, and strength. Cartilage and ligaments, which connect everything, would be the keyboards and the guitar. That’s how I would answer that.

Jacobsen: Was this discovered as best practice over time, or has it always been that way?

Mata: It’s always been that way because that’s how it is. For example, let’s say you want to be a Tejano artist and start a band. If you’re a singer, you can’t go on stage and sing, expecting everybody to dance and follow without a bass. There’s no structure, no heart. You must find yourself a good drummer and bass player to get a band together. It’s been that way since the beginning of Tejano’s time.

Jacobsen: If you were to record a song, why is starting with the bass beat foundational? It’s possible to structure in reverse order if you’re thinking about a recording studio without regard to the audience because the end product is the song. But if you do it that reverse way, what happens? What chaos ensues?

Mata: Interestingly enough, many bands, including The Beatles, when they first started recording with only two tracks, would record the whole song together: bass, drums, guitar, and vocals. Then, they would do some backup vocals as another track. To get the feel and energy of the song, some bands record it as a band, which can be very effective. To answer your production question, yes, it would be chaotic if you tried to do a song without starting with the bass and the drums. People need to understand that music is math—time signatures: 1, 2, 12, 1234, 12, 3.

Let’s say we do 8 bars. If you’re in 4/4 time, 8 bars of 4/4 equals 32 beats: 1-2-3-4, 2. 8 times four is 32. So, the drums and the bass are the math behind the song. If you try to sing or play the guitar or keyboard first, you could set up the math if the keyboard player is good with a click track. If your keyboard player has to go out of town, you could record his track first. Then, you’d record bass, drums, and guitar. They could all be recorded simultaneously, but you’d start with the keyboards for a keeper recording and then wrap up the keyboard track.

The keyboard will be on time if you’re using a click track. Before clicking tracks, bands are recorded by feel, which can be complicated without a solid metronome. Recording on feel means the feel comes from the bass and drums, not the keyboard. Following the bass and drums rather than the keyboard, vocalist, or guitarist makes more sense. Yes, it would be chaotic otherwise. Some artists start with drums and guitars, but drums are always first. Mathematically, the common denominator is the drums.

Jacobsen: So, you’re describing the structure of a town or the construction process?

Mata: Correct. It would be like putting in a house’s piping and electrical work without laying the foundation.

Jacobsen: Like putting the cart before the horse?

Mata: Exactly. It could be done, but it would be quite a feat. This is crucial because Tejano music is meant to be danced to. It has to have a solid beat. People dance to Tejano music. While you can dance to classical music, Tejano is primarily for movement. Musicians know it has to be structurally sound in terms of timing, rhythm, and the makeup of the instruments. You want a hook from the beginning and a nice, catchy intro, usually with the keyboard or a horn section.

The song’s structure typically includes an intro, the first verse, then a chorus, back to the intro, another verse, a chorus, and sometimes a middle 8. The usual structure is the intro, verse, chorus, instrumentation (a variation of the intro), verse 2, chorus, and out.

Jacobsen: There was a Kenyan master of an instrument called the nyatiti named Ayub Ogada. I suggest everyone reading this go and listen to songs like “Obiero” or something similar. In his last interview, Ayub Ogada talked about how his instrument was meant to be played communally. He described how, every time he played, he gave part of himself away. His general philosophy on life came from the communal aspect of music. He figured that he would have given the rest of himself away when he finally stopped being here. It was about giving oneself through one’s instrument to the community, being part of it, and being in it. It’s shocking to Western ears that someone like that even exists, but many like him exist. Do you think this idea of Tejano music being dance music is part of that commonality? In our first session, we discussed how people playing in these Tejano bands entertained those working some of the hardest blue-collar jobs.

Mata: Yes. First of all, I profoundly identify with that philosophy. My life has gotten complicated regarding relationships because, as a musician, this is what I do as a career. I don’t know if I shared this with you yet, but this might be the first time. It’s my philosophy that, for me, it’s mandatory. Before we started the session, I talked about how complicated it is to get rich and famous. I am not rich and famous for the sake of vanity but for being able to have my recording studio, buy the best instruments possible, and employ other artists. That’s my vanity. But to get to that level, you have to give everything.

Ayub Ogada says he gives his instrument; I must give everything. I’ve been in relationships where I told musicians this, and now I’m telling you for the first time because it’s part of my evolution. As a musician, and this applies to my Mexican culture and Tejano roots, we’re very sensitive. We’ll give you the shirt off our back, but if you don’t give me your shirt, look out.

As a musician, I give everything. Before this session, I was late because I was working on a song. I could be out doing a dozen other things, but I stay here and practice all day. So, when I’m in a relationship, and my girlfriend or friend is having a party, if I’m not the first person they think of to hire for music, then either she doesn’t care about me, or I need to be better.

You have to be so good that when people say, “I’m gonna have a party,” they think, “I gotta get JD.” If you’re not the go-to guy for your loved ones, you’re not good enough, and you can’t expect success. You must be so good that you’re the first person they call. Otherwise, you’re just spinning your wheels.

You have to have it to relate to what you’re saying. You can’t give what you don’t have. You must be so good that to share the music with everyone, you must have it. The only way to have it is to work hard. If you don’t have it, the people around you will tell you by not asking. They’ll tell you by omission. I was dating someone, and they had two or three parties, and I wasn’t asked to play.

Jacobsen: Did they ever want you to come over to play, considering this person had a piano?

Mata: I don’t know what the rationale is, but I failed because of my way of thinking. I need to be better. That may be why I’m not famous yet, but I’m working on it.

Jacobsen: American culture is famously individualistic, if not hyper-individualistic. Mexican culture is more communal. Do you think Tejano music, being a mixture of polka, Texan elements, and some Mexican music, is more influenced by Mexican communal culture than American individualism?

Mata: Yes, it’s indeed Mexican. It’s patriarchal in that the male often dominates the family structure in Mexican culture. For a long time, Tejano music was male-dominated. But then, with Selena and others like Laura Canales and Shelley Lares, female entertainers started breaking the glass ceiling.

Patriarchal. That’s the word. It’s patriarchal because male dominance is evident. You must be bold and brave to get in front of people, perform, and set yourself up for scrutiny. There’s a certain amount of craziness and insanity required to put yourself up for scrutiny. This applies to Tejano music and probably other genres, too.

The desire to be invited to play is also existential because if you’re not playing, you’re not eating. So, it’s survival of the fittest. The strongest musically survive. This is Mexican-oriented as well. Mexican culture is family-oriented and group-oriented, but there’s always the dominant one in the family, the alpha, and the alpha in music.

Jacobsen: A communal patriarchal hierarchy, right?

Mata: Yes, exactly. Mexican alpha. Music is a lot about feelings and emotions. If someone keeps returning to a song, something about the rhythm or the lyrics touches them, and it’s difficult to ignore them.

Jacobsen: I was in the university choir for two and a half years. Any external stressor could dampen my feel for a song, which would have been more expressive in a prior context. Suppose artists struggle with rent or food or have difficulties with friends or partners who need help understanding the artistic pursuit. How does that impact their ability to envelope their emotions in performance and practice? Is it a trained skill to overcome that blockade?

Mata: Yes. It’s something you either have, or you don’t. It’s an inherent skill. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people tell me, “You need to get a job.” It’s like, f-you. This is my job. I am an artist. I’m a musician. I’m an actor. I’m a filmmaker. That’s what I do. If you’re not being compensated, you have to figure it out. You have to get good enough. It would help to put yourself in the right place and time for things to happen.

Unlike academia, where you study hard and get your bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD. In the music industry, acting industry, or any creative industry, you can work your ass off, but there are so few opportunities out there. Part of the genetic makeup has to be the drive to do it no matter what. There would be a thousand more Tejano artists or musicians if hard work alone determined success. It’s hard work, but it’s also luck. It’s about showing up too.

It’s 80% inspiration and 20% perspiration. It would help if you stuck it out and did not leave a day before the miracle happened. That drive can’t be taught. It’s something innate.

Jacobsen: Do you think the environment can reinforce or modify this, even though it’s mostly innate?

Mata: I don’t think so. I’m thinking of Jason Castaneda, an incredible piano player and singer. Look that cat up. He’s great. He played Tejano. He was much better than me as a musician, but I had the drive to perform more. He became a successful lawyer with a huge house and all these pianos and guitars. He had to give up music to become rich and successful, but he won’t be famous. Maybe I’ll make him famous now. I hypothesize that you either have the “it” factor, the genetic makeup, the inherent ability to stick it out no matter what, or you don’t. It shouldn’t be taught.

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In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. ©Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012-Present. Unauthorized use or duplication of material without express permission from Scott Douglas Jacobsen strictly prohibited, excerpts and links must use full credit to Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing with direction to the original content.