To be honest, when a lot of people think of a Mariachi band they might think of loud horns that are easily distinguished over the guitars and a bit of percussion along with a harp to be heard somewhere within the music. One might forget that violins are usually added to the mix, but this would no doubt remind them very quickly since this is a piece that’s well put together since the Halo theme is easy to recognize. For those that haven’t played Halo or heard any of the music, it might be necessary to take a quick look at Google or YouTube and see how this band really took the sound and replicated it in a very impressive way. It definitely doesn’t lose much when being played by a Mariachi band, though it does have a slightly more serious feel to it that the horn kind of takes away if one really looks at it from a certain perspective. But there’s nothing to take away from this group since the simple act of playing their instruments is something that a lot of people would hopefully admit isn’t as easy as they make it look. If anyone has ever tried to play any of those instruments without training they’ll know very well that it’s not as easy as it looks, especially when it comes to replicating a set piece of music.
This isn’t the only time a popular theme has been played in a different manner, and it continues to be impressive when folks decide to take the music they enjoy and put it into a different form since it requires that they can play and that they can read the music or possibly play it by ear, as many people can do with enough practice. It is amazing to watch people play by ear, but it’s still fairly rare unless a person listens to something often enough that they can pick out the notes that they need to play in order to replicate something in order to make it sound as good as the video above. There are quite a few of us out there that couldn’t play a single note if our lives depended on it, but the skill that some people exhibit when it comes to playing certain pieces of music is simply astounding since not only is it incredible to listen to but to realize that it’s pretty much spot-on when it comes to the original is something that one can’t help but feel envious of if they don’t have the same kind of musical talent.
Many people hear the word Mariachi and immediately think of the suits, the sombreros, and the instruments that usually accompany said bands, but Mariachi is a part of the culture that incorporates quite a few elements that go together to form a very well-respected part of this culture and tends to be very interesting to listen to since the stereotype that’s been affixed to it usually sees Mariachi bands being lauded as highly annoying and laden with so many horns that one needs a full state between themselves and the band just to drown out the sound. But this isn’t the true nature of Mariachi bands, even though when used for comedy it is kind of amusing, at least for a little while since when making light of a culture it’s usually best to do so in a way that doesn’t insult anyone in a purposeful manner, but pokes fun at various elements and doesn’t downplay the culture entirely. But given how easily people get offended these days it’s likely that it has already happened a few times.
It would be kind of interesting to see if this could be applied to other themes, for video games, TV shows, or movies, and be just as impressive. The guess is that it probably would be since this attempt was actually pretty nice to listen to. The horn is definitely something that some people might enjoy but others could do without since it’s all a matter of personal preference. But some Mariachi songs that are horn-heavy do tend to feel a bit over the top, at least from a personal standpoint. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to which kind of sounds really get to them and which just get on their nerves, and I’ll be honest and say that some Mariachi songs that feature horns in a very big way are a bit difficult to listen to. But otherwise, as a part of the culture, Mariachi music can be extremely pleasing to listen to, especially when it’s not being used in a stereotypical fashion to get a laugh. This was one such example that was pretty cool to listen to and was easy to equate to the original since it followed the theme perfectly.
