- Bajo sexto
A bajo sexto (Spanish: "bass sixth") is a type of 12 string guitar, fused with a bass, used in Mexican music. It is used primarily in norteño music of northeastern Mexico and across the border in the music of south Texas known as "Tex-Mex," "conjunto," or "música mexicana-tejana".
The bajo sexto sound provides a strong rhythm in the lower pitched end of a Conjunto or Tejano band and also provides a strong projection of chord changes across songs.
A five course version of the bajo sexto has appeared in recent years in response to players removing the final E course, which they feel muddies the sound too much. Unsurprisingly, it's called the bajo quinto.
Bajo sextos are tuned: E,A,D,G,C,F, (from highest to lowest string)
Bajo quintos are tuned: A,D,G,C,F (as above)
See also
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Stringed instrument tunings Once tuning the A strings at the top of the bajo quinto, you can go down to the 5th fret and tune all the other strings going to D,G,C, and F. Some of the earliest groups include Los Alegres de Teran, Los Tremendos Gavilanes, Los Relampagos del Norte and the undistinguishable Los Cadetes de Linares. Requintiando is a style of letting the bajo sexto be heard throughout the song. Cornelio Reyna of the Relampagos and Homero Guerrero of the Original Cadetes de Linares were great bajo sexto players.External links
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=dqKmI2iLwgs Bajo Sexto in action] ( Video )
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