Banda is a brass-based form of traditional music. Bandas play a wide variety of songs, including rancheras, corridos, cumbias, baladas, and boleros. Bandas are most widely known for their rancheras, but they also play modern Mexican pop, rock, and cumbias. Most Banda music is very clearly a dialect of polka and will seem familiar and appealing to fans of polka or traditional German and Polish music. La Banda el Recodo, Banda Jerez, El Coyote, Banda Sinaloense MS, Banda La Autentica, Banda Machos, Banda Maguey, Banda Cuisillos, La Arrolladora Banda El Lim?n and Banda Los Recoditos are some of the most famous banda artists. Banda is primarily a male-dominated genre; however, there are also a few all-female bandas such as Banda Las Tapat?as and Banda So?adoras, as well as a few prominent female singers such as Chayito Valdez and Graciela Beltr?n also Jenni Rivera

Established in the late 1880s in Sinaloa, a state in northwestern Mexico, banda music exploded in popularity in the 1990s throughout Mexico. Its roots come from the overlapping of Mexican music with German polka music. At the time, many German Mexicans lived in the states of Sinaloa, Chihuahua, and Nuevo Le?n. This greatly influenced northern Mexican music. Immigrants from northern Mexico brought the music to the United States. Initially popular in the southwest United States, primarily in Texas, California and Arizona, banda has followed the movement of Mexican immigrants to the Midwest United States and the rest of the country. Other notes on the origin of "Banda" music resembling mid 20th century Jazz: Mexicans whom came in contact with Latin-based Jazz of Chicanos or Mexicans born and raised in the United States adopted Jazz-like sounds in banda to further enrich the music type. The first bandas were established in 19th century in the south and center of Mexico. There are brass instruments dated from 1850's in the state of Oaxaca. The repertory of the bandas of Morelos, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas and Michoac?n covered gusto, son, vinuet, piezas y marchas f?nebres, danzon, vals, corrido, pasos dobles, marchas, polkas, rancheras, alabanzas and foxes. In Yucat?n, the bandas are called jaranas and also play jarana music.

A typical banda is made up of brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The most notable instrument is the tambora which is a type of bass drum with a head made from animal hide, with a cymbal on top. Bandas were previously called "tamboras", named after this drum. The tambora is played in a strong and embellished manner, which provides the drive for the rest of the band. The percussion section also includes the tarola which is a snare with timbales which would resemble the tom-toms on a regular drumset, cowbells, and cymbals. Banda el Recodo, one of the most famous bandas, features 3 Trumpets, 4 clarinets, 3 valve trombones or slide trombones, 2 Eb alto horns, and 1 sousaphone. Like an orchestra, a banda can be organized into different sections...