Cu-Cu-Cu-Cumbia
The cumbia notation shown is the basic drum set notation with the middle line being the shell drum. The “R” meaning right and “L” meaning left to indicate what stick to hit the drum with the certain beat. Cumbia was brought over to the United States by Mexicans before Colombians even arrived which is important to know because the main audience targeted for Tejano music was actually Mexicans and not Tejanos themselves (Hernandez). Selena was one of the artists that incorporated cumbia in the majority of her songs which paved way for her success in the Tejano industry. She targeted a much younger community especially since the accordion-based music was declining, eventually becoming an idol to them. In the middle of her “Como La Flor” performance, she sings out the word “Cumbia” which is often done by many other artists whose repertoires contain mostly cumbias. It is one of the signature lines that gets the audience pumped up to dance. You can easily sing out the basic rhythm of a cumbia and she even makes sound effects of a cumbia rhythm and is seen singing some type of percussion to make it sound more like a cumbia and engage the audience.
Rock
La Onda (“the wave”) was an art movement that grew out the 1960s Chicano Movement introducing elements of protest and counterculture to Tejano music. The importation of rock n roll music as part of the Mexican culture paved way for many rock n roll artists and bands such a Los Lobos and influencing some musical aspects of Selena’s songs. Selena y Los Dinos was a band that was originally considered as being influenced by some rock aspects. The repertoire in the band has a similar drum beat to that of David Lee Garza in songs such as “Ya Se Va.” She is limited to show her musical creativity knowing that it was her father’s band. She wouldn’t have wanted to barge in and completely change the band he helped create and become part of. She was considered as part of the band but it wasn’t what she created, which is why she couldn’t really express herself completely. When it came to Selena as a solo artist, she was not afraid to show off her talent which included her gravelly vocals; an example of the rock aspect in her songs. In “Como La Flor,” she is heard singing with a growl at the beginning of her lines and sometimes randomly between verses. At minute 3:11 in her performance, she does this with the word “no” also portraying her anger towards the man that left her for another woman.
Techno/Technopop
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan. It is generically repetitive instrumental music. The creative use of music production technology, such as synthesizers gives the music aesthetic to techno (Arnold).
At her performance in Astrodome, she performs “Techno Cumbia” indicating in the title of the song the combination of techno and cumbia. She uses synthesizers and synthetic drums throughout the song giving it a more techno sound while also incorporating the basic cumbia rhythm and dancing a cumbia here and there.
In “Como La Flor,” the main instrumentation used is the keyboard and synthesizers introducing the hook of the song, “Ay ay ay, como me duele!” The synthesizers are also seen in the majority of her songs such as “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” and “Amor Prohibido.” She is one of the first to mix cumbia with techno in her music; unlike Lydia Mendoza and David Lee Garza as seen previously. Lydia however also uses a similar approach by making her style of music a mix of corridos and canción ranchera.