Dave's Tex - Mex, Tejano, Conjunto Site for the Diatonic Button Accordion - Ahora Bilingüe

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Remates and improvisations
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Remates and improvisations

What is a Remate?
The term "Remate" is not found in any Musical Dictionary or Glossary that I could find.  This leads me to believe that it is a term completely confined to the world of Tex-Mex music.
The basic concept is an open area of a song, mostly in Corridos or Rancheras, that can support an improvisation by the accordionist.  This will generally happen between verses or after a bridge or a chorus, before the song goes on to the next  part, whether it be a chorus, verse etc.
The structure of many of the songs are similar, for example in the key of G:
  G
  G G G D7 D7 D7 D7 G G etc.
Let's say that the verse flows over the whole thing and there is an area where the verse finishes, about the time that we return to the G chord.  At this point the accordion can start a melody and continue it for as long as he likes.  (This is the remate)  When he finishes he plays a sharp, stacatto on the G chord (Da, da, da) to indicate that he is finished with the improvisation, and then the singer enters with the next verse.
Stay tuned for some adornos for remates.