Information AboutCuatro |
Cuatro is also the name of a Spanish TV private channel created in 2005 to substitute Canal Plus . THE VENEZUELAN CUATRO The cuatro of Venezuela has four single nylon strings, Tuned from low to high A,D, F#, B. It is similar in shape and tuning to the 'ukulele , but their character and playing technique are vastly different. It is tuned in a similar fashion to the traditional D tuning of the 'ukulele , but the D and F# are an Octave higher. Consequently, the same fingering can be used to shape the Chord s, but it produces a different inversion of each chord. History The predecessor of the Venezuelan cuatro is the four-string spanish guitar which disappeared in the 16th Century after a short period of surging Popularity . In the 1950s , Fredy Reyna documented the evolution of the renaissance guitar into the Venezuelan cuatro, and reinvented the cuatro as a solo instrument, equally capable of rendering traditional Venezuelan music as well as Renaissance pieces. The popularity of the instrument in Venezuela and elsewhere may be due to the simplicity of the instrument, having only four strings, as well as its compact size. Playing The cuatro is particularly designed for strumming: the Fingerboard finishes flush with the top of the instrument, and the upper half of the sound board is completely covered by a scratch plate made from Hardwood . Most Venezuelan rhythms rely on the cuatro as their rhythmic and harmonic base. It is used in most genres of the different regions of Venezuela, such as Joropo in the Llanos, Gaita in Zulia, Galeron in the Oriente or calypso in Guayana. A recent evolution in playing technique has made the cuatro a versatile instrument capable of handling, on its own, solo parts including both melody and harmony. The technical and musical knowledge and expertise required to be able to play the instrument in this way is astounding. The results have made Venezuelan traditional music leap to a whole new level of complexity, many times encompassing the utilization of Jazz harmonic structures and melodic phrasing to enrich many traditional tunes. An example of this is the exceptional technique and knowledge of the instrument demonstrated by Venezuelan Cheo Hurtado. Tuning A popular way to remember the tuning of the cuatro among Venezuelan cuatro players is to play each string individually from top to bottom, while singing the words "Cam-bur pin-tón" in the same expected notes of the four cuatro strings. (''Cambur Pintón'' means ''Ripe Banana'' in Venezuela. The phrase is used mainly because its four syllables are long and because of its easy-to-remember nature). A variation is "Hi-pó-cri-ta", playing the strings from bottom to top. The "Venezuelan" cuatro in other countries The cuatro is also widely used in Trinidad And Tobago to accompany musical bands at Christmas time singing about the birth of Christ. This type of music is called Parang , from the word "paranda," meaning "to make merry." Parang music mixed with a Calypso flavor has found itself deeply rooted in the culture of the people of this Caribbean country. The language use in the songs is mostly Spanish but Patois and English is used as well. This richly adds to the rythmic sounds of this versatile instrument. The cuatro is also used in Colombia in the performance of ''música llanera''. Some famous Venezuelan cuatro players
THE CUATROS OF PUERTO RICO The cuatro is the national instrument of Puerto Rico . It belongs to the Lute family of string instruments. Very little is known about the exact origin of the Cuatro. However, most experts believe that the Cuatro has existed on the island in one form or another for about 400 years. The Spanish instrument that it is most closely related to is the '' Vihuela poblana'' (also known as the Medieval/Renaissance guitar), which had 4 courses, 2 strings each for 8 strings in total as well as the Spanish Medieval/Renaissance 4 course citola and the Spanish Laud . The cuatro of Puerto Rico has ten strings in five courses, tuned from low to high B, E, A, D and G, with B and E in Octave s and A, D and G in Unison s. Types of Puerto Rican cuatros There are three main types of cuatro: cuatro antiguo of 4 orders and 4 strings, the "Southern" cuatro of 4 orders and 8 strings, and the cuatro "moderno" of 5 orders and 10 strings.
Cuatros shapes and sizes Sound Box designs:
Cuatro Orchestras of Puerto Rico The Original Cuatro Orchestra from the 1960's consisted of the following:
The Modern Cuatro Orchestra consist of the following:
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