Venezuelan Luthier Cuatro

Description

Venezuelan Luthier Cuatro

Traditional Model With a vibrant string length of 550 mm, 30 mm shorter than the modern shot, it has a sound that favors the soft and sweet tone over the strong and sharp.

In 2013, the CUATRO was declared as a Property of Cultural Interest of the Nation by the Ministry of Culture (VENEZUELA).

History of the Venezuelan Cuatro

The Venezuelan Cuatro, also called Cuatro llanero, Cuatro traditional, Cuatro criollo or simply Cuatro, is a pulsed string instrument that has four orders tuned at the rate of: A, D, F# and B, the peculiar tuning – not totally ascending – It is a very distinctive element of other stringed instruments. It belongs to the family of the old Spanish guitars, is small and owes its name to the number of strings it has. Not to be confused with the current Cuatro Puerto Rican of five orders and ten metal strings.

It is a typical and the most emblematic instrument of Venezuelan music. It is used in both rural and urban areas. Its nylon strings produce a beautiful, melancholic but sober sound. It is executed as an accompanying instrument or as a solo instrument. This last form of execution has undergone a remarkable development in the last decades.

In Venezuela it is executed almost in all the folkloric musical genres: the bagpipe zuliana, the calypso of El Callao, the carols, the bonnets and the parranda, the galleon, the pole, the jota, the malagueña, the waltz, the merengue , the gunboat music, the country music, the double step, the fulia, the tune, the polka, the orchid rhythm, the emblematic harp joropo, Cuatro and maracas, among others.

Reference Video