Chords for How To Play The Puerto Rican Cuatro (Cómo Tocar El Cuatro Puertorriqueño)
Tempo:
103.8 bpm
Chords used:
C
G
D
Bb
E
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[G] [C] [D]
[Am] [C] [D] [G]
[E] Hello, I did a video a while back just playing an [Dbm] old-time fiddle tune on the Puerto Rican
cuatro and created quite a bit of interest so I thought I would just do a video, [C] an intro
to the Puerto Rican cuatro and give you a little beginner lesson for it too.
So let me talk about it.
[N] This is a Puerto Rican cuatro.
It was a gift from my in-laws and it was built in a town close to my wife's hometown of Juntas
in Puerto Rico up in the hills, a beautiful [Bbm] picturesque town Juntas is.
[E] It was in a town called Lettuce, L-E-T-T-U-C-E-S, my [N] Puerto Rican friends will forget the fact
that I'm a gringo and can't pronounce these words.
It's made of two different types of wood, okay.
I'm going to attempt to pronounce the name of the wood.
The top is made from what's called yagruma, grumo, which is a local wood in that area
and the body and neck is one piece.
It's all one piece and it's made from a wood called guaragudo.
I know I butchered those but anyway, there you go, for whatever it's worth, there it is.
Now, it has ten strings but it's more like playing a five string.
It's similar to a twelve string guitar or mandolin in that you have five courses.
You have the strings paired up in twos.
So all [D] those ten strings, you play it as if [C] it's a five string instrument.
[F] Any time I play a [C] string instrument or [E] I learn a string instrument, I always ask myself how
is it similar to a guitar because a guitar is my number one instrument.
So any [Bb] string instrument I pick up, I ask myself, well, how is it like a guitar or is
it like a guitar at all?
Well, the answer here is yes, a big yes.
It's a lot like a guitar.
Actually, to be more specific, it's like a five string bass although it's obviously two octaves higher.
So you know, a five string bass has the [B] notes B [Am] and then it has E, A, [D] D, [Em] G.
So if I didn't have that fifth [Dbm] course, this fifth set of strings there, [B] then it would
be just like the [Bb] top four strings on a guitar.
Therefore you could play a G chord like you normally do on guitar if I left off the fifth string.
[C] But this note [Bb] down here, you don't have those first two strings like you do on guitar.
So if I strum these five strings, leave the sixth [G] string off, I have a G chord.
Okay?
Now, [Gm] the beautiful thing about a quadro and a five string bass is being all the strings
tuned in [E] fourths.
Anything I do [Bb] on one string is true for the next set of strings.
For example, that's a G chord there, which is the most common chord in the key of G.
If I just move up here, I have [Bbm] D, which is the five chord, as they call it dominant.
I can go back to your one [E] chord, G, or I can go to your four.
So look what I've got here.
I've got a [G] one chord.
Go [C] move down a string, I have the four [G] and I've got the one and then I've got [D] the five there.
So therefore, you have, just with those [G] two little fingers, you can do things [C] [G] [D] [G] [Am] like
[G]
[D] A million and one songs do [N] that.
Everything from La Bamba to all your popular songs of your traditional [G] music.
So and also, not only can I get my one chord [C] here, my four here, and my five [D] up here, [Ab] I
can also go back to my one chord, which [G] there's a G, [C] go down, there's a four, [Bm] and just slide
up and I have [Gm] the five chord.
Although technically this note really is not [G] a five chord, but it works because it's in the scale.
So you can [C] go
[Bb] [C] [G] [C] [Bb] [C]
[D] There's your chord.
You can [G] play like arpeggios.
[C]
[G] [C] [Em] So [C] [G] [D]
[G] [C] [Bm] [C] [G] [D] [G]
[C] there's your little introduction.
Now, if you like this video, please subscribe [N] and if I get enough interest, I'll do a series
of instruction videos on qua thro.
So please subscribe and tell your friends about it.
And visit Puerto Rico if you get a chance.
You won't regret it.
[Am] [C] [D] [G]
[E] Hello, I did a video a while back just playing an [Dbm] old-time fiddle tune on the Puerto Rican
cuatro and created quite a bit of interest so I thought I would just do a video, [C] an intro
to the Puerto Rican cuatro and give you a little beginner lesson for it too.
So let me talk about it.
[N] This is a Puerto Rican cuatro.
It was a gift from my in-laws and it was built in a town close to my wife's hometown of Juntas
in Puerto Rico up in the hills, a beautiful [Bbm] picturesque town Juntas is.
[E] It was in a town called Lettuce, L-E-T-T-U-C-E-S, my [N] Puerto Rican friends will forget the fact
that I'm a gringo and can't pronounce these words.
It's made of two different types of wood, okay.
I'm going to attempt to pronounce the name of the wood.
The top is made from what's called yagruma, grumo, which is a local wood in that area
and the body and neck is one piece.
It's all one piece and it's made from a wood called guaragudo.
I know I butchered those but anyway, there you go, for whatever it's worth, there it is.
Now, it has ten strings but it's more like playing a five string.
It's similar to a twelve string guitar or mandolin in that you have five courses.
You have the strings paired up in twos.
So all [D] those ten strings, you play it as if [C] it's a five string instrument.
[F] Any time I play a [C] string instrument or [E] I learn a string instrument, I always ask myself how
is it similar to a guitar because a guitar is my number one instrument.
So any [Bb] string instrument I pick up, I ask myself, well, how is it like a guitar or is
it like a guitar at all?
Well, the answer here is yes, a big yes.
It's a lot like a guitar.
Actually, to be more specific, it's like a five string bass although it's obviously two octaves higher.
So you know, a five string bass has the [B] notes B [Am] and then it has E, A, [D] D, [Em] G.
So if I didn't have that fifth [Dbm] course, this fifth set of strings there, [B] then it would
be just like the [Bb] top four strings on a guitar.
Therefore you could play a G chord like you normally do on guitar if I left off the fifth string.
[C] But this note [Bb] down here, you don't have those first two strings like you do on guitar.
So if I strum these five strings, leave the sixth [G] string off, I have a G chord.
Okay?
Now, [Gm] the beautiful thing about a quadro and a five string bass is being all the strings
tuned in [E] fourths.
Anything I do [Bb] on one string is true for the next set of strings.
For example, that's a G chord there, which is the most common chord in the key of G.
If I just move up here, I have [Bbm] D, which is the five chord, as they call it dominant.
I can go back to your one [E] chord, G, or I can go to your four.
So look what I've got here.
I've got a [G] one chord.
Go [C] move down a string, I have the four [G] and I've got the one and then I've got [D] the five there.
So therefore, you have, just with those [G] two little fingers, you can do things [C] [G] [D] [G] [Am] like
[G]
[D] A million and one songs do [N] that.
Everything from La Bamba to all your popular songs of your traditional [G] music.
So and also, not only can I get my one chord [C] here, my four here, and my five [D] up here, [Ab] I
can also go back to my one chord, which [G] there's a G, [C] go down, there's a four, [Bm] and just slide
up and I have [Gm] the five chord.
Although technically this note really is not [G] a five chord, but it works because it's in the scale.
So you can [C] go
[Bb] [C] [G] [C] [Bb] [C]
[D] There's your chord.
You can [G] play like arpeggios.
[C]
[G] [C] [Em] So [C] [G] [D]
[G] [C] [Bm] [C] [G] [D] [G]
[C] there's your little introduction.
Now, if you like this video, please subscribe [N] and if I get enough interest, I'll do a series
of instruction videos on qua thro.
So please subscribe and tell your friends about it.
And visit Puerto Rico if you get a chance.
You won't regret it.
Key:
C
G
D
Bb
E
C
G
D
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [C] _ [D] _
[Am] _ _ [C] _ _ [D] _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ Hello, I did a video a while back just playing an [Dbm] old-time fiddle tune on the Puerto Rican
cuatro and created quite a bit of interest so I thought I would just do a video, [C] _ an intro
to the Puerto Rican cuatro and give you a little beginner lesson for it too.
So let me talk about it.
[N] This is a Puerto Rican cuatro.
It was a gift from my in-laws and it was built in a town close to my wife's hometown of Juntas
in Puerto Rico up in the hills, a beautiful _ [Bbm] picturesque town Juntas is.
[E] It was in a town called Lettuce, L-E-T-T-U-C-E-S, my [N] _ Puerto Rican friends will forget the fact
that I'm a gringo and can't pronounce these words.
It's made of two different types of wood, okay.
I'm going to attempt to pronounce the name of the wood.
The top is made from what's called _ yagruma, grumo, which is a local wood in that area
and the body and neck is one piece.
It's all one piece and it's made from a wood called _ guaragudo.
I know I butchered those but anyway, there you go, for whatever it's worth, there it is.
Now, it has ten strings but it's more like playing a five string.
It's similar to a twelve string guitar or mandolin in that you have five courses.
You have the strings paired up in twos.
So all [D] those ten strings, you play it as if [C] it's a five string instrument. _
[F] _ _ Any time I play a [C] string instrument or [E] I learn a string instrument, I always _ _ _ ask myself how
is it similar to a guitar because a guitar is my number one instrument.
So any [Bb] string instrument I pick up, I ask myself, well, how is it like a guitar or is
it like a guitar at all?
Well, the answer here is yes, a big yes.
It's a lot like a guitar.
Actually, to be more specific, it's like a five string bass although it's obviously two octaves higher.
_ So you know, a five string bass has the [B] notes B [Am] and then it has E, A, [D] D, [Em] G.
So if I didn't have that fifth [Dbm] course, this fifth set of strings there, [B] then it would
be just like the [Bb] top four strings on a guitar.
Therefore you could play a G chord like you normally do on guitar if I left off the fifth string.
[C] But this note [Bb] down here, you don't have those first two strings like you do on guitar.
So if I strum these five strings, leave the sixth [G] string off, I have a G chord.
Okay?
Now, [Gm] the beautiful thing about a quadro and a five string bass is being all the strings
tuned in [E] fourths.
Anything I do [Bb] on one string is true for the next set of strings.
For example, that's a G chord there, which is the most common chord in the key of G.
If I just move up here, I have [Bbm] D, which is the five chord, as they call it dominant.
I can go back to your one [E] chord, G, or I can go to your four.
So look what I've got here.
I've got a [G] one chord.
_ Go [C] move down a string, I have the four [G] and I've got the one and then I've got [D] the five there.
So therefore, you have, just with those [G] two little fingers, you can do things [C] _ [G] _ _ [D] _ [G] _ [Am] like_
[G] _
[D] _ A million and one songs do [N] that.
Everything from La Bamba to all your popular songs of your traditional [G] music.
So and also, not only can I get my one chord [C] here, my four here, and my five [D] up here, [Ab] I
can also go back to my one chord, which [G] there's a G, [C] go down, there's a four, [Bm] and just slide
up and I have [Gm] the five chord.
Although technically this note really is not [G] a five chord, but it works because it's in the scale.
So you can _ [C] go_
[Bb] _ [C] _ [G] _ [C] _ _ [Bb] _ [C] _
[D] There's your chord.
You can [G] play like arpeggios.
[C] _ _ _ _
[G] _ [C] [Em] So [C] _ [G] _ _ _ [D] _
[G] _ [C] _ [Bm] _ [C] _ [G] _ [D] _ [G] _ _
[C] there's your little introduction.
Now, if you like this video, please subscribe [N] and if I get enough interest, I'll do a series
of instruction videos on qua thro.
So please subscribe and tell your friends about it.
And visit Puerto Rico if you get a chance.
You won't regret it. _ _ _ _
[Am] _ _ [C] _ _ [D] _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ Hello, I did a video a while back just playing an [Dbm] old-time fiddle tune on the Puerto Rican
cuatro and created quite a bit of interest so I thought I would just do a video, [C] _ an intro
to the Puerto Rican cuatro and give you a little beginner lesson for it too.
So let me talk about it.
[N] This is a Puerto Rican cuatro.
It was a gift from my in-laws and it was built in a town close to my wife's hometown of Juntas
in Puerto Rico up in the hills, a beautiful _ [Bbm] picturesque town Juntas is.
[E] It was in a town called Lettuce, L-E-T-T-U-C-E-S, my [N] _ Puerto Rican friends will forget the fact
that I'm a gringo and can't pronounce these words.
It's made of two different types of wood, okay.
I'm going to attempt to pronounce the name of the wood.
The top is made from what's called _ yagruma, grumo, which is a local wood in that area
and the body and neck is one piece.
It's all one piece and it's made from a wood called _ guaragudo.
I know I butchered those but anyway, there you go, for whatever it's worth, there it is.
Now, it has ten strings but it's more like playing a five string.
It's similar to a twelve string guitar or mandolin in that you have five courses.
You have the strings paired up in twos.
So all [D] those ten strings, you play it as if [C] it's a five string instrument. _
[F] _ _ Any time I play a [C] string instrument or [E] I learn a string instrument, I always _ _ _ ask myself how
is it similar to a guitar because a guitar is my number one instrument.
So any [Bb] string instrument I pick up, I ask myself, well, how is it like a guitar or is
it like a guitar at all?
Well, the answer here is yes, a big yes.
It's a lot like a guitar.
Actually, to be more specific, it's like a five string bass although it's obviously two octaves higher.
_ So you know, a five string bass has the [B] notes B [Am] and then it has E, A, [D] D, [Em] G.
So if I didn't have that fifth [Dbm] course, this fifth set of strings there, [B] then it would
be just like the [Bb] top four strings on a guitar.
Therefore you could play a G chord like you normally do on guitar if I left off the fifth string.
[C] But this note [Bb] down here, you don't have those first two strings like you do on guitar.
So if I strum these five strings, leave the sixth [G] string off, I have a G chord.
Okay?
Now, [Gm] the beautiful thing about a quadro and a five string bass is being all the strings
tuned in [E] fourths.
Anything I do [Bb] on one string is true for the next set of strings.
For example, that's a G chord there, which is the most common chord in the key of G.
If I just move up here, I have [Bbm] D, which is the five chord, as they call it dominant.
I can go back to your one [E] chord, G, or I can go to your four.
So look what I've got here.
I've got a [G] one chord.
_ Go [C] move down a string, I have the four [G] and I've got the one and then I've got [D] the five there.
So therefore, you have, just with those [G] two little fingers, you can do things [C] _ [G] _ _ [D] _ [G] _ [Am] like_
[G] _
[D] _ A million and one songs do [N] that.
Everything from La Bamba to all your popular songs of your traditional [G] music.
So and also, not only can I get my one chord [C] here, my four here, and my five [D] up here, [Ab] I
can also go back to my one chord, which [G] there's a G, [C] go down, there's a four, [Bm] and just slide
up and I have [Gm] the five chord.
Although technically this note really is not [G] a five chord, but it works because it's in the scale.
So you can _ [C] go_
[Bb] _ [C] _ [G] _ [C] _ _ [Bb] _ [C] _
[D] There's your chord.
You can [G] play like arpeggios.
[C] _ _ _ _
[G] _ [C] [Em] So [C] _ [G] _ _ _ [D] _
[G] _ [C] _ [Bm] _ [C] _ [G] _ [D] _ [G] _ _
[C] there's your little introduction.
Now, if you like this video, please subscribe [N] and if I get enough interest, I'll do a series
of instruction videos on qua thro.
So please subscribe and tell your friends about it.
And visit Puerto Rico if you get a chance.
You won't regret it. _ _ _ _