Soloist Cuatro Practice: El Norte es una Quimera

It's usually during the weekend that I tackle this kind of thing. The Venezuelan Cuatro is a truly remarkable instrument. It's pitch it's unique with those middle and treble sounds. It lacks bass which limits it a way, but not entirely. This style of playing, what you could call chord melody, was developed by players like Angel Melo and Hernán Gamboa. Later, it would be taken to new heights by Asdrúbal "Cheo" Hurtado. Then, La Siembra del Cuatro started and the level of players came out of the chart. Nowadays, there are incredible cuatro players around the world. A lot of them are the product of La Siembra. But all players are the sum of tradition and musical studies combined.

I take some time every once in a while to tackle this kind of repertoire. By the way I play, I bet you can tell I don't practice enough. That's true! But I don't pretend to be Daniel Requena or Jorge Glen, or any other of the great players. Solo Cuatro is a hobby for me. I enjoy trying to get these pieces right. This arrangement comes by Alís Cruces, a winner of the La Siembra festival. He has a YouTube Channgel dedicated to teaching Soloist repertoire in a simple way. He also teaches Bandola llanera and the easier way of cuatro playing, the one that only focuses in harmony and rhythmic patterns.

I hope my practice doesn't trouble you much. There are spaces between the notes. It is isn't as fluent as I would like. However, like languages, fluency will come with practice and patience. I hope more people get a cuatro in their hands and try to play it. that would be great. For the moment, let's see when I can post the thing sounding smoothly.

Have a week!