The Cuatro, Puerto Rico’s National Instrument
By Dr. Jose M. Vadi
A Puerto Rican Cuatro musician was once asked what the Cuatro meant to him and he replied: “El Cuatro es mi bandera (the Cuatro is my flag).” To Puerto Ricans, the sound of the Cuatro reminds them of “things Puerto Rican.” This could mean anything from parrandas at Christmas where people go from door to door singing or traditional Christmas songs (aguinaldos) or of family gatherings where the sound of the Cuatro mixes with that of the guiro, guitar, and bongo and the smell of freshly made coffee strained through a colador. The coffee tastes even better if served on a cup made out of a coconut shell or coquito. Or, better yet, you can make a drink called coquito made from coconut cream and rum to enjoy along with the music!
Identified as a “traditional or folkloric” instrument, the Cuatro has quickly outgrown that label, as there are now performers who have “taken” the instrument beyond its traditional beginnings. Pedro Guzman has produced numerous cds called “Jibaro Jazz” where he employs the Cuatro as a jazz instrument. Alvin Medina and others perform classical music on Cuatro. The legendary Yomo Toro introduced the Cuatro into salsa music. William Cumpiano, most likely the most knowledgeable person on the Cuatro and a renowned luthier, informs us in his website that the Cuatro is played even in Japan!
The history of the Cuatro is available via “Nuestro Cuatro,” a two-volume dvd produced by William and The Cuatro Project. You can purchase this set via robertoriverainstruments.com. You can also learn the history of our national instrument by visiting Cumpiano’s and the projects website at: http://www.cuatro-pr.org/Home/Eng/english.htm. When you to this site, if you click on the image of Cervantes, you can read the material in the website in Spanish!
n a more general sense, the Cuatro is a ten-stringed instrument consisting of five double sets of strings. It is tuned in fourths and, from top to bottom set, it is tuned B,E,A,D,G. According to Cumpiano, the traditional Cuatro has a “key hole” shape but, in the 1920’s, a violin-like shape was introduced and that became the dominant shape of the Cuatro: el Cuatro aviolinado.
The Cuatro is made from a variety of woods. I asked master luthier Cumpiano whether any one type of wood is superior to another and he questioned whether type of wood made much difference. The traditional wood used for the top Yagrumo wood native to Puerto Rico. Guaraguao wood is often used for the sides and the back. I have seen excellent Cuatros with Cedar or Spruce tops as well as a variety of other woods.
There are a growing number of good instructional books (some with dvd’s) for the Cuatro written in tablature or in standard musical notation. William Cumpiano informs us at his website that there is a “conservatory level” instructional book for playing the Cuatro in preparation. You can also learn who are the top established Cuatro players and the upcoming young great Cuatro players at his website.
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