If you want to level up your Cuatro strumming technique, it’s time to work on speed and endurance. The Saca Chicha drill — literally “beating the heck out of it” — is a classic Venezuelan method for building the wrist strength and precision needed for high-tempo rhythms.
With this exercise, you’ll learn to keep your strumming clean, consistent, and powerful even at speeds of 120 BPM or more. Once mastered, faster rhythms like joropo, gaita, and merengue will feel effortless.
🎯 What You’ll Gain
- Faster strumming speed without losing clarity
- Better stamina for long performances
- Control over high-tempo rhythms on the Cuatro or other string instruments
📝 How to Do the Saca Chicha
- Start at a Comfortable Speed – Use a metronome set to a moderate tempo (80–90 BPM).
- Strum Using Only Your Wrist – Avoid arm movement; all power comes from the wrist.
- Increase Gradually – Every minute, bump the tempo by 5–10 BPM until you hit your limit.
- Push Beyond Your Comfort Zone – Play for short bursts at your maximum speed.
- Cool Down – Drop the tempo back down to slow, relaxed strums.
Be sure to activate the Closed Captions for this video
NOTE: The motion is in the wrist….not in the arm
Here is where you as a musician can start to improve your ability with strumming and apply it directly to other string instruments if you desire. Imagine driving or running at a high pace and in need of increasing your awareness as you speed up and pass objects. Then you go from a high speed to a slow walk….you will find that the objects come easier, you have more time to take a look at your environment.
Well, with the Cuatro it is no different. Once you master going at a high pace and then switch to another instrument requiring a much slower tempo, you will be able to execute the pieces and play anything with little difficulty. This is what most Cuatristas experience as they then begin to experiment with different instruments.
💡 Pro Tips
- Keep your grip loose but controlled — tension slows you down.
- Practice daily in short bursts to avoid wrist fatigue.
- Once you master high-speed strumming, slower rhythms will feel easier and cleaner.
