Learning new figures is something which will continue throughout your journey as a cuatrista. The more you know, the more you can apply and the better you can play. The application of the figures means that you are able to play in a key and be able to find related notes all along the length of the neck of your Cuatro. As you progress, you will find that in moments when you get stuck and are uncertain as to what chord to play next that the figures and different chord positions will help out with saving yourself and being able to continue to play.
Important for the Intermediate Cuatrista
All sections involving different positions of chords is incredibly important. The intermediate Cuatrista can make use of all chords on all positions, so be certain that you familiarize yourself with them. A great way to practice this is to play the progression of I – IV – V (using any strumming rhythm) for each position in sequence along the neck of the Cuatro, and then back. In other words, you start with the first position, then second, then third…….and then second, then first. A great exercise and very important for your development.
