The following video demonstrates one of the most recognized techniques used by renowned cuatrista Jorge Glem. The technique is mostly used during his Joropo pieces and it is a great complementary technique to add to the genre. Being a complicated strum, observe carefully how this strum is executed:
Jorge Glem Accented Strum
The technique requires to play the strings of the Cuatro with 3 fingers of the playing hand or the right hand. As each finger makes it’s impact on the strings, they influence the sound differently and in total it results in 4 strums per each movement.
The 4 strums are as follows:
- Pinky downwards
- Index finger downwards
- Thumb downwards
- Thumb upwards
Each of the 4 strums are executed regardless of the rhythm. This is because artists who are able to master this strum such as Jorge Glem have the flexibility to use it in different parts such as solos, diverse musical genres and also at different speeds.
Assignment
Try to master the strum and play one series using diverse chords. Each series should be played with a different chord and to get a great Joropo effect, make use of a minor progression of I – IV – V. If you are having difficulty with this strum in particular, choose another one of the advanced strumming techniques you have seen and try to follow the execution of it. Upload your video to demonstrate your progress into the corresponding folder.
