The Periquera progression is a sub-genre of the Venezuelan Joropo. It is always played in a major key. For this example, we are going to see how to play it in D Major and enhance it with some twist-chords.
This is the basic pattern that is necessary to learn first. Once you familiarize yourself with the pattern, then you can begin to apply the progression to any key and group of chords.
Whenever referring to I or V we are referring to the position of the note relative to the key in which it is being played. For example, if we are playing a song in a D key, then the note in the primary position (or I) will be the first note which starts with D. The second note will be E, third note be F, etc. By using this method, you can apply the patterns below to any key and play (in this case) a Periquera.
Periquera Progression
Periquera Demonstration
The following demonstration is the Periquera played in a D key. It is a simple version which has a great swing to it. The Periquera is played with the rhythm of Joropo.
D A7 D
Am7 D7 G
G E7 A
G D A7 D
Periquera Example: D Key
If you notice, the way in which a Cuatrista plays is making use of different kinds of strumming and accents. You will be able to learn how to make use of the techniques without a problem and can already start to experiment with them. For the moment, try to keep to the basic methods of strumming and go ahead and play yourself a Periquera! Whenever you feel ready, go ahead and record your Periquera audio and upload it in this lesson. A teacher will corroborate and give you tips.
