Caballo Viejo is a signature piece written by folklore legend Simon Diaz. Many interpretations have been made of this song, one of the most famous versions being the international one hit called “Bamboleo” by the Gipsy Kings.
Take a look at the complete video where the song Caballo Viejo is being played along with a metronome in the background. The metronome serves as a point of reference where we are ensuring that the rhythm of the song is being maintained. Whilst practicing at home, it is important to have such a reference for beginners. The rule of thumb for most rhythms is that the “tick” of the metronome needs to be synchronized with the 1st count of the rhythm.
Caballo Viejo Demonstration – With Metronome
Now let’s see a version which is more of a tutorial, breaking the song down. Learn the basic chords for this song on the Cuatro and try to play the song on your own. The chords as follows:
Caballo Viejo Demonstration
This song is played in the E minor key and as you progress we will review more complicated versions of the song by making use of the various positions on the Cuatro as well as reviewing how to play the soloist versions of the song.
For your reference, the rhythm this song is played in is Vals Pasaje, so make sure that you follow the pattern of the Vals Pasaje which we have reviewed previously. In the event that you need a refresher on this, please visit the previous lesson topic relating to Vals Pasaje.
We recommend to first execute the Vals Pasaje with the open strings to show that you dominate this method and then proceed with the song.
