We already showed to you how the Soprano Ukulele and the Venezuelan cuatro correlate by having a similar tuning but a lower pitch. Now if you don’t care too much about singing in a higher pitch, you can play your favorite songs on your venezuelan cuatro using the Ukulele chords.
The main difference will be that you’re going to be singing on a higher tone, but the Ukulele chords are made exactly on the same way and using the exact same fingers that you would use on your ukulele.
So let’s try to play these Ukulele chords in your cuatro and see how it goes:
Some Ukulele chords examples
Song: Wrecking Ball
Dm F
We clawed, we chained, our hearts in vain
C Bb
We jumped, never asking why
Dm F
We kissed, I fell under your spell
C Bb
A love no one could deny
Bb Dm
Don’t you ever say I just walked away
F Bb
I will always want you
Bb D
I can’t live a lie, running for my life
F Bb
I will always want you
F
I came in like a wrecking ball
C Dm
I never hit so hard in love
Bb F
All I wanted was to break your walls
C Dm Bb
All you ever did was break me
Dm Bb
Yeah, you wreck me
I put you high up in the sky
And now, you’re not coming down
It slowly turned, you let me burn
And now, we’re ashes on the ground
Don’t you ever say I just walked away
I will always want you
I can’t live a lie, running for my life
I will always want you
I came in like a wrecking ball
I never hit so hard in love
All I wanted was to break your walls
All you ever did was break me
I came in like a wrecking ball
Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung
Left me crouching in a blaze and fall
All you ever did was break me
Yeah, you wreck me
I never meant to start a war
I just wanted you to let me in
And instead of using force
I guess I should’ve let you in
I never meant to start a war
I just wanted you to let me in
I guess I should’ve let you in
Don’t you ever say I just walked away
I will always want you
I came in like a wrecking ball
I never hit so hard in love
All I wanted was to break your walls
All you ever did was break me
I came in like a wrecking ball
Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung
Left me crouching in a blaze and fall
All you ever did was break me
Yeah, you, you wreck me
Yeah, you, you wreck me
Song: Hey Soul Sister
C G Am F
Heeey heeeey heeeeey
C G Am F
Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left side brains
C
I knew I wouldn’t forget you
Am F
And so I went and let you blow my mind
Am F G
Your sweet moonbeam
C G Am F
The smell of you in every single dream I dream
C G
I knew when we collided you’re the one I have decided
Am F G
Who’s one of my kind
Hey soul sister, ain’t that mister mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain’t fair you know
Hey soul sister, I don’t wanna miss a single thing you do tonight
Heeey heeeey heeeey
Just in time, I’m so glad you have a one track mind like me
You gave my life direction
A game show love connection, we can’t deny I I-I-I-I
I’m so obsessed
My heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest
I believe in you, like a virgin, you’re Madonna
And I’m always gonna wanna blow your mind
Hey soul sister, ain’t that mister mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain’t fair you know
Hey soul sister, I don’t wanna miss a single thing you do tonight
The way you can cut a rug
Watching you is the only drug I need
Some gangster, I’m so thug
You’re the only one I’m dreaming of
You see I can be myself now finally
In fact there’s nothing I can’t be
I want the world to see you’ll be with me
Hey soul sister, ain’t that mister mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain’t fair you know
Hey soul sister, I don’t wanna miss a single thing you do tonight
Hey soul sister, I don’t wanna miss a single thing you do tonight
Heeey heeeey heeeeey (tonight)
Remember that the Soprano Ukulele is tuned on G but the Venezuelan Cuatro is tuned on A. This will make the cuatro sound a tune higher when you do the exact Ukulele chords. There’s also the possibility of transposing al chords so you can play the song on the same tonality but this is more for an intermediate cuatro player. If you don’t care that much about the tune, this will be the easiest way of playing your cuatro with Ukulele chords!
How to find more
Any song with ukulele chords follows the same rule: transpose each chord up one whole step. Use the full table from the ukulele chord shapes (https://tucuatro.com/ukulele-chords-on-venezuelan-cuatro/) guide. If you need to look up a specific cuatro chord fingering, the chord tool (https://tucuatro.com/chord/) has all of them.
Before you start: tune your cuatro. Standard tuning A-D-F#-B is what makes the transposition work. If you’re a half step off, the shapes still fit but the chords won’t match the recording.
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