The name cuatro can refer to any of several Latin American instruments of the guitar family.

The cuatro of Puerto Rico has ten strings in five courses, tuned from low to high B, E, A, D and G, with B and E in octaves and A, D and G in unisons.

The cuatro of Venezuela has four single strings, tuned from low to high A,D, F#, B. This is similar to the traditional D tuning of the 'ukulele, but the D and F# are an octave higher. Consequently, the same fingering can be used to shape the chords, but it produces a different inversion of each chord.

The predecessor of the Venezuelan cuatro is the four-string spanish guitar which disappeared in the 16th century after a short period of surging popularity. In the 1950s, Fredy Reyna documented the evolution of the renaissance guitar into the Venezuelan cuatro, and reinvented the cuatro as a solo instrument, equally capable of rendering traditional Venezuelan music as well as Renaissance pieces. The popularity of the instrument in Venezuela and elsewhere (esp. in Hawaii) may be due to the simplicity of the instrument, having only four strings, as well as its compact size.

The cuatro is particularly designed for strumming: the fingerboard finishes flush with the top of the instrument, and the upper half of the sound board is completely covered by a scratch plate made from hardwood.

The cuatro is also widely used in Trinidad and Tobago to accompany musical bands at christmas time singing about the birth of christ. This type of music is called Parang from the word paranda meaning to make merry. Parang music mixed with a calypso flavor has found itself deeply rooted in the culture of the people of this caribbean country. The language use in the songs is mostly spanish but patois and english is used as well. This richly adds to the rythymic sounds of this versatile instrument.

Famous cuatro players include: Hernán Gamboa: Founding member of Serenata Guayanesa. Left in the 1980's to pursue a solo career. Cheo Hurtado of Ensamble Gurufio (http://ensamblegurrufio.com.ve/) Leonardo Lozano: Uses the alternate stringing/tuning from the school of Fredy Reyna. Raúl Landaeta: Member of the group Rucan-Age. Recorded a solo CD that includes some interesting arrangements of guitar pieces (the well-known "Venezuelan Waltz #3" by Lauro and the "Canción Caroreña" by Rodrigo Riera).

Bibliography

• "Instrumentos Musicales de Venezuela: Cuatro", Diccionario Multimedia de Historia de Venezuela, Fundación Polar, ????