How to string a cuatro
A Venezuelan cuatro has four nylon strings with no ball ends: each one is tied at the bridge and wound on a tuning post. The tuning is reentrant, A3 D4 F♯4 B3 from the 4th string to the 1st, so the 1st string is not the thinnest. Put a string in the wrong slot and you will either have a flabby string or snap one while tuning it up.
Venezuelan cuatro tuning, string by string
From the 4th string to the 1st, at A 440 Hz. The 1st string, B3, is lower than the 2nd.
| String | Note | Hz |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | A3 | 220.00 |
| 3 | D4 | 293.66 |
| 2 | F♯4 | 369.99 |
| 1 | B3 | 246.94 |
How to use it
- Read the steps through once, then tick each box as you finish it.
- When every box is ticked, the page scrolls to the cuatro tuner. Allow the microphone and pluck one open string at a time.
- Pick Puerto Rican cuatro in the tuner if that is your instrument. Start over clears the checklist.
Help and explanations
The steps follow TuCuatro's guide to changing cuatro strings. Tick them as you go; your progress stays on this device. At the end, the tuner checks the four strings, and it also has the Puerto Rican cuatro tuning, B E A D G.
All four at once, in order
On a guitar you change one string at a time. TuCuatro recommends the opposite on a cuatro: take the whole set off and fit the new strings one after the other, starting with the A (4th), then D, F♯ and B. With only about 30 lb (14 kg) on the whole set, the neck and top come to no harm, and you can clean the fretboard and bridge while the strings are off. Left-handed players reverse the order.
Before you take the old set off, photograph the headstock: each new string goes back on the post its old string came from.
New strings take a week
Nylon stretches a lot at first. TuCuatro warns that for three to five days you will retune every time you pick up the cuatro, and that the strings hold pitch after about a week. Stretching each string gently after tuning shortens that time.
Tips
- Changing brand or gauge? Check the tension at your scale in the cuatro string tension calculator.
- If the octave at the 12th fret is off with the new set, check it with the intonation checker.
- Keep the old set's packaging: it tells you which gauge goes on which string next time.
Frequently asked questions
How many strings does a cuatro have?
The Venezuelan cuatro has 4 single nylon strings. The Puerto Rican cuatro has 10 metal strings in five pairs.
What are the notes of the cuatro strings?
Venezuelan cuatro, from the 4th string to the 1st: A3 220 Hz, D4 293.66 Hz, F♯4 369.99 Hz and B3 246.94 Hz, at A 440 Hz.
How do I tie cuatro strings at the bridge?
Pass the string through its bridge hole leaving about 4 inches (10 cm), then tie it back on itself in a braided, shoelace-style knot and cinch both ends so it can't creep.
How many turns go on the tuning post?
About 10 to 15, alternating sides of the hole so the string locks on itself, until it sits firm along the neck.
How do I string a Puerto Rican cuatro?
It uses 10 metal strings in five courses, B E A D G, with the B and E courses in octaves. This guide is for the 4-string Venezuelan cuatro, but the tuner below has the Puerto Rican tuning.