Venezuelan Cuatro Tuning

Standard Venezuelan Cuatro Tuning

The 4 strings of a Venezuelan cuatro, tuned A-D-F#-B from the 4th string to the 1st in standard tuning — the tuning almost every player starts with. It is a re-entrant tuning, so that order does not run from lowest to highest pitch.

How to Tune a Venezuelan Cuatro

Pluck one open string at a time and turn its tuning peg or machine head while the string rings, listening until the pitch matches a reference tone. Small, unhurried turns are easier to judge by ear than fast ones.

Use an electronic tuner for the fastest, most accurate result — clip-on and app tuners read the pitch directly, so you don't need a reference tone at all. Open the String Warrior tuner to tune with your microphone: it listens to each string and shows exactly how sharp or flat it is.