Chord & FretMaxixe · Cavaquinho
Maxixe
Sound summary
For the cavaquinho, Maxixe uses a bass-and-chord figure, in 2/4 straight (even subdivisions): the thumb plays the bass (B) and the chord (A) answers right after. In practice it sounds: B (x) (A↓) A↑ x A↑ A↓ (x).
How to count it
The meter is 2/4: 2 beats per bar, counted in sixteenth-notes (four per beat). Speak the count: 1 e & a, 2 e & a. Tap your foot on the strong beat and read the grid above: each cell is one subdivision.
The rhythm grid
B = bass (thumb) · A = chord · ↓ down-stroke · ↑ up-stroke · x = muted · (x) = ghost (light graze)
The ↓/↑ direction follows the bowed-string arcada convention (ᴨ down, V up; Ribeiro 2017). The muted and ghost strokes follow Cantalice 2022.
How to play it
Right hand
Bass and chord take turns: the bass (B) on the thumb first, then the chord (A) answering — always in that order, never colliding. On the (x) hits, rest the hand on the strings as you strike: a muted low note with no definite pitch.
Left hand
The fretting hand holds the chord firmly through the whole pattern — it owns the harmony while the right hand owns the rhythm. Change chords at the last instant of the bar, the hand already moving toward the next shape. For the (x), loosen the fingers without lifting off the strings — they go silent but stay put, ready to ring again.
Example in G
Take a G: the bass (B) is the low D, and the G chord (A) answers next. Play it slowly, following the diagram and the sound.
Common mistakes
- Gluing bass and chord to the same instant. The B has to come first and the A answer — if they land together, the bass-chord bounce vanishes.
- Skipping the mute. The (x) hits aren’t chord, they’re percussion. Without them the bounce flattens into a lifeless strum.
- Up-strokes as hard as down-strokes. The up-stroke (↑) is lighter and catches only the treble strings — equal force thickens and drags it.
- Rushing. Fast subdivisions are easy to run. Start slow with the metronome and only speed up once the pattern is clean.
Guided practice
- Bass alone. Play only the B hits (thumb), very slowly, feeling each one land in time.
- Chord alone. Now play only the A hits, answering the bass, without the bass note.
- Put the hands together. Bass first, chord after — slowly, until the alternation is automatic.
- Add the mute. Bring in the x hits by resting the hand on the strings — that percussion is the bounce.
- Take it up on the metronome. Start slow, keep the pattern clean, and add a few BPM at a time.
You already get the logic of the groove. Putting it in time is where it enters your fingers: hear the pattern, follow the count and practice with a metronome — slow first — until the bass and the chord sit apart in time. That’s what Chord & Fret does, with guided audio and an adjustable tempo.
Practice in Chord & Fret →Variations & related patterns
Once the strum is steady, play the same pattern over real Maxixe progressions. That trains rhythm, chord changes and voice-leading in one exercise — the Progressions by Rhythm feature in Chord & Fret.
Apply to progressions →Understanding the groove is the first step; the full practice — repetition, metronome, audio, progressions and review — happens in Chord & Fret. There this pattern stays saved in your study, to revisit later, play offline and track your progress.
Start training →