Choro on cavaquinho

Choro on cavaquinho: the strumming patterns “off-the-beat base”, “bass-led” and “three downstrokes”, in 2/4, and the progressions circle-of-fifths progression (vi–ii–V–I) and ii-V-I, each with audio on its own page. This is the cavaquinho's true home: in samba, choro and pagode it is the rhythmic and harmonic center, driving the groove with bright, percussive chords.

Playful and virtuosic, choro is one of Brazil's great instrumental traditions: agile melodies that smile one moment and sigh with longing the next. Here you'll practice the circle-of-fifths progression — which simply means a chain of chords where each one pulls toward the next — and the classic ii-V-I, harmony's most common setup and resolution.

Grooves

Progressions

My Chords & Scales: Build the genre's repertoire: saving chords and scales to the Notebook is part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret

Updated October 20, 2026