Tres Strings – Music
The tres is a Cuban guitar-like instrument with three pairs (courses) of strings. It is the defining melodic-rhythmic instrument of son cubano and its ancestor genres.
Origins
According to Wikipedia, the tres developed in the second half of the 19th century in eastern Cuba, in nengón, kiribá, changüí and son. It probably derives from the Spanish guitar and from the laúd and bandola of punto. According to Helio Orovio, Nené Manfugás brought the tres from Baracoa to Santiago de Cuba in 1892; in the west it was virtually unknown until about 1895.
Construction
- According to EcuRed, the tres usually has six strings in three double courses, which gives it its name. There are also examples with three single or three triple courses.
- Tuning according to Wikipedia: G–C–E in C major, with the low course in octaves (G4 G3) and the top course in unisons or, more traditionally, in octaves.
- According to EcuRed, the neck has 17 frets. It is played with a plectrum, sometimes with the fingers. The shape of the body varies: waisted, figure-of-eight, oval or star-shaped.
The Guajeo
The tres's most important contribution to Cuban music is the guajeo — a repeating syncopated riff that locks into the clave pattern. The guajeo is the tres's primary voice in son ensembles, providing melodic momentum and rhythmic groove simultaneously.
The guajeo also exists on the piano. According to Wikipedia, in the late 1930s Arsenio Rodríguez put the piano in his conjunto in place of the guitar; since then piano guajeos, the montunos, have been one of the most recognisable elements of Cuban music and salsa. See Piano.
Role in Son
According to EcuRed, the tres is the son instrument par excellence. In the son conjunto it starts the piece, plays the ornaments (floreos) and accompanies at the same time. It usually alternates its melodic improvisations with the guitar. It also plays the rayado, rhythmically broken chords. The tres takes part in every kind of son: changüí, sucu-sucu, son montuno and guaracha.
Role in Changüí
In changüí, according to Wikipedia, the tres usually has the traditional octave tuning, and the guajeo consists entirely of offbeats. The changüí technique influenced later son musicians: pianist Lilí Martínez and tresero Pancho Amat learned the style from Chito Latamblé (Grupo Changüí de Guantánamo).
Notable Players
- Arsenio Rodríguez — revolutionized the tres and the conjunto format, bridging son and modern salsa
- Niño Rivera — virtuosic tres player who pushed the instrument's melodic range
- Pancho Amat — won the Premio Nacional de Música in 2010, Cuba's highest music award