A tres is a string instrument similar in shape to a guitar which is believed to have originated in Cuba although some theories suggest that it already existed in precolonial Spain. One of the theories holds that the tres originally related to the 10 string Spanish guitar bandola but evolved into a 6 string guitar due to strings breaking on the long way to Cuba and the difficulty in sourcing new strings.
There are various types of tres in usage today, the most common of which include the six string Cuban Tres (El Tres Cubano) and the nine string Puerto Rican Tres (El Tres Puertorriqueño).
The name tres meaning “three” in Spanish comes from the fact that the 6 strings of the instrument are grouped in three courses of two strings each. These are traditionally tuned as follows G4 G3, C4 C4, E3 E4 although other variations are possible and more common in modern times. The instrument itself is usually made from mahogany wood on the sides of the resonator and cedarwood for the soundboard. The tres was first mentioned in reference to the carnival of Santiago de Cuba in 1892 and has gained increasing popularity in Cuba to the point where it is sometimes described as the national instrument of Cuba.
The tres cubano is one of the core instruments that have influenced Cuban music, originally being used in Son, Nengón, Kiribá and Changüí and leaving its mark on subsequently developed musical genres such as salsa. Someone playing the Cuban tres is usually called the tresero (as opposed to someone playing the Puerto Rican tres who is usually called the tresista) and is one of the key musicians in the traditional son conjunto – an ensemble that is at the core of Son and Cuban salsa. The tresero can be seated or standing and the tres can be held horizontally or with the pegbox end raised slightly upwards. Some of the most famous treseros include Arsenio Rodríguez, the creator of mambo, and Isaac Oviedo, the founder of the Septeto Metancero.
The biggest difference in playing a tres compared to a guitar is that the tres cubano is traditionally played like a drum. While it is possible to play chords with a tres, traditionally this is hardly ever done and even though there are 6 strings, the instrument is usually played as if it were a three string instrument. Fingers can be used to play the tres but it is more common to see it being played with a pick or a plectrum. More on this to follow in part 2 of the series.
