The Tres

"Tres is reviewing and represents singular Afro-Hispanic-European conceptions through remarkable process of cultural interaction''.
Danilo Orozco

It is considered, nodoubtedly, the national string instrument since, even though its origins are linked to a strong Hispanic tradition, its history and repertoire are essentially Cuban. Many son specialists support the hypothesis that the tres emerged in the east of the country as part of the son genesis.

It is characterized by possessing strings grouped in three double orders, which gives it the name, also essentially Cuban. It is played with plectrum or pick and sometimes with fingers. The plucking has rhythmic peculiarities that not only provide evidence of the Hispanic heritage but a way of personal performing with African background that conditions performing ways.

Related to Son as its ultimate genre, its function in these bands comprises melody, harmony and rhythm. It sets the beginning of a song and has the double quality of being a soloist and an accompanying instrument. Its pattern have a peculiar character and the improvisation in specific moments is added.

Names such as: Arsenio Rodríguez, the famous Guataquita, Cotó, Pancho Amat and Chito Latamblet in the Changuí, swell the list of prestigious interpreters who have stablished the guidelines in this instrument, followed even in the academy. The tres is unquestionably the symbol of our Cuban way of being.