The tres (Spanish for three) is a string instrument from Cuba. The most common type has six strings and is called the original Cuban tres. Its sound is an important part of Cuban son music and is often played in many Afro-Cuban music styles. In the 1930s, the instrument was changed to create the Puerto Rican tres, which has nine strings and a body similar to the cuatro.

The tres was developed in the late 1800s in the Guantánamo region of Cuba, where it was used to play changüí, an early form of Cuban son. Its exact beginnings are unknown, but it is believed to have been influenced by the Spanish guitar from the 1800s, as well as two other instruments called the laúd and bandola, which were used in Cuban punto music since the 1700s. Playing the tres involves a repeating musical pattern called guajeo, which is common in Afro-Cuban music. People who play the tres are called treseros in Cuba or tresistas in Puerto Rico.

Cuba

The tres was first used in several related Afro-Cuban musical styles that began in eastern Cuba during the 19th century. These styles include nengón, kiribá, changüí, and son. Benjamin Lapidus said the tres is very important in changüí and Cuban music overall. One idea suggests that early versions of the son used a guitar, tiple, or bandola before being replaced by the tres, a new instrument that combined features of all three. Helio Orovio wrote that in 1892, Nené Manfugás brought the tres from Baracoa to Santiago de Cuba. Sindo Garay claimed the tres originated in Baracoa. In 1927, Eduardo Sánchez de Fuentes noted Nené Manfugás as the first tres player in Santiago de Cuba. However, he said the tres likely existed long before among Afro-Cubans and looked similar to the Spanish guitar and bandurria. Alejo Carpentier wrote the tres came from the bandola, which itself was based on the Spanish bandurria. Lino Dou said the tres was not widely known in western Cuba until 1895, when it was brought by mambises from Oriente. Fernando Ortiz believed the wars between Spain and Cuba helped create the difference between the Spanish guitar and the Cuban tres, which became a symbol of Cuban identity. Ortiz also thought the tres likely existed in Cuba before colonization and became popular in the late 19th century. Ortiz discussed the origins of the tres and other Cuban instruments in his book Los instrumentos de la música afrocubana, published between 1952 and 1955.

As son cubano became more popular in the 1920s, the tres gained attention. By the 1930s, famous tres players included Eliseo Silveira, Carlos Godínez, Arsenio Rodríguez, and Niño Rivera. In the 1950s, Arsenio left Cuba, and his style was continued by Ramón Cisneros "Liviano" and Arturo Harvey "Alambre Dulce" in the group Conjunto Chappottín. Other notable players like Senén Suárez and Juanito Márquez began recording with electric treses. In the United States, the tres was used in salsa ensembles, especially in the 1970s, when musicians like Nelson González, Charlie Rodríguez, and Harry Viggiano recorded for Fania Records. Traditional tres playing was promoted in Cuba starting in the 1980s by Grupo Changüí de Guantánamo, featuring Chito Latamblé, and by Isaac Oviedo and his son Papi Oviedo. In 2010, tres player Pancho Amat won Cuba’s top music award, the Premio Nacional de Música.

The Cuban tres is smaller than the Spanish guitar, with a scale length between 48 and 65 centimeters. It has three groups of two strings, totaling six strings. The most common tuning is in C Major, with two variations: G4 G3, C4 C4, E4 E4 (top strings in unison) or G4 G3, C4 C4, E4 E3 (top strings in octaves). When using the octave tuning, the order of the first course is reversed compared to the third course. Today, many tres players tune the instrument a step higher in D Major: A4 A3, D4 D4, F#4 F#4 or A4 A3, D4 D4, F#4 F#3.

A person who plays the tres is called a tresero, though the term tresista was used in the past. Variants of the instrument exist in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Cuban musician Compay Segundo created a version of the tres and guitar called armónico. Eliades Ochoa plays a variant called guitarra tres, which is a Spanish guitar with two extra strings tuned like a tres.

The typical tres pattern is called guajeo, which appeared in Cuba in the 19th century in nengón, kiribá, changüí, and son. The tres playing style of changüí, and to a lesser extent nengón, influenced modern son musicians like pianist Lilí Martínez and tres player Pancho Amat, who learned from Chito Latamblé. Both nengón and kiribá are part of changüí ensembles. For example, the first album by Grupo Changüí de Guantánamo begins with a song called "Nengón."

Benjamin Lapidus described how the son evolved from nengón to kiribá, then to changüí, and finally to son. Nengón has a limited harmonic range, with the tonic and dominant notes emphasized. The tres is usually tuned in the traditional octave style (G4 G3, C4 C4, E3 E4). Nengón consists of variations of a single song called "Para ti nengón." The following guajeo is a variation of the rhythmic pattern called tresillo.

Kiribá, closely related to nengón, originated in Baracoa, eastern Cuba. Like nengón, kiribá is based on the song "Kiribá, kiribá." Some musicologists classify kiribá as a style within changüí, though it has a distinct guajeo and may have existed before changüí.

When playing changüí, the tres is usually tuned in the traditional octave style. The following guajeo uses only offbeats.

Kevin Moore said there are two types of son tres guajeos: generic and song-specific. Song-specific guajeos are based on a song’s melody, while generic guajeos involve playing triads.

Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rican tres is a version of the Cuban tres that has nine strings instead of six. Records show that nine-string treses existed in Cuba as early as 1913. However, experts believe the Puerto Rican tres was likely created after Isaac Oviedo visited Puerto Rico in 1929 during a tour by the Septeto Matancero. Inspired by Oviedo, guitarist Guillermo "Piliche" Ayala asked for an instrument similar to the Cuban tres, but made using the body of a Puerto Rican cuatro. This design gave the Puerto Rican tres a shape similar to a cuatro, with cut-outs, unlike the Cuban tres, which has a shape more like a guitar. By 1934, the Puerto Rican cuatro had reached New York. Today, most Puerto Rican tres players focus on the national version of the instrument, though Nelson González is an exception. The Puerto Rican tres has nine strings arranged in three groups and is tuned to G4 G3 G4, C4 C4 C4, E4 E3 E4. People who play the Puerto Rican tres are called tresistas.

Notable players

Here are some important musicians who play the Cuban tres:

• Efraín Amador
• Pancho Amat
• Yarima Blanco
• Félix Cárdenas
• Juan de la Cruz "Cotó" Antomarchi
• Carlos Godínez
• Nelson González
• Chito Latamblé
• Nené Manfugás (es)
• Juanito Márquez
• Isaac Oviedo
• Papi Oviedo
• Efraín Ríos
• Niño Rivera
• Arsenio Rodríguez
• Charlie Rodríguez
• Eliseo Silveira
• Panchito Solares
• Senén Suárez (es)
• Victor Trias

Important musicians who play the Puerto Rican tres are:

• Guillermo "Piliche" Ayala
• Mario Hernández
• Luis "Lija" Ortiz
• Biriquín Rivera
• Máximo Torres