Unboxing AND Learning A New Instrument In Less Than 10 Minutes | Cuban Tres

[@JazzyBlues79]

RJ, I'm Cuban American and I own a Tres. This is awesome. The Tres is great to play Punto Guajiro and Son music. Both are traditional Cuban music. The Tres is similar to the Puerto Rican Cuatro. Rock on, my man!

[@armandolopez8726]

Any tres you can recommend?

[@cabbycabby1770]

Miami raised Cuban-American here. Love that instrument! My grandfather told me the string spacing was so big because the best players had giant fingers like plantains, haha. I love that after years of playing guitar, bass, and ukelele I can pick up nearly any strings instrument and noodle around enough to get something fun out of it. Currently working on mandolin. Keep up the Spanish, bro!

[@paulcamus8944]

I played Tres for years. Was even lucky to play with a legend, "Melon" in his orchestra a couple of times. You want to play the "guajeo" following the piano. I tuned it to open D. Bought mine in Havana, Cuba! Not an instrument you see often on guitar sites.

[@TheFeelButton]

I love taking a unique instrument on vacations and leaving guitar at home. You come back feeling fresh, inspired and recreated! Cheers RJ!!

[@dennisharrell2236]

You're absolutely right about a different instrument being able to spark musical inspiration. Years ago I played banjo for about a year, Scruggs style. I've since forgotten all the chords and rolls, but it had a profound effect on my guitar playing. As a fingerpicker it opened up my mind to new picking patterns, even playing different patterns for each measure to give more melodic possibilities.

[@andon5150]

Man, when you just strummed it for the very first time, immediately the "Guantanamera" song was ringing in my head, awesome! Hope you like it and keep posting videos with new music played with the Tres.

[@davidfrantz3473]

Watching RJ stumble around on this makes me feel a bit better about stumbling around on guitar. Also I need one of these, but would need to find one without the little cutaway so I can flip it lefty.

Great first time sight reading and playing the "Tres" guitarra! Saludos desde Los Ángeles!

[@binface9]

Interesting insights! Another one for the shopping list.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

La Bella Cuban Tres strings would rock

[@456or7strings]

I’m gonna change my name to Ron Killio

[@BenCoombs]

Interesting Instrument, haven't heard of it before. Thanks for sharing!!

[@kdrake777]

The next time you’re with a group of KZbinrs like 42 Gear Street, hand out a new instrument to each one and see who is best at figuring out how to play something.

[@jkinthewind]

Great advice for breaking out of ruts. I have a uke and a cigar box plus my bass, drums and keyboards just so I can put down the guitar for a little while. I have a mandolin and banjo on my Sweetwater wishlist.

[@PooNinja]

9:37 that's how I learned IRONMAN on a mandolin! playing blind :)

[@brianpetersen3429]

Great video! Love your noodling.

[@KofiNateDogg]

I’ve noticed that the Marimbula plays similar inversions in Changüi and that in Haitian music they play a tres tuned banjo.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

You can tune it GBE to facilitate playability like Pancho Amat did.

[@Chinaguitarsceptic]

What a fun little instrument bro, nice one!

[@kdrake777]

Try it with a slide!

[@ainslieberrafella]

And put it through a fuzz-box.

[@MusicTherapyLaz]

So cool R.J....I was inspired by the flute playing of a guide we had when visiting Sedona, Arizona a couple years ago,..so I bought one in a local shop before we left. I've been messing around with that amazing flute, as well as a clay flute I bought in Puno, Peru, the city on the shores of Lake Titicaca ... definitely makes you think outside of the usual box of instruments one is used to playing! Thanks for sharing, your videos are always inspiring! 😎🎸

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

The intervals between the strings are the same as the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings of a Normal Guitar but transposed a fourth higher. GBE tuning mesns I don't have to think about playing in another key.

[@xoxb2]

Brilliant! It's a verynice, evocative sound.

[@utai4571]

oh man what a great instrument ! I need to get my head into latin america instruments, i mean i use so many chord shapes and scales from latin music that i should really get into the real deal! Also i totally agree, it's a great habit to get out of the habits actually, i almost made it to japan to learn how to make shamisens, i made myself an erhu, dying to buy a morin khuur, played many times indian sitars, also sometimes i just like to grab an old electric guitar and throwing a few strings on it an tune it to like a koto. It's amazing the sounds and the inspiration that comes from going out of your confort zone in music ! Also it's fun to weird out people with sounds they are not used to, if you can handle some people in the pit litterally saying EEEEWWW out loud :D !

[@StevenDoyleLuke]

Love this man, got to get one (after my wife and I watched the movie 'Vivo'!)

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Try Magma Cuban Tres Strings (model TC100) they have a really melodic sound.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

R.J. Ronquillo Pancho Amat tunes his Tres like the top 3 Strings of a Guitar by tuning the C course Down a half step.

[@Prettynoise]

RJ awesome to see you figure out a new instrument .

[@jazzzfer]

Are you playing cuban salsa now RJ??

[@icarusi]

Try a Guzheng, much more fun but big! Once you get used to the high strings being closer to you, you can bend strings, play chords, pentatonics, bass lines, harp arps etc. Make sure you get a spare set of strings included. The high ones are very long and thin. All thin harp strings are shorter. Only the octave strings are red.

[@Terry3Gs]

Awesome & sounds beautiful !!

[@form49]

The Puerto Rican cuatro has five sets of strings and sounds just like the tres. It is strummed, as well being used to play single note lines. It is tuned in fourths, so the transition from guitar is much easier.

[@ShawnTubbs]

Nice!! Love it RJ!!

[@davidramossalsologoporexse2469]

The cuban tres tok on the function of the piano .back in late 18hundres..in the mountains of Oriente cuba

[@leftchicago]

Hey, first exercise actually sounded like something. Hat's off, dude!

[@Casey_J96]

Man that sounds awesome! I wonder if you could get similar sound on a regular guitar just messing with string guages and tuning. If not i might have to look into one of these!

[@RJRonquillo]

Yes a 12 string could get pretty close

[@skeetschuler1859]

Sweet

[@jamesgretsch4894]

Ron thanks for the unboxing. I never heard of one of those before. If you didn't call it by it's real name I would have thought it was a guitar.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Open C major

[@TheZooropaBaby]

I know you've shared that you bought Miles Okazaki's book and...I know its weird but coincidentally I thought of buying that book as well

[@RJRonquillo]

It's a deep book, if i read it too long, it hurts my brain,.

[@cantstartafire]

Way cool! That rocks man!

[@pjwolos]

You've totally convinced me to get over my fear of trying the mouth harp.

[@toddflowers8052]

I agree R.J. with buying something different, that is why I have a Dobro and a lapsteel besides my guitars oh and a bass too ! Interesting instrument you have there ! Always enjoy your stuff ! Rock on !

[@RJRonquillo]

Lap steel is a great instrument for guitar players to learn!

[@toddflowers8052]

@@RJRonquillo" Larkin Poe's" Megan inspired me to get one ,lots of fun for sure !

[@johna1160]

Thought I'd take this opportunity to suggest using a digital tuner to get you "close", then, fine tune (temper) using YOUR EARS...!

[@shaggymannnn]

dude! cover pi 3,14 by buena fe

[@arielista]

Try a Puertorican cuatro, sounds a lot like the cuban tres and the string spacing is more like a 12 string guitar, but it's 10 strings. I'm pretty sure you're familiar with it too or at least seen one.

[@RJRonquillo]

Yes, the cuatro I've played before, that's a fun instrument

[@surfnomad5405]

Yeah I bought a trumpet in a thrift store thinking awesome to play a new instrument .... oh man.... you cant even think about playin one of these things without knowing a lot about playin the trumpet..... soooo freaking frustrating... just reinforced my love for guitar

[@nahnotsomuch2292]

Where's the other shirt? :D

[@strat0871]

Interesting, but...I wonder why this neck is so wide with so much space between the strings, could be much narrower with the 3 doubles closer !?

[@jamesgretsch4894]

That reminds me of a bouzouki sound a bit. If you have not done a video on the bouzouki would you mind doing one? I like watching these Greek and Lebanese guys on KZbin play the bouzouki and play "Misirlous since it's either a Greek or Lebanese song. I'll search your vids and see if you did one yet. If you have not then please can you? I guess you can only do one if you have one. I think bouzoukis are expensive so if you don't have one and never wanted one I can't see why you would go out and buy one. Thanks!

[@josephtravers777]

been wanting an electro-saz for a long time

[@ZackSeifMusic]

Learn "No Me Diga" from "IN THE HEIGHTS" Lin-Manuel Miranda composed it on a Tres :D

[@KrlosRodz]

Try using only down strokes, just check some players on YT, that's mostly what they use!!!

[@ainslieberrafella]

The sound of your Tres reminded me of the African stringed instrument the Kora. If you've not heard it before it's a 21-stringed harp with a large resonator. It has the sweetest sound. I have this album called "The Mandé Variations" by Malian superstar Toumani Diabate. Check out his interpretation of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly theme music, called 'Cantelowes'. /watch?v=4RAjifC9ji0 It's hypnotic and quite stunning. Looks like a tricky instrument to learn, though. ;)

[@Dmitry_Perelekhov]

Let's dance salsa)

[@jurylonghi7212]

Hi, they are very dificult to find and too expensive to buy here in my Country.

[@elsonyt705]

Yea...

[@markymarco2570]

It sounds a little bit like the brazilian viola.

[@ooloncaluphid]

Odd thing about the cuatro is that it has five pairs of strings instead of four.

[@farisfuad1150]

Lolol I failed miserably when I first tried to play bass guitar with a pick. I know I'm going to screw up even worse when I pick up this instrument.

[@christopher-miles]

need to practice them, spread triads.

[@OfficialPerfectoDeCastro]

I prefer the Filipino meaning of suso suso

[@carlosmacmartin4205]

Stop calling it a Trays. It’s sounds like the word “yes” except with Tr.

[@bobbafet9377]

I got a headache.... thanks god you didn’t wear that multi face shirt....