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Tuning In To Culture

KATHY MOORE/STAFF

The cuatro is a 10-stringed instrument, smaller than the guitar used in many Puerto Rican songs. Alvin Medina is giving instructions on how to play the instrument and musical theory at Estrella Tropical Latin Restaurant & Deli in Valrico.

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 31, 2007

Updated: 10/29/2007 08:57 pm

Additional Photos

VALRICO - Men in traditional Puerto Rican straw pavas, or hats, teens wearing backward baseball caps and a smattering of women eager to break the gender barrier gathered recently to renew a connection with their island heritage.

Each cuatrista claimed a nook in the room at Estrella Tropical Latin Grill, tediously tuning their 10-string instruments that would connect them for the evening.

Before them, premiere cuatrista Alvin Medina stood, the instrument of Puerto Rico in one hand, a white-board marker in the other.

In Puerto Rico, he said, the musica typica - or traditional music - is different in each town.

'A lot of it is passed down from one generation to another,' he said.

In the United States, where many people of Puerto Rican descent were brought up, cuatro players are among many keeping the culture and traditions of the island alive.

'It's about preserving our culture,' said Elizabeth Espinosa, who owns Estrella Tropical with her father, Eliseo Espinosa. 'A lot of it is personal interest. Usually, it's men that play the cuatro, but things are changing.'

Elizabeth Espinosa said she decided to host the cuatro workshop last week to bring the Puerto Rican community together, noting that Puerto Ricans make up one of the largest minority groups in the region. She hopes to draw others from across the Tampa Bay area interested in learning about the national instrument of Puerto Rico.

Orlando has a well-established Puerto Rican community and places to gather, but east Hillsborough County has no meeting place for this type of event, prompting Espinosa to open the restaurant on a night it is typically closed.

Manny Montanez, 18, of Valrico, taught himself how to play the cuatro about three months ago.

'A lot of young people in our culture don't even know how to speak Spanish,' Montanez said shortly before Medina's intro. He added that many young women don't know how to cook using Puerto Rican traditions.

His cousin, Carlos Figueroa, 16, works at Estrella Tropical, Spanish for tropical star. Figueroa said his father taught him to play the cuatro.

'This is a way to keep the traditions going,' he said. 'This workshop is a way to sharpen my skills.'

Elson Morales of Brandon, speaking in Spanish while his wife served as interpreter, said he has been playing on and off all his life. The most difficult thing about playing the uniquely shaped instrument is tuning it, Morales said.

Originally, the cuatro had four strings, Medina said. That's why it is named after the Spanish word meaning four. Through the centuries, the country folk who played the cuatro in Puerto Rico tweaked its shape and the number of strings. It now has five sets of two strings.

'This was a surprise, to learn about this workshop,' Ana Morales said. 'This was a great opportunity for him to learn even more.'

Medina focused on the fundamentals of playing the cuatro and the importance of knowing how to play by ear and by reading sheet music.

Ebony Tollinchi, 33, and her sister Alexandria Tollinchi, 20, both of Brandon, brought their guitars, which typically are used to accompany the cuatro.

'We want to learn the cuatro, too, but we figured this was a good opportunity,' Ebony Tollinchi said. 'I've been playing guitar for seven years, and I'm still in the beginner stage.'

Alexandria has been playing for two years and only recently started getting professional instruction again.

Their mother purchased them tickets to the workshop during one of their frequent visits to the club.

'It's very important to maintain our culture and participate,' Ebony Tollinchi said. 'For women to play is rare. That's why we're here. You have to develop an ear for traditional Puerto Rican music.'

Among the few occasions at which many Puerto Rican Americans hear the cuatro played is during a traditional Christmas celebration known as a parranda, where small groups gather to surprise friends with the Puerto Rican version of Christmas caroling.

Groups play music on friends' front porches, then those friends join in and go to the next house.

Estrella Tropical also hosts a Christmas Eve celebration that is open to the public. On Friday nights, the restaurant offers noche bohemia, or Bohemian night, where cuatristas gather to play into the night entertaining diners.

The restaurant is at 1941 E. State Road 60, behind Applebees. For information on upcoming cuatro workshops, call Elizabeth Espinosa at (813) 643-8700.

ABOUT THE CUATRO

•The cuatro was originally a keyhole-shaped guitar with four strings. Through the years, the jibaros, or country folk of Puerto Rico who played the instrument, tweaked its shape and the number of strings. The modern-day cuatro has five sets of two strings each.

•According to expert cuatrista Alvin Medina of Orlando, the instrument was brought to the island by the Spanish in the 1400s or 1500s. It evolved from a four-string instrument to an eight-string instrument and eventually to today's 10-string cuatro. Its shape is now closer to the shape of a violin.

•The cuatro has been used for centuries during Christmas celebrations and other family gatherings in Puerto Rico.

•Cuatros are not all made the same. Various groups build, play and tune the instrument differently, Medina said. 'There are no set standards, so if you have a cuatro that looks different from another, don't be disappointed.'

•The longer the cuatro, the smaller the sound. The smaller the cuatro, the higher the pitch. And the quality of wood gives the instrument its tone or timbre.

•Because there are so many gaps in knowledge about the history of the instrument, the Puerto Rican Cuatro Project was created. The independent nonprofit organization was formed to foster the traditions of making and playing Puerto Rico's national instrument and preserving the traditional songs played on the cuatro. To learn about the Puerto Rican Cuatro Project, go to www.cuatro-pr.org.

Sources: Alvin Medina, www.cuatro-pr.org

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or at yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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