Progressions in G — Cuban Tres

G major harmonises to G – Am – Bm – C – D – Em – F#°; G minor to Gm – A° – Bb – Cm – Dm – Eb – F. Each chord links to its Cuban Tres voicings, so a vamp in G becomes a short list of stations before the first repeat.

Most of what a tres plays lives on two or three of these chords at a time — a montuno is a loop, not a journey. Choose the pair the tune leans on, set a figure over them, and let the repetition do the work the arrangement expects of it.