I was born into a family of engineers, but my father's family is a true guajiro one, and thus they were poets. It's from both of them that I get my musical inclination.
My First Taste of Professional Music
As a child, I became friends with the musicians of one of the two bands in my town, Galaxia 2000. I regularly attended their rehearsals, and one day, when they were tuning up, one of the musicians said, "What a great ear this kid has! When the notes are in tune, he nods his head in agreement." After that, the synthesizer player had to leave for military service, and the director pointed to me and said, "The replacement is here." I didn't have time to learn more than one song, as my family soon moved to Havana.
My First Guitar
In elementary school, I befriended another band from my town, Volumen VI. The director, Vladimir, lent me a 3/4 guitar and said, "Here, so you can learn to play." When I brought it home, my dad was overjoyed, and we used brake cables to create the missing strings, effectively building our own guitar.
The Last One to Learn
My First Taste of Professional Music
As a child, I became friends with the musicians of one of the two bands in my town, Galaxia 2000. I regularly attended their rehearsals, and one day, when they were tuning up, one of the musicians said, "What a great ear this kid has! When the notes are in tune, he nods his head in agreement." After that, the synthesizer player had to leave for military service, and the director pointed to me and said, "The replacement is here." I didn't have time to learn more than one song, as my family soon moved to Havana.
My First Guitar
In elementary school, I befriended another band from my town, Volumen VI. The director, Vladimir, lent me a 3/4 guitar and said, "Here, so you can learn to play." When I brought it home, my dad was overjoyed, and we used brake cables to create the missing strings, effectively building our own guitar.
The Last One to Learn
After the initial excitement wore off, the hard part began: my dad tried to teach my siblings and me how to play, one by one. The youngest learned first, then the oldest, and much later, when there was no longer much hope, I finally learned. Once I knew the basic chords, my friend Eliovet from Volumen VI taught me how to play some Maná songs, marking the beginning of my musical journey.
Life in Havana
Life in Havana
Upon arriving in Havana, I met El Teo, who was learning to play, and El Rulo, an already accomplished classical guitarist. Without a guitar, we built our own instruments and formed our first musical groups. One day, El Rulo found me writing a version of the minuets he played, grabbed my hand, and said, "I'll take you to my guitar teacher." That's how I met Leopoldina Núñez.
Leopoldina was a maestro, having taught countless guitarists, including Leo Brouwer. Although I only had a few lessons with her, I still apply her technical teachings to this day. One of her outstanding students was Víctor Navarrete.
The Electric Guitar
Leopoldina was a maestro, having taught countless guitarists, including Leo Brouwer. Although I only had a few lessons with her, I still apply her technical teachings to this day. One of her outstanding students was Víctor Navarrete.
The Electric Guitar
Later, without a teacher, I joined Víctor Navarrete's classes after hearing El Teo talk about his new teacher. To be honest, the classes were mostly us watching in awe as Víctor played like a madman. From there, I learned my first and most important scale, the minor pentatonic.
Books and Harmony
As I grew older, I discovered Guyún's Book and then Jorge Luis Triana, who introduced me to the mysteries of the 5th-7th scale and musical technology. That's how my complicated relationship with jazz guitar began... but that's a story for another day!
Books and Harmony
As I grew older, I discovered Guyún's Book and then Jorge Luis Triana, who introduced me to the mysteries of the 5th-7th scale and musical technology. That's how my complicated relationship with jazz guitar began... but that's a story for another day!