Tristan Fuentes describes his music as "liberated minimalism". As a theory and composition student he was trained in the tradition of Paul Hindemith and the later serialists, while outside of class he was listening to and playing rock, jazz, and minimalist music. His works are characterized by catchy melodies and strong rhythms. Harmonically the music is tonal, with dissonance as the main device for creating tension between compositional elements. His primary influences have been Terry Riley and Frederic Rzewski. Fuentes generally writes for small instrumental ensembles, often including exotic percussion.