Definition
The clave is the guide pattern (timeline) of Afro-Cuban music: five hits over a cycle of two bars (or one bar of 16 sixteenths) divided into a "three side" and a "two side." The whole band (piano, bass, horns, chorus, even the melody) aligns with this cycle. The entry "Clave and tresillo" explains the basic idea; here we look at the families, the exact positions and the direction.
The positions (cycle of 16 pulses = two bars of 2/4 or one of 4/4 written in sixteenths)
| Pattern | Pulses hit | 16-step string |
|---|---|---|
| Son clave 3-2 | 1, 4, 7, 11, 13 | x..x..x...x.x... |
| Rumba clave 3-2 | 1, 4, 8, 11, 13 | x..x...x..x.x... |
| Bossa nova clave | 1, 4, 7, 11, 14 | x..x..x...x..x.. |
| Son clave 2-3 | 3, 5, 9, 12, 15 | ..x.x...x..x..x. |
The rumba clave delays the third hit by one pulse (from pulse 7 to 8): the three side becomes more "suspended" and taut. The bossa nova clave instead delays the last hit of the two side (from 13 to 14), creating a cycle that never closes on the strong beat: it is the typical cross-stick of bossa drumming.
Clave in 6/8 (ternary pulse)
In a cycle of 12 pulses (12/8): son 1, 3, 5, 8, 10; rumba 1, 3, 6, 8, 10 (= "6/8 clave" for many North American musicians). Every binary clave has its ternary counterpart: the clave originates as a reduction of the seven-hit African bell pattern (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12), which contains both families.
Direction: 3-2 or 2-3
The hits don't change; what changes is which side the phrase starts from. A chord progression or a melody that begins on the three side is "in 3-2"; if it begins on the two side it is "in 2-3." New York salsa is often in 2-3 (for example when the piano montuno starts with anticipations on the two side). The key rule: direction is relative, alignment is absolute. An arrangement can change direction by adding or removing a bar (a 3-bar phrase "turns" the clave around), but a part that contradicts the clave sounds "cruzado," wrong, to Latin musicians.
How to align the parts
- Tumbao bass: plays the "and" of 2 (pulse 7) and the 4 (13), anticipating the next chord. In 3-2 it coincides with clave hits on the three side.
- Piano montuno: repeats a 2-bar ostinato with anticipations; the side with more offbeats goes on the three side.
- Congas (tumbao): open tones on 4 and 4& (pulses 13 and 15).
- Bell (cáscara/bell): follows the same direction as the clave.
- Melody and chorus: the 2-bar phrases begin on the coherent side; the strong accents fall on clave hits.
Example in A minor (montuno 2-3, ♩ ≈ 190)
Progression Am – Dm – E7 – Am in two bars (one chord per half bar). Piano: syncopated octaves and thirds, anticipating each chord by an eighth. Tumbao bass: A on the "and" of 2, A on 4, then D on the "and" of 2... Clave 2-3 played by the cowbell: ..x.x...x..x..x. .
Clave in pop and electronic music
The tresillo (3+3+2) and the three side of the son clave are at the base of reggaeton dembow, moombahton, afro house and many house hi-hats ("Clave" is also a lane on the TR-808). In FL Studio, use a "clave" lane in the Channel Rack with the string x..x..x...x.x... and align a syncopated kick or a bass to it: even in a non-Latin track it gives an immediately recognizable backbone.
Exercise
- Program son, rumba and bossa clave on three lanes and listen to them in alternation over an Am – Dm – E7 loop.
- Write a bass tumbao and check in 3-2 and 2-3 which of the two directions "turns" best with your melody.
- Listen to Machito, "Que vengan los rumberos," which changes direction within the track; and João Gilberto, "Chega de saudade," for the bossa clave.
Related entries
"Clave and tresillo," "Brazilian rhythms," "African timelines: the bell pattern in 12/8," "Odd groupings inside 4/4." Texts: Berklee Pulse, lesson "The Clave"; Kevin Moore, "Beyond Salsa"; Rebeca Mauleón, "Salsa Guidebook."