The pattern
| Instrument | Beat 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Beat 2 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Beat 3 | Step 10 | Step 11 | Step 12 | Beat 4 | Step 14 | Step 15 | Step 16 | Beat 5 | Step 18 | Step 19 | Step 20 | Beat 6 | Step 22 | Step 23 | Step 24 | Beat 7 | Step 26 | Step 27 | Step 28 | Beat 8 | Step 30 | Step 31 | Step 32 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest |
| Clave | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest |
| High conga | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest |
| High bongo | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest |
| Low bongo | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest |
| Timbales | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest |
How to play it and where it comes from
A salsa verse in son clave 3-2 (two bars): the clave guides everything (3 hits in the first bar: 1, the "and" of 2, 4; 2 hits in the second: 2 and 3). Congas: tumbao with a slap on 2 and the two open tones on 4 and on the "and" of 4 (heel/tip strokes are omitted). Bongó: martillo in eighths with the open tone on the hembra (low bongo) at 4. Timbales: 3-2 cáscara on the shell. The kick (optional, for production) doubles the bass tumbao, which anticipates on the "and" of 2 and on 4 and never plays 1. In the montuno/mambo the bongosero switches to the cowbell (bongo bell on the quarter notes) and the timbalero to the mambo bell; typical fills: abanico (a roll on the high timbal) before the section change. Written in 4/4 at 180; many count it in cut time (2/2 at 90).