The pattern
100 BPM · 4/4 · 32 step
| 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 |
| Shaker | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest |
| Clave | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | 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 | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | 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 |
How to play it and where it comes from
Two bars in 4/4 (in quarter notes), son clave in 2-3: the 2 side on beats 2 and 3 of the first bar, the 3 side on 1, 2& and 4 of the second. Bongó in martillo (eighths, open tone on the hembra on 4 = bongol lane), maracas in eighths (shaker lane), conga with tumbao (slap on 2, open tones on 4 and 4&). The kick lane represents the bass (anticipated tumbao on 2& and 4, the note on 4 tied over to the next bar), as on the marímbula or the double bass of the son. In the montuno the bongocero switches to the campana de mano on the quarter notes; the tres plays a two-bar guajeo in clave. Variants: in 3-2 the two bars are swapped.