PERCUSSION
CLAVES: GET CLICKIN’ | Mark Shelton
DYNAMITE COMES IN A SMALL PACKAGE.
on a door. This forms an echo chamber for Study the recordings below (available on iTunes
the clave to resonate. Lay the clave over your and Spotify) to hear the clave (and claves)
Within the percussion family you can find echo chamber so that the stick rests on your played in context.
small instruments capable of holding their own knuckles and the fleshy area just below your alongside their bigger brothers and sisters. The thumb. Grip the striker clave in your dominant jingle and pop from a headed tambourine can hand (similar to a loose matched grip). Try a few punch through a dense mixture of larger drums. clicks.
A single triangle ‘ding’ has the power to sit atop
the sound of an orchestra comprised of winds,
Check out my short video tutorial:
strings, and a pile of percussion.
Among
those
petite
powerhouses
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percussion are the claves. Weighing less than
a can of soda pop and just a bit longer than
Son Clave 2-3
Son Clave 3-2
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a pencil, the distinctive tone from a pair of
hardwood pegs can be clearly heard within a
salsa rhythm section crackling with congas,
bongos, timbales, and cowbells.
Gripping either clave too tightly will choke
vibrations. Your grips are correct when the
The traditional Latin American claves are
SON CLAVE 3-2
Son Clave 3-2
claves sound with a clear, resonant tone.
straightforward, equisized dowels. Differing
“Clave Mambo” recorded by Mita Y Su Monte
Adentro from the album Algo Sabroso
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3-2 Clave
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SON CLAVE 2-3
slightly, African claves consist of a ‘receiving CLAVE RHYTHMS
stick’ featuring a scooped middle area and a « «
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The claves are an instrument, but clave can
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smaller striker peg. This article will focus on the
traditional Latin American claves.
Son Clave 2-3
refer to an ‘organizing rhythm’ in certain types
of music. The word translates to ‘key’ or ‘code’
Although synthetic models are available, Latin in English. Sometimes you play the clave with
American claves are customarily constructed the claves. Don’t be confused.
of hardwoods such as grenadilla, rosewood,
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maple, or ebony. The dowels range in length Within Latin American and African music, there
from around 8 to 10 inches with a diameter of are a variety of clave rhythms including rhumba,
about an inch. The small dimensions combine son, Afro-Cuban 6/8, and bossa nova patterns.
with the resonant materials to produce a short, (The Beatles’ recording of “And I Love Her”
crisp, and high-pitched tone. features the ‘Ringo clave!’)
THE TRADITIONAL TONE Among the common clave patterns are the
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“Volver A Cuba” recorded by Antonio Koudele
son clave rhythms. This five-note pattern can
The proper holding method is a crucial part be played in two versions, 3-2 and 2-3. The
of producing a traditional claves tone. One number of notes in each measure determines
member of the pair will strike the receiving whether the clave is 3-2 or 2-3. The son clave
(stationary) clave. To hold the stationary clave, can be played with the notation below or in cut-
curl the fingers of your non-dominant hand time. The note values in 4/4 can also be halved
in towards your palm with the thumb resting so the pattern will fit into one measure. Listen
against the side of the index finger, resembling to my demonstration of the son clave rhythms
how it would look if you were going to knock at the following YouTube links.
110
October 2018
from the album Instrumental Y Cuba
2-3 Clave
The high-pitched “woody” tones of claves
can fit into a variety of musical settings other
than African and Latin American styles. Just a
few well-placed clicks can spice up a groove.
Check out the basic drum set groove on
the following page along with two possible
clave rhythms:
WorshipMusician.com