In much of African and Afro-Latin music, a key element is the bell pattern, or clave pattern: a syncopated rhythmic figure that repeats and is the foundation for a musical form. Using a variety of clave patterns we can create rhythms for didgeridoo that are exciting with an upbeat feel. In this video we explore clave rhythms from Africa, Cuba, Latin-America and Brazil, and we learn what each of these claves sounds like and how to play it.
–> Download the worksheet for this Video Class here.
Clave literally means “key” in Spanish and it is used to describe both the instrument, comprised of two hardwood sticks, and the rhythm. This class looks at some of the most popular clave rhythms, the son clave, rumba clave and bossa nova clave.
Son (rhymes with “zone”) or son cubano, is an Afro-Cuban style of music that gave birth to salsa and many other styles of contemporary Latin music. Its traditional instrumentation consists of voices, the guitar, tres (a three stringed guitar variant), and afro-Cuban percussion, including the clave instrument.
Bossa Nova and Rumba claves are two more patterns that make great rhythms for didgeridoo. Watch the video for a full description of each.
Want to learn more rhythms from around the world? Sign up for our free online course, World Rhythms For Didgeridoo:
