The History of Claves

Series Summary

Claves (pronounces Clar-vays) is a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short thick dowels that are usually made of wood. In present times, claves can be found that are made of fibreglass or plastics due to the fact that the materials tend to last longer. When hit, the claves make a bright clicking noise. Claves are sometimes hollow and are carved in the middle to amplify the sound. This percussion instrument is very important in Afro-Cuban music, such as the Son and Salsa. They are usually used to play a repeating rhythmic figure throughout a piece, known as the clave pattern, of which there are several different variations, each used for different styles of music. Learning to play the claves may seem simple, but there are specific techniques to follow that will produce the best sound, and certain rhythmic patterns and music styles that prominently feature this percussion instrument. In this free video series, our expert will teach you how to play the claves with step-by-step lessons, beginning with holding the claves and finishing with examples of rhythmic patterns. You'll learn how to get the best sound out of claves, and how to play several styles, such as baiao and Bossa Nova. You'll also learn patterns like the 3-2 Son, the 2-3 Son, and similar Rumbas. When played correctly, the claves can really spice up a musical number, so learn how to play them today!

Video Transcript

"I'm going to talk to you a little bit today about the claves. Probably the oldest instrument known to man. It's basically two sticks designed to be hit together. This is an Afro-Cuban instrument that comes out of Brazil. It's an idiophone, there's your vocabulary word for the day. It's a percussion instrument made out of the instrument itself vibrating. It's not a membranophone like a drum where it has a membrane where the drumhead vibrates. It's actually the kind of wood; it's a hard wood, a loud wood that gives you a chirping or clicking sound when they're struck together. These are used in drum circles. They're used in Latin American music because of their cutting sound. You could have a drum circle with a hundred drummers playing and, if you've got a set of these, everybody in that drum circle is going to be able to hear the pulse or the rhythm that's being played on the claves. Another word for that pulse or that rhythm or that feel is the word clave, which refers to the feel of the music. The translation of clave translates into clef or key, like the key signature of a song, telling you is it going to played in the key of G. Well, in Latin music, especially the percussive end of it, the key was the feel of the song, the rhythmic feel or how you danced to it. Just an interesting piece of knowledge you can digest for a little bit. Stay tuned."