Clave

Clave is a key signature in Afro-Cuban music. It is commonly presented as a two mesures 8th notes pattern, one with three notes and the other with two notes. The direction can be either 3:2 or 2:3, depending on which of the two measures comes first.

Son Clave
The "son clave" is the most common type of clave, here in the 3:2 direction. 4 - |X-X-X---|X---X---| 4 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .  1 . 2 . 3 . 4.

Rumba Clave
The rumba clave is another type of clave. 4 - |X-X---X-|X---X---| 4 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .  1 . 2 . 3 . 4.

6/8 Clave
The third form of clave is an adaptation of the African 12/8 timeline. 6 - |X---X---X---|--X---X-| 8 1 . 2 . 3 .  1 . 2 . 3.