Identifying the Clavé
Materials: handout (for review)
- Review the clavé rhythms and see if one or more students can clap the clavé pattern you introduced in “Introducing the Clavé“. Make sure they always start by establishing the pulse before adding the clavé. After the clavé has been established, tell the students that they will have to find the 3-2 son clavé in several examples.
- Now tell that students that you will play an example of Cuban music that incorporates a 3-2 son clavé. Play “Verando Blues”. Again, have the students first identify the pulse, then see if they can identify the clavé pattern.Verando Blues
- Explain that this next example shows the 3-2 son clavé as it appears in Ragtime. Tell them that the next example is not as obvious as the previous examples. Play “The Entertainer”. Again, have students first identify the pulse and then clap the clavé along with the music. Students may need help identifying this one. The Entertainer
- Now explain that the next example will show the 3-2 son clavé pattern as it appears in a New Orleans groove called a “street beat” or “second line” groove (students should be familiar with this from the lesson on the jazz funeral). In this example, the clavé pattern is also not explicitly stated, but is present. Be sure to keep with the process of having students identify and establish the pusle before trying to find the clavé pattern. Street Beat
- Feel free to seek out other examples of the clavé in music. Examples could include pop songs like “I Want Candy” by the Strangeloves.
