clave

Clave is a term used in music and language with several related meanings. In Afro-Cuban and Latin American music, the clave refers to a fundamental rhythmic pattern that serves as a timeline for an ensemble. The most common forms are the 3-2 clave and the 2-3 clave, each consisting of five rhythmic strokes spread over two measures of 4/4 time. In the 3-2 clave, three strokes occur in the first measure and two in the second; in the 2-3 variant, the order is reversed. The clave pattern acts as a structural skeleton, guiding improvisation and the placement of other percussion and melodic phrases. It is typically heard on wooden sticks called claves, but can also be articulated by other instruments or implied by the overall groove.

The instrument called claves is a pair of hardwood sticks used to produce a crisp, ringing tone. The rhythmic concept of the clave predates modern genres and has become a defining feature of styles such as son, salsa, mambo, and contemporary Latin jazz, where other rhythms are aligned to the clave’s timing.

In Spanish, clave simply means key, as in a key to a door or a key on a keyboard, and it also means password or code in everyday usage. The term appears in various technical phrases across fields, reflecting its core idea of a governing or essential element.