← All lessonsModule 8 · Rhythm & Groove

Tresillo and Clave

Three, three, two: eight pulses that push against the beat and land back on one. Add a two-hit answer and you get the son clave, the five-hit rhythm that travelled from Africa to Cuba, into the habanera and tango, then rock 'n' roll and today's pop.

In this lesson you'll

  • Feel the tresillo (3 + 3 + 2) against a steady four-beat pulse, and hear the habanera rhythm built on it.
  • Play the son clave 3-2 (steps 1, 4, 7, 11, 13 of 16) and 2-3, and know what "in clave" means.
  • Follow the journey from sub-Saharan Africa and Cuba to the Bo Diddley beat and pop.

Music in this lesson

  • Habanera (Carmen)Georges Bizet · 1875
  • Shape of YouEd Sheeran · 2017
  • Bo DiddleyBo Diddley · 1955
  • Not Fade AwayBuddy Holly & the Crickets · 1957
  • FaithGeorge Michael · 1987

Remember

The tresillo groups eight pulses 3 + 3 + 2: only pulse 4 falls between the beats, so it pushes, then lands back on one.

The son clave is the tresillo answered by two hits on steps 11 and 13: five uneven hits, a question and an answer, played 3-2 or 2-3.

One family of rhythms: Africa, Cuba, the habanera, the tango, rock 'n' roll (the Bo Diddley beat) and today's pop.