Clave and clave changes are among the most misunderstood and heatedly debated topics in all of music. In this article we'll try to sort out the silly semantic misunderstanding and also discuss some of the truly fascinating issue in this most mysterious of musical topics. Also see our more extensive article "Clave Changes the Music of Charanga Habanera", the appendices of Beyond Salsa Piano, Vols. 1 & 2, and the appendix of Beyond Salsa Percussion, Vol. 3.

Among many other meanings, the term "clave" refers to a 5-note rhythm pattern which is either played or implied in many types of Latin music. The five notes can be spaced in at least a half a dozen ways, but the whole pattern always lasts exactly four beats, although it’s frequently written in the space of 8 beats, leading to the first Great Clave Debate (click "next" or use the Table of Contents to navigate).

click here for Kevin Moore's book: Understanding Clave and Clave Changes.