This man is by far the absolute best teacher of Latin music I have ever come across on video in the thirty or so years that I've been interested in learning about it.
Thank you Sir. I appreciate your comment very much. I was lucky I had myself a good pack of good teachers explaining things to me in a clear and understandable way... Muchas Gracias!
Thank you for this! I am a middle school science teacher in the South Bronx, and proud Nuyorican. We have different signals to get the students' attention. I love to use the clave beat. I clap it as the call to attention, and the students clap it back to let me know they hear me and they are ready. Its a great way to affirm their african roots (since all life originated there), and it brings a lot of joy. But many of them were unfamiliar with the clave beat. So I played the beginning of your video and they got it right away! 🥰
Thank you so much for the explanation! I have always been so confused between the 2/3 and 3/2 claves and Son and Rumba clave rhythm, thinking that whichever side the 2 and 3 counts hit made them either Son or Rumba claves. I have asked people and Googled to try to figure it out and you totally cleared up the confusion for me. Your explanation is so clear and thorough.
I was searching something like this for my intro to Son class this coming weekend and I have to say - one of the best videos I've seen on Cuban rhythm. I'm not a musician but everything taught in this video will make me a better dancer. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I feel like I'm in your living room......you have given me more understanding of the Clave in 45 min than I had discovered in 2years of playing Tumbau......many thanks Edgardo!
I learned to play the clave rhythm on a cowbell. The 6/8 on an iron ago-go, with the 1 on the lower bell. This was for basic African rhythms played on conga/djembe. Later I learned rhumba clave rhythm. That’s was in the mid 90’s. Our instructor taught us that if we choose to play cowbell or clave we have to be ON IT, as far as keeping time. Not only to keep the time for the musicians, also because it is loud. Great video. They are some sad sticks being sold as ‘clave’. No punch, too small. Old rosewood ones are the best!!!
I kept asking dance teachers if you could tell the difference between a 3:2 and 2:3 Clave if the Clave is implicit only. None of them could give me a decent answer. Finally I have my answer as to how the other instruments are arranged around the Clave. Thank you..
Excellent, thank you! You're probably the only guy who can make a 45 min video on a (seemingly) simple two bar rhythm and make it interesting as well as entertaining... very good & helpful resource on the topic!! Best wishes to you, your family & friends!!!
You have cleared up so much muckery in this video. I love your combination of love for the music, your cerebriality, and the fact that it moves your body too. All three are important to me. Thanks so much!
Man!!! This hurt my brain so much (in a good way), well done.. esp at 31:11 the singing alongside rumba clave, best exercise ever to learn to hear the beats!! Thank you. EDIT: I've now listened to a few songs and was finally able to hear the clave rithm :-)) great explanations, so comprehensive
Yayyyy. I am a drummer and drumming instructor. I really think that Dance Papi is an EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT COMMUNICATOR! Remember that English is probably not even his first language, and yet his choice of words of explanation in English is absolutely superb. Of course you can tell that he has been speaking English for many years, and I'm sure also teaching in English. I have great respect for this amazing gentleman. He used fantastic, colorful analogies in his explanations also. What I particularly like here is that he is clearly explaining something that is second nature and indigenous to him since he was a boy growing up listening and dancing to his native music; and yet without condescending, he breaks it down and makes it very easy to understand to the non Latin musician or dancer. Anyway, bravissimo to a fabulous educator.
I've just stated latin jazz piano lesson. So it was worth watching this lesson. Thank you very much. I was reading about clave as a pattern played on the pulse of the song. Tbey said that it's as important in lafro-cuban music as swing is in traditional jazz.
Great explanation. I enjoy finding clave in many rock & roll recordings from the 50s,60s, 70s then pointing it out to my music loving friends I've tried to enlighten. 3,2 clave is all over pop music.
Son Mertens what a perfect choice; the clave rhythm is perhaps the singular point of birth of every note and dynamic the band feels and plays to in Latin, which further heavily impacted every second of music that causes (forces) the body to move to the music. clave to me is a trance drug :) enjoy much..... note that SOME AfroLatin songs play clave very explicitly, while others are much more subtle. When feeling it clicks, you'll never recover :)
Muchisimas gracias! I'm taking an Afro-cuban percussion class and your tutorial has really helped me to understand the fundamentals of the clavé and where it fits in. I am looking forward to learning how these clavé rhythms fit with the conga, bongo, and timbales rhythms! Hasta luego!
This is very good. I am the former undefeated World Salsa Champion, as well as Univisions Salsero Mas Caliente, (and a Gringo) would recommend this video for all Salseros to watch and practice. Your explanations and music interpretation for all is outstanding. Congratulations!
God bless you my man Love your style, your teaching and heart to teach Thank you for Helping me understand the clave, etc. maybe some day i can put something out there to give back
Edgardo, your videos are SO informative. They're really dripping with knowledge and context, I always pick up on so many new details! Thanks from Pennsylvania.
I watched this video intently (and I will again and again). Thank you for your insight on Facebook to my question, and for your knowledge that you are sharing. You make me a better (aspiring) musician. - Gerry V.
Great instruction! I'm an instant fan. And putting in some historical context, that just makes it all the more interesting. I'm eager to learn more from you folks.
I was playing with the sound effect clave in Ableton live. Thank you for your clear explanation that helps me understand this instrument. Btw I practice along with this video by using chopsticks, and it was a great fun lol.
I think what misleads so many students in learning the 3-2 or 2-3 clave is that in reality its a 4-4 beat where we still need to count the silent notes but we don't play them aloud. Quizas lo que puede ayudar es tocar en silencio las dos o una nota que no se toca dentro del clave. Eso te ayudara a tocar en ritmo. Pues aun la nota silenciosa se tiene que contar.
![John Santos Claves Demonstration [Interview Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Htz94NNaUfo/mqdefault.jpg)
This man is by far the absolute best teacher of Latin music I have ever come across on video in the thirty or so years that I've been interested in learning about it.
Thank you Sir. I appreciate your comment very much. I was lucky I had myself a good pack of good teachers explaining things to me in a clear and understandable way... Muchas Gracias!
Thank you for this! I am a middle school science teacher in the South Bronx, and proud Nuyorican. We have different signals to get the students' attention. I love to use the clave beat. I clap it as the call to attention, and the students clap it back to let me know they hear me and they are ready. Its a great way to affirm their african roots (since all life originated there), and it brings a lot of joy. But many of them were unfamiliar with the clave beat. So I played the beginning of your video and they got it right away! 🥰
Is it a call and responce thing ? You do the first part and they respond? 2/3 or 3/2.
Really nice to get a little context. You convey ”feel” and conscious knowledge.
Glad you liked it!
Thank you so much for the explanation! I have always been so confused between the 2/3 and 3/2 claves and Son and Rumba clave rhythm, thinking that whichever side the 2 and 3 counts hit made them either Son or Rumba claves. I have asked people and Googled to try to figure it out and you totally cleared up the confusion for me. Your explanation is so clear and thorough.
I was searching something like this for my intro to Son class this coming weekend and I have to say - one of the best videos I've seen on Cuban rhythm. I'm not a musician but everything taught in this video will make me a better dancer.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You explained Claves perfectly. I like your style.
I'm amazed at how complex it is to beat two pieces of wood together. Very informative video thank you!
What a fabulous class. My favorite teacher, by far. Fun and informative. If you want to learn percussion, this is the place to start.
I feel like I'm in your living room......you have given me more understanding of the Clave in 45 min than I had discovered in 2years of playing Tumbau......many thanks Edgardo!
Thank you for the kind comments! We have new videos coming soon!
Gorrell
I can't learn this fast enough! Thank you, Papi!
I learned to play the clave rhythm on a cowbell. The 6/8 on an iron ago-go, with the 1 on the lower bell.
This was for basic African rhythms played on conga/djembe. Later I learned rhumba clave rhythm. That’s was in the mid 90’s. Our instructor taught us that if we choose to play cowbell or clave we have to be ON IT, as far as keeping time. Not only to keep the time for the musicians, also because it is loud. Great video. They are some sad sticks being sold as ‘clave’. No punch, too small. Old rosewood ones are the best!!!
Love home boys t-shirt in these videos, awesome energy!
I kept asking dance teachers if you could tell the difference between a 3:2 and 2:3 Clave if the Clave is implicit only.
None of them could give me a decent answer. Finally I have my answer as to how the other instruments are arranged around the Clave. Thank you..
Excellent, thank you! You're probably the only guy who can make a 45 min video on a (seemingly) simple two bar rhythm and make it interesting as well as entertaining... very good & helpful resource on the topic!! Best wishes to you, your family & friends!!!
Thank you!
Muchas Gracias!!
This video is so so good. 6 years late to the party but wow. So insightful!
I have no words to thank you, Dance Papi! Greetings from Greece and fairwell!
Thank you so much!
I just received my first set of claves an hour ago and found you on TH-cam. Thank you! You’re a great teacher with a passion for rhythm.
Awesome! Thank you!
La mejor y mas detallada explicación que he visto para entender la clave !!!!! Gracias !!!!
You have cleared up so much muckery in this video. I love your combination of love for the music, your cerebriality, and the fact that it moves your body too. All three are important to me. Thanks so much!
Man!!! This hurt my brain so much (in a good way), well done.. esp at 31:11 the singing alongside rumba clave, best exercise ever to learn to hear the beats!! Thank you. EDIT: I've now listened to a few songs and was finally able to hear the clave rithm :-)) great explanations, so comprehensive
Yayyyy. I am a drummer and drumming instructor. I really think that Dance Papi is an EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT COMMUNICATOR! Remember that English is probably not even his first language, and yet his choice of words of explanation in English is absolutely superb. Of course you can tell that he has been speaking English for many years, and I'm sure also teaching in English. I have great respect for this amazing gentleman. He used fantastic, colorful analogies in his explanations also. What I particularly like here is that he is clearly explaining something that is second nature and indigenous to him since he was a boy growing up listening and dancing to his native music; and yet without condescending, he breaks it down and makes it very easy to understand to the non Latin musician or dancer. Anyway, bravissimo to a fabulous educator.
This video has helped me so much in being able to stay dancing on beat during complex salsa songs. Thank you!
I love Cuban music and I play. Absolutely correct, clave was developed in Cuba. It originated in Sub Saharan Africa. Just an observation. Give Thanks
Very few know how to teach theory, history of the instrument, and how to execute the rhythmic patterns.
AWESOME ‼️
Never listened to Latin music a day in my life and just watched this dude talking about these tiny logs for almost an hour...
These tiny logs can groove... :-)
Shane, welcome to Latin Music (African based Latin Music), I take your comment as a great compliment! Thanks for watching. Edgardo.
Thank you Dance Papi! 😊😎 I visited Cuba in Holguin and I loved the people. 😘
Salud!
I've just stated latin jazz piano lesson. So it was worth watching this lesson. Thank you very much. I was reading about clave as a pattern played on the pulse of the song. Tbey said that it's as important in lafro-cuban music as swing is in traditional jazz.
Thank you so much for this! The together-hand-foot starting at 20:15 really made it a lot better for me ! Great, thanks !!!
Excellent video.!!...I invite you to know why THE KEY is...THE KEY..
th-cam.com/video/vat7dXPLHDI/w-d-xo.html
Very, very well explained. Best instruction I have ever seen on this concept!
Thank you so much for your excellent teaching method. Your singing of rhythms and melodic counting helps so much. 🙏
Excellent! Thanks maestro !
The best, Dance Papi! Gracias, amigo! Sabes que me gusta la camiseta! Bien firme!
Great explanation. I enjoy finding clave in many rock & roll recordings from the 50s,60s, 70s then pointing it out to my music loving friends I've tried to enlighten. 3,2 clave is all over pop music.
Gracias! Muy bien explicado la diferencia entre son y rumba clave. Ahora a enseñar musica cubana a los alumnos aqui e Dinamarca.
Muchísimas gracias maestro, en esta clase ud. entrega un montón de conocimiento tan valioso. Saludos desde Chile!
Salud!
Extremely valuable.
Excellent video.!!...I invite you to know why THE KEY is...THE KEY..
th-cam.com/video/vat7dXPLHDI/w-d-xo.html
Thank you so much, this is a fantastic class, grounded in tradition and delivered in a graceful and charming manner. I will share!
Salud!
Fabulous and very helpful.
Excellent video.!!...I invite you to know why THE KEY is...THE KEY..
th-cam.com/video/vat7dXPLHDI/w-d-xo.html
Bought 'Son' claves as a souvenir in Cuba... Now I can play them (correctly) too! ;-) Grtz from Son, Belgium
Happy playing!
Son Mertens what a perfect choice; the clave rhythm is perhaps the singular point of birth of every note and dynamic the band feels and plays to in Latin, which further heavily impacted every second of music that causes (forces) the body to move to the music. clave to me is a trance drug :)
enjoy much..... note that SOME AfroLatin songs play clave very explicitly, while others are much more subtle. When feeling it clicks, you'll never recover :)
Son Mertens nice to know in Belgium you enjoy the clave. We race pigeons "Duiven" here in America and Belgium is the birth place of it.
This is such a great video. Thank you
Excellent video.!!...I invite you to know why THE KEY is...THE KEY..
th-cam.com/video/vat7dXPLHDI/w-d-xo.html
soo clear, thankyouu
thanks from germany for this very nice video. I learned a lot. :-)
Glad to hear that!
Excellent explanation of the claves! Thanks a lot! You are such an inspirational teacher and player!!!
Excellent video.!!...I invite you to know why THE KEY is...THE KEY..
th-cam.com/video/vat7dXPLHDI/w-d-xo.html
Playing along with this video is great. Thus guys a good teacher.
Muchisimas gracias! I'm taking an Afro-cuban percussion class and your tutorial has really helped me to understand the fundamentals of the clavé and where it fits in. I am looking forward to learning how these clavé rhythms fit with the conga, bongo, and timbales rhythms! Hasta luego!
This is very good. I am the former undefeated World Salsa Champion, as well as Univisions Salsero Mas Caliente, (and a Gringo) would recommend this video for all Salseros to watch and practice. Your explanations and music interpretation for all is outstanding. Congratulations!
Thank you Issac! Very kind of you to say!
I love using percussion instruments. I'm glad I landing on your channel! Great stuff!
Awesome, thank you!
Gracias Edgardo. Tus videos son clarísimos y muy generosos.
Salud!
Thanks a lot.
This video is so much helpfully for me, and now i clearly understand the differences or the types of clave.
God bless you.
Thank you Widy!
God bless you my man
Love your style, your teaching and heart to teach
Thank you for Helping me understand the clave, etc.
maybe some day i can put something out there to give back
Thanks for watching!
Thank you, clear explanation
wonderful class!He must be a experience educator,explaining all in a simply and clear way!Thank you so much!
Thank you Zishi!
What a great teacher. Lovely manner. Very helpful. Very "true" thank you
Thank you!
Great lesson! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge with the world!
Excelentísima explicación maestro! Mil gracias!!! Voy a verme todos sus videos ya mismo.
Gracias Marco!
thank you great video, and love your smile when you sing!
Gracias Jay!
You're great at what you do, man!
Thank you. Very understandable. i would love to see more Videos about Salsa / Afro Cuban music & instruments.
Greetings from Germany
Mil Gracias, Maestro
Love this!
Edgardo, your videos are SO informative. They're really dripping with knowledge and context, I always pick up on so many new details! Thanks from Pennsylvania.
Thank you Urie!
Good stuff!
Wow. Brilliant. Well explained with lots of context. I love your enthusiasm. Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
I watched this video intently (and I will again and again). Thank you for your insight on Facebook to my question, and for your knowledge that you are sharing. You make me a better (aspiring) musician. - Gerry V.
Very good explanation of clave, thank you.
Outstanding! Thank you!!!
Thank you, Dance Papi. Great lesson.
Our pleasure!
Thank you so much for this video. It clarifies what I have been telling my students. This is great.
Thanks for watching!
You really understand how to teach! Thank you
Salud!
soo well described! thanks.
Love the way you teach...so natural and definitely have learnt loads having never played this instrument!
Thank you!
You are just awesome! Informative lesson and amazing vibe. Thank you so much!
Thank you Alina!
no soy cubana pero oírte cantar guaguanco(si no es guaguanco perdona la ignorancia) me llego al alma que bonito
Gracias Ana!
Master class... hugs from Portugal...
+Amandio Brito Gracias Amandio!
Great instruction! I'm an instant fan. And putting in some historical context, that just makes it all the more interesting. I'm eager to learn more from you folks.
Thank you Robert. We're lucky to have Edgardo as a featured instructor and we look forward to sharing many more videos with you in the future.
I was playing with the sound effect clave in Ableton live. Thank you for your clear explanation that helps me understand this instrument. Btw I practice along with this video by using chopsticks, and it was a great fun lol.
Great to hear!
El altar y el patio😊 👍 👍
Such an easy listening clave lesson!! Best one ever!!
Fascinating. Thanks for the lecture.
Thank you for posting. I just got some rumba claves.
amazing! your explanation was just perfect!
Thanks. You gave me a great understanding for the clave and I gonna feel it different now.
Muchas gracias Frank, Thank you!
wow extensive! thanks so much. gave me a lot to digest. Cheers from Singapore!
Happy to help!
Excellent thank you
Glad it was helpful!
What a great, clear, helpful lesson! Gracias!
Thank you April!
Trying to teach my Australian students basic son clave..... And they have so much trouble, but your explanation makes it so much easier
Thanks a lot from Belgium
Thank you very much! So helpfull! Best wishes from Vienna!
Thank you!
Wow, this is so interesting and useful. Thank you! 🎶
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for such an informative video.
Sharing with all my salsa friends :)
+nitesh dulal Thank you Nitesh!
thank you very much! a wonderfull explaination, and less mystery about rythm for me :-)
+aquaviva We're happy to help! :-)
Latin music therory awareness
Thanks so much for the detailed instructions...
Cheers!
I think what misleads so many students in learning the 3-2 or 2-3 clave is that in reality its a 4-4 beat where we still need to count the silent notes but we don't play them aloud.
Quizas lo que puede ayudar es tocar en silencio las dos o una nota que no se toca dentro del clave. Eso te ayudara a tocar en ritmo. Pues aun la nota silenciosa se tiene que contar.
Great commentary! Thanks for watching our videos!
So great video
Many thanks
Now I know why I was confused while grouping strokes in rumba clave
Thanks for watching!
EXCELLENT!!! Thank you. :-)
Very clear 👍
YOU ARE A GOD AND GREAT COACH 🏈 I ❤ U YOU MADE MY YEAR BAH BAH BAH BAH BAH
the tea is ready, thank for the vid
Thanks for watching!
excellent teacher and muso
thank you!