Clave is a key signature in Afro-Cuban music. It is commonly presented as a two mesures 8th notes pattern, one with three notes and the other with two notes. The direction can be either 3:2 or 2:3, depending on which of the two measures comes first.
Son Clave[]
The "son clave" is the most common type of clave, here in the 3:2 direction.
4 - |X-----X-----X---|----X---X-------| 4 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Rumba Clave[]
The rumba clave is another type of clave.
4 - |X-----X-------X-|----X---X-------| 4 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
6/8 Clave[]
The third form of clave is an adaptation of the African 12/8 timeline.
6 - |X---X---X---|--X---X-----| 8 1 . 2 . 3 . 1 . 2 . 3 .