Lesson 38 (P2): The 3-2 Son Clave 1 / 10
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The 3-2 Son Clave

La Clave de Son 3-2
Cuba's Heartbeat • Five Strikes That Changed Music
El Corazón de Cuba • Cinco Golpes Que Cambiaron La Música
Wednesday, April 29, 2026 • Period 2 (11th Grade) • Music Studio • Mr. Mbagwu
Unit 5: Music as Social Commentary – Week 12 – Lesson 38 (P2)
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DO NOW • 3 MINUTES

Find the Heartbeat

Encuentra el Latido
03:00
Open on YouTube
"Chan Chan" • Buena Vista Social Club • World Circuit Records • 0:00–0:30 intro • listen for the wood-stick clicking pattern under the guitar
DO NOW

Stay seated. Tap a steady pulse on your desk while the song plays. Then write ONE sentence: "Underneath the guitar I hear ____________ ."

Siéntate. Marca un pulso estable en la mesa. Escribe: "Debajo de la guitarra escucho ____________ ."

I Can…

Yo Puedo…

I can read the 3-2 son clave on the staff, clap it from notation, and perform it as a class to "Chan Chan" by Buena Vista Social Club.

Puedo leer la clave de son 3-2 en el pentagrama, palmarla a partir de la notación y ejecutarla con la clase a "Chan Chan."
UNIT 5 • WEEK 12 • THROUGHLINE

Three weeks studying music as social commentary. Today the rhythm itself is the message: the son clave traveled from West Africa through Cuba into the Bronx, becoming the foundation of salsa, mambo, Latin jazz, and early hip-hop. Learn the pattern. Read the notation. Hear it move.

WARMUP • 3 MINUTES

Wake the Body

Despierta el Cuerpo
03:00
People stretching arms overhead — warming up before activity

Shoulder Rolls

Roll shoulders 5 forward, then 5 backward. Loosens shoulders for clapping & striking.

45 sec
Side stretch demonstration

Side Stretch

Right arm reach overhead, lean left. Hold 4 sec. Switch sides. Opens rib cage for breath.

45 sec
Diaphragmatic breathing diagram: inhale belly out, exhale belly in

Deep Breaths

Belly out on inhale (4 counts) • hold 2 • belly in on exhale (6 counts) with a sigh. 3 times.

45 sec
Drum sticks — wooden, used as clave substitute today

Clapping Prep

Clench & release fists 10 times. Then 8 light claps (or tap drum sticks together).

45 sec
MEET THE INSTRUMENT • 3 MINUTES

The Claves

Las Claves
A pair of wooden claves — two short cylindrical sticks used as a percussion instrument
Claves (the original instrument) • Wikimedia Commons
A pair of drum sticks — wooden, used in drum kits
Drum sticks (today's substitute — we have these in class)

What are claves?

Two short wooden sticks. One held in a cupped hand (the resonator); the other strikes it. Cuban origin. Used in son cubano, salsa, rumba, Latin jazz.

Today we use drum sticks. Hold one stick in a cupped, slightly-loose hand (palm up, fingers curved). Strike with the other. Same wood-on-wood click that defines the clave sound.

DOK 1 – RECALL

What instrument plays the clave pattern? What can substitute when claves aren’t available?

READ THE RHYTHM • 5 MINUTES

The 3-2 Son Clave on the Staff

La Clave de Son 3-2 en el Pentagrama
Standard staff notation of the 3-2 son clave (left) and 2-3 son clave (right) in cut time
Standard music notation • LEFT: 3-2 son clave (today's pattern) • RIGHT: 2-3 son clave (the reverse) • source: Wikimedia Commons

Bar 1 = THREE strikes

Beat 1 • the "&" of beat 2 • beat 4. Two of the three strikes are syncopated — they fall on the off-beat, not on the number.

Bar 2 = TWO strikes

Beat 2 • beat 3. Both on the number. This is the "answer" to bar 1.

DOK 2 – APPLY

Looking at the staff: which strikes land OFF the beat (syncopation)? Which land ON the beat?

CLAP & ECHO • 8 MINUTES

Clap the Pattern

Palma el Patrón
08:00

1. Slow Echo

Mr. Mbagwu claps the 3-2 pattern from the staff above. Class echoes. Repeat 4 times. Lock in the order.

2. Half & Half

Half the room claps Bar 1 only. Other half claps Bar 2 only. Switch. Then both halves clap the full pattern together.

3. Add a Step

Add a steady step on beats 1 and 3 (downbeats) WHILE clapping the clave. Feet on the beat, hands on the clave.

If the room desyncs: FREEZE. Mr. Mbagwu calls "1 – 2 – 3 – 4 GO" and we re-enter on beat 1 of bar 1.

PERFORM TO MUSIC • 10 MINUTES

Clap the Clave to "Chan Chan"

Palma la Clave a "Chan Chan"
Open on YouTube
Buena Vista Social Club – "Chan Chan" • World Circuit Records • starts at 0:08 when the band drops in • clave is audible the moment you press play

What we do

• Stand in place • drum sticks in hand (or clap if no sticks)

• Strike the 3-2 clave on every bar of the song

• Step on beats 1 and 3

• Two full passes — about 3 minutes

What to listen for

• The actual clave instrument is audible — match it

• The bass and tres guitar lock around it

• The whole band lives on top of those 5 strikes per 2 bars

DOK 3 – ANALYZE

When you locked in with the recorded clave, what changed in the room? What changed in your body?

EXIT TICKET 5 Points • Classwork (40%) 03:00
Q1 – Read the Notation (2 pts)

How many strikes are in Bar 1 of the 3-2 son clave? How many strikes are in Bar 2?

¿Cuántos golpes hay en el Compás 1? ¿Cuántos en el Compás 2?

1 pt = correctly says Bar 1 has 3 strikes • 1 pt = correctly says Bar 2 has 2 strikes

Q2 – What is Syncopation? (3 pts)

Use the sentence starter: "Syncopation means ____________ . In the 3-2 son clave, the syncopated strike lands on ____________ . That makes the rhythm feel ____________ ."

"Síncopa significa ___________. En la clave 3-2, el golpe sincopado cae en ___________. Eso hace que el ritmo se sienta ___________."

1 pt = defines syncopation (off-beat / between numbers) • 1 pt = names where in the bar the syncopated strike lands • 1 pt = describes the feel

📚 Submit on Google Classroom

Five Strikes, One Pattern, A Whole World

The son clave is older than the songs that use it. It traveled from West Africa to Cuba on slave ships and surfaced in son cubano, mambo, salsa, Latin jazz, and the foundations of hip-hop. Five strikes per two bars hold up an entire musical tradition.
Take this rhythm with you. Listen for it the next time you hear salsa, mambo, or anything Latin. Once you hear the clave, you can't un-hear it.
"All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."
– John 1:3
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