Bembe Clave Drum Lesson
Here we break down the Bembe Clave
This Is The Bembe Clave Drum Lesson
The Bembe clave is a rhythmic pattern found today in Afro Cuban rhythms, particularly the Afro Cuban six eight pattern. It is a ternary pattern which means it is based on a three note grouping, same as triplets. That is why it fits neatly into the six eight time signature. Like all the Cuban claves, it takes some work to get really comfortable with it, but once you do it unlocks the door to so many interesting rhythmic possibilities that aren’t available if you always play straight subdivisions.
And what I realised quite quickly after learning this many years ago is that you don’t have to play in a Cuban band to use it. You can use this pattern to spice up your blues shuffle, funk, heavy metal, rock or pop drumming.
So a clave in Cuban music means rhythmic key to the song. Everything that is played in that song must have a connection to the clave whether it’s bembe, son or rumba. This therefore acts as the glue that holds the whole piece together. But over time this has permeated into other styles and therefore things evolve and we take that African pattern and use it in our own way. So it can make a great little pattern to solo around and play off of.
As mentioned, it does come from African and particularly the Yoruba people of West of Africa where they hold bembes which are religious ceremonies. Here music plays an important role and the drums are treated to a high level of respect.
So that’s a little background info on the bembe clave but let’s have a listen to it and start learning it.
Once you know the bembe clave it’s time to get creative, get musical and start applying it to drum beats. Check out this Afro Cuban drum lesson which teaches traditional Afro Cuban grooves as well as Western style pop and rock variations. When you get over there you’ll find that you don’t need to play in a Cuban band to use these. They can really spice up your playing in all styles from metal to jazz.
Watch the bembe video below and then head over to the Afro Cuban drum lesson page to start the journey.
Grab the Bembe clave sheet music below.
Click to access the sheet music
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[…] Afro Cuban Music 4:30 Clave 5:30 Syncopation 5:34 Rhythmic Melody 6:07 Bembe Rhythm 6:26 Acoustic Music 7:44 Classical Music 10:26 Upright Bass 11:11 Mariachi 11:38 Mexican Hat Dance […]