Son Clave (3-2)
The five-note pattern that organises Afro-Cuban music. Three hits in the first half, two in the second.
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Rim
Hi-hat
Kick
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Latin Drum Patterns
Son clave and bossa nova — two patterns that organise an entire family of music between them.
2 patterns Free MIDI
Drum kit
Real recorded kits, not synthesised. Loads on first play.
Bossa Nova
Rim click on a clave-derived figure, steady eighths on the hat, and a soft two-beat kick underneath.
1234
Hi-hat
Rim
Kick
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Generate drum loops with Drumloop AIHow to play these latin patterns
- Press play to hear the pattern, and follow the moving column on the grid to see where each hit lands.
- Slow the tempo down until you can play along comfortably, then raise it a few BPM at a time.
- Filled cells are full-volume hits and dim cells are ghost notes — play them much quieter, they matter more than they look.
- Download the MIDI to open the pattern in your DAW, or generate an original variation with AI.
How Latin rhythm works
Most Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music is organised around the clave, a five-note pattern spread across two bars that functions as the rhythmic key for everything else. Once the clave is established, every other part in the ensemble is written to agree with it. Playing a phrase that contradicts the clave — being "cruzado" — is a genuine error rather than a stylistic choice.
The 3-2 son clave shown below has three hits in the first bar and two in the second. Reverse the bars and you have 2-3 clave, which feels completely different despite containing identical notes. Which one a tune uses is determined by the melody, and switching mid-tune is jarring in the way a sudden key change would be.
Bossa nova adapts the same logic for a quieter context: a rim click plays a clave-derived pattern while the hi-hat keeps steady eighths and the kick plays a soft two-beat figure. Tempo sits at 120–140 for bossa and 90–110 for most son-based styles. Practise both against the metronome with subdivisions on.
Frequently asked questions
What is clave?
A five-note rhythmic pattern spread over two bars that acts as the organising key for Afro-Cuban music. Every other instrument in the ensemble is written to agree with it. It is not merely a percussion part — it is the rhythmic framework the whole arrangement is built on.
What is the difference between 3-2 and 2-3 clave?
The order of the bars. In 3-2 clave the bar with three hits comes first; in 2-3 it comes second. The notes are identical but the feel is completely different, and which one a tune uses is dictated by its melody. Playing the wrong direction against the melody is a real error, described as being "cruzado" — crossed.
What tempo is bossa nova?
Typically 120–140 BPM, though it is felt in two rather than four so it sounds much more relaxed than the number suggests. Son and salsa styles usually sit lower, around 90–110.
Where can I get latin drum loops?
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