Son clave (2-3)

Every exercise here grades you on finding "the one" — count 1, the downbeat that opens the phrase. New to that? The counting salsa lesson covers it first.

The clave is a two-measure rhythm pattern rooted in Cuban son that anchors salsa music. It doesn't play the pulse itself; it's a guide that weaves around it. This exercise uses 2-3 clave, the more common orientation in salsa: the "2-side" (two hits, on beats 2 and 3) plays first, then the "3-side" (three hits: beat 1, the "&" of beat 2, and beat 4) plays in the second measure.

"The one" (count 1, the downbeat that opens the phrase, ringed above) falls on an unlit dot: no stick sound marks it at all. That silence is the point: you have to feel the underlying pulse instead of reacting to a sound. Count 5, the downbeat of the second measure, does get a hit here (the 3-side always opens on its own beat 1), but that's not "the one" this exercise grades you on, so don't let it fool you.