Can anyone help me hear the clave????

[squirrel]

guys and gals.... HEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!
i have a big problem... let me tell you i used to be a very poor follower because i COULD NOT hear the rhythm, beat... nothing!!! after listening only to salsa music, now i have no problems with the beat... or the rhythm... BUT:

I CANNOT HEAR THE CLAVE!!! i mean, i only hear this instrument while it plays... but when it stops playing, i cannot follow the beat anymore... and it's playing so very rarely... i know it is possible to keep the clave beat the same way as you caount :1-2-3, 5-6-7 or 2-3-4, 6-7-8 but I CANNOT! and i think this holds me back as a dancer!!!
can anyone help???

[Pacion]

I can't think of any songs off the top of my head (mind wrapped up in work just now, so am on DF break :wink: )

I think there is one by La India where you hear the clave strongly and consistently. My recommendation would be for you to listen to a few songs literally 24 hours a day. Gradually, your ear will become more attuned to it and eventually, you will be able to hear the clave even in the sound of running water/bacon frying :wink: :D

[Sabor]

its ok squirrel.. as Pacion recommended listening with all your being as much as u can, u will get it in time for sure..

on a side note, in general, there are 2 kinds of Clave .. the 3-2 and the 2-3 as u can hear them clearly thru the clave sticks when they play THEN there is also Contra-Clave (or cross clave) usually played by the bass guitar ..

my added suggestion is to ask someone in your vicinity who is primarily a musician.. or a seasoned salser@ u trust with an ear for music to outline the clave for u in the music as it plays and show u on how to pick it out at first, untill u can feel it rather than hear it.. goodluck!

[squirrel]

thanks guys... i'm gonna do it... :)) my closest friend has a good ear for music and she used to play the violin... she tells me she can hear the clave always :)) gonna try it

[Pacion]

Yes, I forgot to mention which Sabor kindly did for me :wink: there are two timings. I still can't think of any other songs than this La India one where the clave is so strong, you wouldn't need a map to find it :wink:

Something else to try, is to clap try and clap it along to the music. By clapping, it sets the brain/thinking processes in motion :banana:

[Vin]

I often have people listen to
"Vivir lo Nuestro" By La India and Marc Anthony to hear the clave. Some other good choices for hearing the Clave in my opinion-
"Que Voy hacer contigo" by Carlos Vega,
"Como Lo Hacen" by Frankie Ruiz
"Ritmo Caliente" By Eddie Palmieri
I have more but I can't remember the names. The person to really pay attention to on this one is salsa rhythms.

[danceguy]

Squirrel,

After a lot of study and listening to Salsa music, I'm able to hear every instrument, but the clave is one that is still hard for me. Most songs I hear the clave is very faint and often overpowered by the rest of the instuments and vocals.

What I do when I'm out dancing is to just try and "feel" the clave...whether I hear it or not...soon I will tune into and then I'll start tapping it with my hand when I'm just getting ready to dance. Once you have a feel for its cycle...it will just be there...sounds weird I know but I'm sure Boriken or SalsaRhythms can explain this much better than I can. ;)

Best,

SG

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

I often have people listen to
"Vivir lo Nuestro" By La India and Marc Anthony to hear the clave. Some other good choices for hearing the Clave in my opinion-
"Que Voy hacer contigo" by Carlos Vega,
"Como Lo Hacen" by Frankie Ruiz
"Ritmo Caliente" By Eddie Palmieri
I have more but I can't remember the names. The person to really pay attention to on this one is salsa rhythms.

I would suggest "Salsa con Candela" by Miguel Yamba. It´s an instrumental, so you don´t have the guy´s voice overpowering the clave. You can hear the clave distinctively during almost all the song (sometimes it´s even clapped). Hope this helps.

[pelao]

If you really wanna know about it, you gotta get someone who knows about clave to teach you. The clave is not something that can be heard, it has to be fealt to express it into audio.

[voilsb]

The Best Damn Clave Explanation. Period. (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=469)

[brujo]

Big difference is to hear the clave and to anticipate the clave. It involves a great deal of ear training, but my advice is to get an actual clave or a good substitute ( drumsticks will do, or something that makes a nice noice ) and actually try to mimic the clave as you sit down and hear a song. Try to emulate the songs with heavy clave and have a friend tell you if you are off with the sound.

This will make your body atuned to the sound, as well as make it anticipate it, so even if there is no clave in the music, your internal rhythm will still act as if there was one. It is only when you start mimicing the music and the different rhythms with your body that you will be able to hear and expect the instruments better.