(claves knocking rhythmically)
- [Martina] Hey, Ynairaly, do you hear that?
- [Ynairaly] Hear what?
- [Martina] ♪ Dum dum dum dum dum ♪
♪ Dum dum dum dum dum ♪
That steady rhythm.
It's at the heart of Cuban music.
It's also the name of the instrument you hear playing.
Two wooden sticks that you strike together
to create a rhythm called the clave.
- [Ynairaly] That's amazing! (guitar strums)
(Cuban music)
- [Martina] Hi friends, I'm Martina Castro,
host of the "Vivo Songbook Podcast",
a show where we dive deep into the story
and songs of "Vivo", the movie from Sony Pictures Animation,
streaming now on Netflix.
- [Ynairaly] And I'm Ynairaly Simo,
the voice of Gabi in "Vivo".
- [Martina] We welcome you to the "Vivo Songbook" bonusodes,
where you'll play games
to learn how to speak a language
that brought Gabi and Vivo together!
- [Ynairaly] The language of music.
- [Martina] In today's bonusode,
we'll learn how to play this very special rhythm.
that you might hear in some of the music on "Vivo",
the clave,
and here's our guest instructor for today.
- [Juan] My name is Juan de Marcos González.
I'm a Cuban musician.
- [Ynairaly] Juan de Marcos! He plays Andrés!
Sweet! We're in good hands.
Speaking of (clears throat) hands,
- [Martina] Oh yeah.
Today, for our bonusode game,
all you need is your hands
or just a surface you can tap on.
(upbeat Cuban music)
In Spanish, the word clave means key,
and the clave rhythm really is kind of the key
to cracking the code to Cuban music.
- [Juan] Cuban music is so important
because it's a combination, it's a mix of elements,
coming from Europe, in terms of harmony and melodic lines,
and the rhythm that came from Africa.
- [Martina] And Juan,
what do we find at the heart of that rhythm?
- [Juan] We have the clave, which is,
(clapping rhythmically)
- [Ynairaly] That's cool!
I definitely wanna learn how to do this.
- [Martina] It is cool.
The clave rhythm and the clave instrument
are essential building blocks of music in Cuba,
and they trace back all the way across the Atlantic Ocean
to Sub-Saharan Africa.
- [Juan] So, the influence of Africa is deep,
- [Ynairaly] But how does the clave rhythm work?
- [Martina] Great question.
The clave rhythm is made of two parts.
It starts with three beats, like this.
(clave knocking rhythmically)
♪ Dum dum dum ♪
and then another two beats on a different rhythm.
(clave knocking rhythmically)
♪ Dum dum ♪
Let's hear it again.
The three first beats,
♪ Dum dum dum ♪
and the two beats that come after,
which are a little faster.
(clave knocking rhythmically)
So, when you put it all together, you get,
(clave knocking rhythmically)
All right, now close your eyes and feel the rhythm.
♪ Dum dum dum dum dum ♪
You notice that the rhythm isn't entirely on the beat?
(clave knocking rhythmically) (metronome ticking)
♪ One two three four ♪
- [Ynairaly] ♪ Dum dum dum dum dum ♪
♪ Dum dum dum dum dum ♪
- [Martina] Notice how they don't match up?
That's because part of the clave rhythm
has that syncopation we learned in bonusode one.
All right, Ynairaly,
think you can follow this clave rhythm in a song?
- [Martina] Uh, yeah! Martina, I'm like Gabi.
Rhythm's in my blood.
- [Martina] (laughing) Okay, here we go.
Repeat after me.
♪ Dum dum dum dum dum ♪
- [Ynairaly] ♪ Dum dum dum dum dum ♪
♪ Dum dum dum dum dum ♪
I feel good about this one.
- [Martina] So, now, friends at home, will you join us?
- [Both] ♪ Dum dum dum dum dum ♪
♪ Dum dum dum dum dum ♪
- [Ynairaly] Love it!
- [Martina] All right, one more time,
but this time, we're gonna let you do it on your own.
Ready?
Go!
(rhythmic Cuban music)
That's it! You've learned the clave!
- [Juan] This is pure Cuban music.
- [Martina] That clave rhythm is in almost every Cuban song.
It's the key to unlocking the song's connection
to its rich musical past,
and now, you know how to find it.
All right. That's it for today's bonusode.
- [Ynairaly] Thanks for playing with us!
You did great!
- [Martina] A special thanks to our guest instructor today,
Juan de Marcos.
- [Juan] Bye, bye-bye. (speaking Spanish)
- [Martina] The "Vivo Songbook" bonusodes
were written and edited by our lead producer,
Martine Chaussard, our editor, Natacha Ruck,
and me, Martina Castro.
They were mixed and sound designed
by Giovana Romano Sanchez.
They include original compositions from Luis Gill,
and were mastered by Martin Cruz Farga and Daniel Musia.
A big thank you to our consultants,
Andrew Barkan and Paulie Hall from the "Ear Snacks" podcast,
who also contributed to our games.
You can stream "Vivo" anytime over at Netflix,
or listen to the podcast
about the story and songs of "Vivo", the "Vivo Songbook",
wherever you prefer to listen to podcasts.
See you next time on the "Vivo Songbook" bonusodes.