Kuon R&D
◆ KUON · RHYTHMS

The Rhythms of the World

Clave, Arabic iqa, Balkan aksak, Indian tala. Twenty-eight patterns, each checked against the literature down to the position of every stroke. All of them play right here.

Clave and bell patterns

Son Clave 3-2
Cuba
4/4 · 3-3-4-2-4
Son Clave 2-3
Cuba
4/4 · 2-4-3-3-4
Rumba Clave 3-2
Cuba
4/4 · 3-4-3-2-4
Rumba Clave 2-3
Cuba
4/4 · 2-4-3-4-3
Bossa Nova Clave
Brazil
4/4 · 3-3-4-3-3
Shiko
West Africa
4/4 · 4-2-4-2-4
Soukous
Central Africa
4/4 · 3-3-4-1-5
Gahu
Ghana (Ewe)
4/4 · 3-3-4-4-2
Tresillo
Cuba
4/4 · 3-3-2
Cinquillo
Cuba (danzón)
4/4 · 2-1-2-1-2
Habanera
Cuba
4/4 · 3-1-2-2
Bembé (Standard Bell)
West Africa / Cuba ・ 12/8
12/8 · 2-2-1-2-2-2-1

Jazz

Jazz Ride (Swing)
USA ・ triplet grid
4/4 · 3-2-1-3-2-1

Arabic iqa

Maqsum
Egypt
4/4 · 2-4-2-4-4
Baladi
Egypt
4/4 · 2-4-2-4-4
Saidi
Upper Egypt
4/4 · 2-4-2-4-4
Malfuf
Egypt / Lebanon
4/4 · 3-3-2
Ayyub
Egypt / Lebanon
4/4 · 4-2-2

Balkan aksak (uneven meters)

Paidushko
Bulgarian dance ・ 2+3
5/8 · 2+3
Rachenitsa
Bulgarian dance ・ 2+2+3
7/8 · 2+2+3
Kalamatianos
Greek dance ・ 3+2+2
7/8 · 3+2+2
Daichovo
Bulgarian dance ・ 2+2+2+3 (same form as Turkish karşılama)
9/8 · 2+2+2+3
Kopanitsa
Bulgarian dance ・ 2+2+3+2+2
11/8 · 2+2+3+2+2

Indian tala

Tintal (16 beats)
4+4+4+4 ・ khali (empty beat) on beat 9 is silent
16/4 · 4+4+4+4
Keherwa (8 beats)
4+4 ・ khali on beat 5 is silent
8/8 · 4+4
Dadra (6 beats)
3+3 ・ khali on beat 4 is silent
6/8 · 3+3
Rupak (7 beats)
3+2+2 ・ unique tala beginning with khali (silent) on beat 1
7/4 · 3+2+2
Jhaptal (10 beats)
2+3+2+3 ・ khali on beat 6 is silent
10/8 · 2+3+2+3

All twenty-eight of these live inside the metronome, where you can also change tempo, drop bars into silence, and displace the beat.

Use it in the metronome

Sources

Clave and bell patterns are derived from the interval vectors in Toussaint, "A Mathematical Analysis of African, Brazilian and Cuban Clave Rhythms" (BRIDGES 2002) and "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm". The iqa are checked against the Dum/Tak notation at Maqam World. Aksak and tala follow standard metrical definitions. Patterns that could not be confirmed stroke by stroke are not included.