🌍 Rhythm Library

Cuban rumba clave — the rhythmic spine of secular Afro-Cuban percussion. Emerged in 19th-century Havana and Matanzas from Abakuá and yuka traditions. Use multiples of 16.

The son clave — foundation of Cuban son, salsa and most Afro-Cuban popular music. Slightly different from the rumba clave; the accent on step 11 instead of 8 gives it a more relaxed feel.

The clave of Colombian cumbia — a three-beat cross-rhythm fusing Indigenous, African and Spanish elements. The rhythmic skeleton all other instruments lock around in Caribbean coast music.

Three pulses in 8 steps — one of the most widespread rhythmic cells in the African diaspora. Underlies Cuban son, New Orleans second-line, reggae and many others. Euclidean rhythm E(3,8).

The habanera/tumbao pattern — one of the oldest documented Afro-Cuban rhythmic cells, foundational to the habanera, danzón, and ultimately tango. Characterised by the anticipated beat on step 4.

The rhythmic pattern of bossa nova — the intimate samba derivative developed in late-1950s Rio de Janeiro by João Gilberto and Tom Jobim. The relaxed, syncopated guitar-strum feel in 16 steps.

The Puerto Rican bomba drum pattern — an Afro-Caribbean form with roots in West African traditions brought to the island. Characterised by a dense cluster of triggers in the second half of the 8-step cycle.

The pandereta (frame drum) pattern of Puerto Rican plena — an Afro-Caribbean form from early 20th-century Ponce used as oral-history storytelling. Syncopated call-and-response character.

Toussaint's 16-beat adaptation of the Bembe — E(6,16). Traditional Afro-Cuban Bembe is a 12-beat ternary cycle; this 16-step binary version preserves the syncopation and polyrhythmic essence while fitting a 4/4 grid.

A pan-diaspora pattern: the Haitian Vodou banda rhythm, identical to the moribayasa among the Malinke of Guinea, and called cinquillo in Cuba. A striking example of rhythmic convergence across the African diaspora.

Adowa is a funeral and ceremonial music of the Ashanti people of Ghana, played on fontomfrom drums. The pattern places triggers on the last three steps of an 8-step cycle, giving it a distinctive back-weighted feel.

Sikyi is a recreational dance music of the Ashanti. It shares its 8-step pattern with adowa — same binary content, same people. Often played at social gatherings and festivals on the fontomfrom.

A social dance from the Ewe people of Ghana and Togo, imported from Nigeria in the 20th century. The 16-step gahu pattern is used on the kidi and kagan support drums and is a reference in Toussaint's geometry of rhythm.

A West African bell pattern documented by Toussaint, widely present across the Caribbean diaspora. Characterised by regular spacing with a slight asymmetry. Use multiples of 16.

The percussion pattern from Congolese soukous — a high-energy guitar dance music evolved from rumba that swept Africa in the 1960s–80s. Note the double trigger on steps 11–12, giving it a forward-lurching feel.

A pseudo-aksak pattern in 10 steps — inspired by the asymmetric Balkan rhythmic tradition where aksak ("limping" in Turkish) meters group pulses unevenly (2+2+3+3, 2+3+2+3 etc.). Use multiples of 10.

A proper aksak in 13 steps (2+2+2+2+2+3), capturing the characteristic asymmetric lilt of Balkan and Anatolian folk music. Use multiples of 13 for rhythmic consistency.

The kick drum pattern from UK jungle — the breakbeat-driven electronic music from early-1990s London that evolved into drum & bass. Derived from the hex pattern '88000000'.

The snare pattern from UK jungle. From hex '00820820' — placing snare hits on offbeats 5 and 11, creating the characteristic syncopated breakbeat feel that defined the genre.

The rimshot pattern from UK jungle. From hex '00145145' — fills in syncopated subdivisions between the kick and snare to complete the characteristic broken-beat texture.