1. I wrote the book "Mastering Clave With Quinto Licks" to help people understand what clave is all about and how to feel it naturally with practice, over time. Because most of us didn't grow up in Cuba, we didn't get a chance to listen to clave being played "day in and day out" in order to make it a natural part of our lives. It is my intention that everyone has access to learn to feel and play with Afro Cuban sabor using the clave rhythm as an important foundation towards reaching this goal.

2. The clave rhythm gives people rhythmical guidelines to play, sing or dance within, on and around. Learning where each of the hits interrput silence is a first step in mastering the rumba clave rhythm. First one learns to clap the rhythm. Next one learns to tap the rhythm with the foot and then begin to clap each of the sixteen spaces one by one until each space has been memorized. It's not enough to know how to clap each of the spaces in the clave rhythm though, one also must learn about afro cuban syncopation and rhythmical placement within the rhythm. The next step is to clap actual licks while tapping the clave rhythm with the foot. And finally, one learns to play licks on a drum while tapping out the rhythm.
    By learning to master the clave rhythm one will feel more confident as well as gain a greater command over the rumba quinto language. When someone says " you have to play with clave or within the constraints of clave, etc... it means that one has to have mastered the ability to place self expression along side the clave rhythm so that it has the "soundfeel" of the Afro Cuban Syncopated language of the rumba quinto (in this case).

3. The clave rhythm is a basic timekeeping rhythm that occurs in rumba. Since many of us who love music from Cuba didn't grow up there, we have to learn this incredibly passionate through "late blooming" ears. It holds time and also "locks" all the drummers, singers and dancers into synchronicity. Before anyone can lock in with the clave rhythm and others, one has to learn about the sixteen spaces that make up the clave rhythm. There are five hits and eleven silent spaces in all.
   In my new book, Rumba Afro Cuban Conga Drum Improviation, volume 2, Mastering Clave With Quinto Licks, the practice of tapping out the clave rhythm with the foot while clapping syncopation exercises or playing licks, is used to both teach the student the basics in locking in with clave and ingrain deeply the relationship between free self expression, the five hits that make up clave as well as, most importantly, the silent spaces between those hits.

4. It is discernable if, for example a drummer in a salsa band has a strong rumba background. This drummer can rhythmically "build up" very tasteful ideas with simple phrasing and or soloing without resorting to "flashy" or speedy "riffing".
A way to build up rhythmical ideas is to take a particular "lick" and repeat it in different ways. Breaking it up into smaller "ideas" and then combining those ideas in different combinations. Knowing how to fit those combinations within the clave rhythm takes practice. Volume 2 will give a drummer a great head start in learning articulate licks with Cuban feel.

5. Anyone that improvises on a drum, can benefit greatly from this book. The techniques presented develop the ability to play rumba quinto, salsa, latin jazz, world beat etc...with Afro Cuban sabor!. This is the basis for Cuban soulfulness in conga drum, bongo, timbal or trapset soloing technique. I recommend this book for anyone who wishes to become more heartfelt and grounded in their percussive self expression.