Tresillo
Tresillo is a three-hit rhythm spread across eight equal subdivisions in a 3+3+2 pattern. In 4/4, its hits land on eighth-note slots 1, 4 and 7.
- three hits
- 3+3+2 eighths
- one 4/4 bar
How do you count 3+3+2?
Write eight equal slots: X . . X . . X .. The three attacks occur on slots 1, 4 and 7. The spaces between attacks are three, three and two slots, with the last interval crossing into the next loop. At a quarter-note pulse, say '1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and' and hit on 1, the and of 2, and 4.
What does the pattern do to a 4/4 bar?
The hits avoid a simple one-per-beat march. The second arrives between quarter-note beats, and the third lands on beat 4. Keep a straight hi-hat or foot tap underneath: the displaced middle hit becomes easier to locate.
Where might you hear it?
Variations of this 3+3+2 grouping appear in Afro-diasporic music and in many later pop, dance and Latin-influenced grooves. The exact instrumentation and surrounding pattern matter; hearing three uneven hits alone does not identify a genre.
Is tresillo the same as clave?
Tresillo is one compact three-hit cell. A clave pattern such as son clave has a larger two-bar organization with a three-side and a two-side. One side can share a related three-hit outline, but the full clave is more than a single tresillo loop.