I agree, calling it clave is wrong, and calling it 3-2 is wrong. I've heard American amateur batucada people refer to Brazilian rhythms generally as "clave", especially with regard to being on the wrong side of the rhythm-- like you're on surdo playing the muffled notes on the wrong beat. I once used the word in that sense when talking to my pianist, Weber Iago, from Rio, and he said "Brazilian music doesn't use clave." I found
one video of a Brazilian using the word clave, in reference to the first surdo, which sure doesn't play the rhythm below. I think he's just using it as a familiar word for 'rhythmic foundation' to his white audience. I haven't been around that many Brazilians, so maybe they're all saying clave and I don't know about it, but none of the main books ever use it.
If I may rant for a moment: I'm kind of in awe at how much screwed-up information there is out there about this, even on the big sites. On the YouTubes, three of the first things that come up that are supposed to be about Son Clave (which these guys pronounce as
"sun" or
"sawn"), put the rhythm
on top of a samba feel. Which, I hope we've established by now, is like putting Bolognese on a soufflé. Like putting a Mercedes hood ornament on a Cadillac. It's like everyone is just doing the same Internet search, and calling it good. “OK, I'm ready to teach 'Latin' drumming.” You can forgive some of them, because they're just random dudes, but the Drumeo guy is plastering himself everywhere as some kind of major authority-- you can't do a google search of any drumming topic without getting multiple Drumeo hits. Like, MF,
buy a record, and a book before you spew all over my Internet. Do some basic research.
That's been bugging me for a couple of days...