Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:) are a percussion instrument (idiophone), consisting of a pair of short (about 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in), thick dowels. Traditionally they were made of wood, typically rosewood, ebony or grenadilla. Nowadays they are also made of fibreglass or plastics due to the greater durability of these materials. When struck they produce a bright clicking noise. Claves are sometimes hollow and carved in the middle to amplify the sound.
Claves are very important in Afro-Cuban music, such as the son and guaguancó, in Australian Aboriginal music, where they are called clapsticks, and in certain types of German minimal techno. They are often used to play a repeating rhythmic figure throughout a piece, known as clave, a key pattern (or guide-pattern, timeline patter, phrasing referent, bell pattern) that is also found in African music and Brazilian music. Among the better known pop recordings featuring claves are the Beatles' recording "And I Love Her," and "Magic Bus (song) by The Who.
Steve Reich's Music for Pieces of Wood is written for five pairs of claves.