Reggae music is an umbrella genre with various subgenres and fusions, first popularised during the ’60s and now considered amongst one of the most distinct musical styles worldwide.
Influences come from rhythm and blues, jazz, mento (a rural folk form that offered an alternative to hymns and church singing chanteys), calypso and organ-shuffle rhythms played on offbeats – the latter two styles provide inspiration.
Bass
Reggae music‘s bass line is one of its defining characteristics, typically played with a snare drum and kick drum in 4/4 time signature. Bands also commonly include bass guitar and keyboard players; rhythm guitars often perform simple chord progressions to create an uplifting feeling and syncopated beats that characterize reggae music.
Reggae draws inspiration from multiple genres, including rhythm and blues, jazz, calypso and calypso – in particular rhythm and blues and jazz – as well as its unique bassline. Reggae stands apart from ska or rocksteady with more complex basslines that play an essential part in melodic harmony development and slower tempos that allow its lyrics to resonate more fully. These musical influences combine to give reggae its distinctive sound.
By the late 1960s, Jamaica had seen an explosion in Rastafari movements; songs at this time focused less on romance but more on black consciousness, social activism, and protest – eventually giving way to what we know today as reggae music.
In 1973, reggae evolved into dub, an offshoot of reggae that featured prominent bass. Pioneered by producers like Lee “Scratch” Perry and King Tubby, dub incorporated prerecorded reggae tracks with newly recorded ones, mixing in new sounds to produce an outer space effect with instruments suspended like planets in outer space or leaving trails of sound like comets and meteors as it traveled through space.
Reggae has quickly gained worldwide appeal since its birth, adapting to local instruments and styles while merging with other genres. Reggae music can be found throughout the United States with strong scenes in Southern California and Hawaii; similarly in Britain due to large numbers of Caribbean immigrants residing there; many bands such as The Specials, Madness, and Selecter have made reggae/ska their signature sounds.
Drums
Drums are at the core of reggae rhythm, providing structure for other musical elements to play on top of and creating an ever-evolving feel in its sound. Reggae drummers emphasize simple grooves with dynamic movements to bring life to their beat.
The snare drum provides the signature snap and crackle that defines reggae’s rhythm, punctuating each beat like an expert storyteller and emphasizing each beat with well-timed pauses. Hi-hats and cymbals add splashes of color with syncopations and accents, drawing listeners deeper into its groove.
Utilize Rimshot Snare Technique
Rimshot is the technique whereby the stick hits both the head and rim of a drum at once to produce a sharp and distinct sound, an integral element of reggae’s groove that helps set it apart from other styles of music. Experiment with different snare hit patterns until you find one that resonates with you; adding ghost notes or flams (quick, alternating drum hits) may add variety while keeping listeners engaged in your rhythmic structure.
Reggae drummers employ traditional percussion instruments, including djembes, congas, timbales and shakers, to produce their unique sounds. Additionally, they may blend rhythms from other cultures or genres such as soul or rock into their soundscape in order to craft uniquely Jamaican styles of drumming.
Vocals
Reggae music features vocals as a central element, often in Jamaican patois or a blend of Jamaican English and Iyaric dialects. Reggae singers frequently employ tremolo, an approach to vocal improvisation that involves volume oscillation rather than pitch, made famous by singers such as Horace Andy and Israel Vibration. Toasting began as DJs improvised spoken introductions to songs before evolving into its own distinct rhythmic vocal style – similar to rap but without its highly rhymed lyrics.
Reggae music draws upon several genres for inspiration, including ska and rocksteady. However, its tempo tends to be slower and rhythm more complex. Reggae stands out from these other forms by using chords on offbeats of each measure (beat) along with regular drumbeats referred to as the “drop”. This musical genre’s musical interest lies in chords played on offbeats (also known as offbeats or beats) of each measure (beat) along with regular chops of bass drum (known as drops).
Reggae music has long been known for its use of vocals and bass guitar, along with lyrics that combine social criticism and religion. Reggae music has an especially longstanding association with Rastafarian themes; several renowned artists, such as Bob Marley, have become associated with this movement.
Jamaican reggae musicians began experimenting with more intricate musical forms during the 1970s. Dancehall featured speaking over simple rhythmic backing while ragga featured synthesizers and sequenced melodic tracks; both genres gave way to 2 Tone music as practiced by British bands like The Specials and Madness which later inspired punk, new wave, ska revival bands such as The Clash, Who and Elvis Costello and the Attractions which used reggae’s musical elements to craft unique soundscapes of their own.
Guitars
Reggae relies heavily on rhythm guitar to convey its main melodic theme and provide percussive chops on beats two and four of a four-beat bar (known as skank). Additionally, rhythm guitarist patterns may feature clean or mildly overdriven electric solid-body guitars which help create distinctive grooves within the music while giving its sound its distinctive, slightly gritty soundscape.
Rhythm guitarists use short and sharp chords on the offbeat to give the rhythm its distinctive signature sound, distinguishing it from ska and rocksteady music and also lending syncopated movement characteristic of reggae music.
Bass guitars play an integral part in reggae music, providing a sturdy foundation for drums and other instruments. Notable reggae bass players include Aston “Family Man” Barrett and Robbie Shakespeare – two players known for producing powerful bass sounds that suit reggae music perfectly. Basses suitable for this style include older models of Gibsons, Epiphones, Yamaha SGs, Gretsches Rickenbackers and Fender single-coil basses; vintage humbucking pickup designs may work better; modern high output designs will also do just fine.
Reggae music features slower tempos than those found in ska or rocksteady, along with distinctive guitar/piano offbeats, an emphasis on the third beat and use of syncopated chords and riffs, giving this genre its signature sound. Reggae lyrics often explore topics related to religion, love and social issues while it often includes horn sections made up of saxophones, trombones and trumpets for added depth and emotion.
Percussion
A percussion section typically comprises conga drums, bongos and timbales as well as other instruments like tambourines bells triangles whistles and melodicas to form riddims and form the basis for reggae, rocksteady lovers rock dub ska dancehall and soca music genres.
Reggae began as an underground music form in Jamaica during the late 1960s, initially focused on Rastafari and social issues. Due to Bob Marley’s fame and success with his music, reggae soon achieved international recognition. Reggae developed from rocksteady by refining bass patterns while electric organs replaced piano/keyboard instruments as core instruments of its soundscape.
Reggae was further developed when key studio producers immigrated to the UK. Lee “Scratch” Perry and King Tubby became instrumental producers that employed Lee ‘Scratch” Perry’s production techniques on instrumental reggae tracks known as dub, through extensive remixing and accentuating rhythm sections in dub tracks. These production techniques often accompany vocalists who sing heavily rhymed lyrics overtop of an instrumental track – known as deejays.
Reggae music features vocals as an integral part of its sound; singers typically sing Jamaican Patois (Jamaican English) or Iyaric dialects. Harmonies and counterpoint are hallmarks of reggae; some songs feature entirely harmonious songs, while others involve singing unison with a backing group.
Reggae music has deep roots in Caribbean culture and was extremely popular throughout Britain during its peak popularity period in the late 60s to early 70s, particularly among skinheads – working class youth subculture that existed from late 1960s until early 70s. Many prominent Jamaican artists first started their careers here through sound system-based reggae.