ReggaeKris Erice

Reggae is a music genre originating from Jamaica in the 1960s. The term itself was derived from ‘ragged’.

The genre was preceded by Ska and Rocksteady, respectively and had elements of African music and New Orleans R&B.

Reggae went onto influence Dub, Dancehall, Dubstep and Reggaton music.

Ska was characterised by its walking bass line, cross-stick snare, strongly accented offbeat and fast tempo (around 120). Rocksteady was effectively a slower Ska (about 90bpm). Rocksteady continued the topic of love as a lyrical theme from Ska but also adopted the subject matter of police and politics.

Reggae began in 1968 after the decline of Rocksteady. Lyrically, early reggae continued on with the subject matter of love from Ska and Rocksteady but in the 1970s, Reggae became heavily influenced by the Rastafarians who had given the genre a more religious theme – Roots Reggae.

Early Reggae was slightly slower than Rocksteady and featured heavy, bubble rhythmic lines on the organ.

Reggae based its drum rhythms on the ritual drumming of the Rastas, Nyabingi. Reggae uses a standard drum kit, employs the cross-stick technique and emphasises the backbeat. One of the main reggae drumbeats is the ‘one drop’.

The Bass guitar is an important part of Reggae instrumentation. The sound is very thick and the low frequencies are increased and normally play a two/four bar riff that follows a simple chord progression. Example

The guitar usually plays the ‘skank’ or the ska upstroke – the muted ‘chuck’ chord played on the downbeat. The keyboard could also play the skank, double the guitar or even play melodic lines usually played by the horns. Example

Brass instruments are sometimes included in Reggae especially to highlight the important message in the song. They are commonly heard in the intro, in its own solo part or playing counter melodies. Example

Key Artists of Reggae:

• Bob Marley and the Wailers – prominent in the three stages of popular Jamaican music

• Toots and the Maytals - the most popular music group in Jamaica in the 1960s

• Jimmy Cliff – helped popularize Reggae on a global scale

• Neil Diamond – first pop musician to have a Reggae hit

Music Technology effects found in Reggae:

• Spring Reverb – used on the guitars and keyboards that played the ‘skank’.

• Delay• Wah