Reggae Report

Reggae ReportBy Micah Miller

What Is It?Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. It incorporates stylistic elements such as Calypso, R&B, African, Jazz, and Latin American music. Reggaes roots are found in the earlier genres Mento, Ska, and Rocksteady.

Roots - MentoMento music is the grandfather of Reggae music. It is referred to as being the country music of Jamaica. The classic Mento sound is acoustic, Informal, and has a folksy rural style. Mento music came to real prominence in the 1940s and 1950s, with the 1950s being the real golden age for Mento. Instruments that are usually found in Mento include the banjo, acoustic guitar, a home-made saxophone, clarinet or flute made out of bamboo, a variety of hand percussion and a rumba box.

Roots - SkaSka Music originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s. It combines elements of Caribbean mento and Calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska music is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the upbeat. The music itself is very upbeat, quick and exciting. Musically, it can be characterized with a drumbeat on the 2nd and 4th beats, and with the guitar hitting on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th beats. Traditional Ska bands generally have bass, drums, guitars, keyboards, and horns.

Roots - RocksteadyRocksteady music originated in Jamaica around 1966. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton Ellis song Rock Steady. Dances preformed to Rocksteady were less energetic than the earlier Ska dances. Rocksteady uses some of the musical elements of R&B, Jazz, Ska, African and Latin drumming, and other genres. As in Ska, staccato chords are played by a guitar and piano on the offbeats of the measure.

Contributing Musicians In the Roots Of ReggaeMento- Louise Bennett, Count Lasher, Harold Richardson, Lord Flea, Lord Fly, and Harry Belafonte.Ska- The Skatalites, Toots & the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, and The Gladiators.Rocksteady- Alton Ellis is sometimes said to be the father of Rocksteady, and Phyllis Dillon is known as the Queen of Rocksteady. Other artists include The Gaylads, The Heptones, The Maytals and The Paragons.

Transitioning Into ReggaeThe shift from Rocksteady to reggae was illustrated by the organ shuffle pioneered by Jamaican musicians like Jackie Mittoo and Winston Wright.Bob Marleys band, the Wailers, is the most recognized band that made the transition through all three stages of early Jamaican popular music: ska, rocksteady and reggae.

Reggae Sounds: The BubbleKeyboards are mainly responsible for the bubble, which aids the skank to add to the momentum of a given rhythm. Most common Reggae keyboards are the Hammond Organ, Rhodes and Clav, The key to playing the bubble is the rhythm. While the guitar or the keyboard players right hand is playing on beats two and four, the keyboard players left hand will be playing on all the up-beats, playing what is known as the bubble.

Reggae Sounds: The SkankThe Skank- The skank is a rhythm played usually by the guitar / piano on beats two and four.

Reggae Sounds: InstrumentationDrums: Standard drum kit, but the snare is usually tuned very high to give it a timbales-type sound. Bass: Electric bass guitar, usually emphasizing the lower frequencies and has a dominant role in the overall sound. Guitar: Electric guitar, usually playing on the upbeats known as the skank. Keyboard: Keyboard usually being a Hammond organ, and doubling the rhythm guitars skank with the right hand and playing the bubble with the left. Horns: The horn section usually includes a saxophone, trumpet, or trombone. They often play the introductions and counter-melodies of songs. The first horn is often playing simple melody or counter melody, being accompanied by the second horn playing the same melodic phrase in unison, one octave higher. The third horn usually plays the melody an octave and a fifth higher than the first horn.

Reggae Sounds: VocalsThe vocals in Reggae are less of a defining characteristic of the genre than the instrumentation and rhythm. Vocal harmony parts are often used, either throughout the melody, or as a counterpoint to the main vocal line.

Reggae Artists and SummaryNotable Reggae artists include Toots Hibbert, Peter Tosh, Judge Dread, Alton Ellis and Bob Marley.Reggae was birthed in Jamaica and its happy sounds spread around the world and to The United States through Bob Marley.Eric Clapton took Bob Marleys music to a number one hit with the song I Shot The Sheriff.

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