The Style of Reggae Music
Contents
Reggae music has a distinct style that is recognizable by its heavy beat and rhythm. The lyrics are often political or religious in nature, and the style is a favorite among many who enjoy dancing.
Introduction
Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, “Do the Reggay” was the first popular song to use the word “reggae”, effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican danceable music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.
The Rastafarian Movement
Rastafarianism began in the 1930s, in Jamaica, with the rise of Marcus Garvey’s National African freeing movement. Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie I, the former emperor of Ethiopia, is Jah (God) incarnate, and that black Africans are the chosen people of Jah. They also believe that the demise of white supremacy and the eventual redemption of Africa and its diaspora will come about through the repatriation of black people to Africa. Rastafarians practice what they call ‘ Ital ‘, which is a diet focused on natural, organic foods and herbs. The use of cannabis, or ganja , is also central to Rastafarian religious ritual and practices of self-medication.
The Birth of Reggae Music
Reggae music originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term reggae was first used to describe a uniquely Jamaican style of music that developed from ska and rocksteady. Reggae is characterized by a 4/4 time signature, off-beat rhythms, and call-and-response vocals.
The style of reggae music was originally created by Jamaican artists who blended elements of traditional mento and calypso with American jazz and R&B. Reggae song lyrics are often about social issues such as poverty, racism, and violence. The genre has been influential to many other music styles, including hip hop, dub, and dancehall.
The Spread of Reggae Music
Reggae music started in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term reggae was first used to describe a 70s style of Jamaican popular music, and is derived from the word ‘streggae’, meaning ‘rags’ or ‘ragged clothes’. Reggae developed from mento, rocksteady and ska, and is characterized by a distinctive 4/4 rhythm with accents on the off beat. The tempo is usually around 70 beats per minute, making it slower than ska but faster than rocksteady.
Reggae lyrics are often about social issues, especially those concerning black people, and are usually sung in Jamaican Patois. The most famous exponents of reggae are Bob Marley and the Wailers, who achieved great success in the 1970s with hits such as ‘No Woman No Cry’, ‘ Exodus’ and ‘One Love’.
Reggae has been influence by many other genres of music, including jazz, soul and hip hop, and has in turn had an influence on many other genres, including punk rock and drum and bass. In the 1980s, some reggae artists began to use electronic instruments and synthesizers on their records, leading to the development of dancehall.
The Style of Reggae Music
Reggae music is a style of music that was developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The style is a fusion of Jamaican mento, calypso, ska, and rocksteady. Reggae is usually played with a guitar, drums, and bass. The lyrics are often political or religious.
The Ska
The Ska is the first style of Reggae music. It was created in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and is characterized by a heavy emphasis on the offbeat, as well as a strong influence from Jazz and Rhythm and Blues. The Ska was helped to develop by electronic instruments that were introduced to Jamaica in the late 1940s, including the electric guitar, bass, and keyboard.
The Rocksteady
Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term denotes the style of Jamaican popular music that was influenced by American rhythm and blues, mento, and calypso. Reggae developed from ska and rocksteady. Ska is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat, guitars played with strict rhythm guitar patterns often embellished with Manzarek-type keyboard lines. Reggae is usually slower than ska, and often has accents on the 3rd beat of the 4-beat measure. Rocksteady is considered to be transitional between ska and reggae; it slows down the tempo further and uses more guitar for melody, rather than for chords or accents. The rocksteady sound often featured background vocal harmony groups similar to doo-wop groups but with a distinctive Jamaican flavor.
Reggae moved away from the ska sound to slower tempos and more simplified bass lines played on an electric guitar.[1] The introduction of drum machines like Roland’s TR-808 provided additional layers to the stripped down drum tracks already present in Jamaican recordings such as those by King Tubby. These elements combined to increase the overall producer/engineer’s control over the sound during mixing sessions, further distancing reggae recordings from their live roots. Reggae vocals frequently use call and response patterns similar to those found in African traditional music, but are almost always sung in Jamaican Patois rather than in English.[2][3] More recently, however, digital technologies have been used to separate vocal tracks from instrumental ones (often using auto-tune) creating opportunities for new arrangement possibilities.
The Reggae
Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, “Do the Reggay” was the first popular song to use the word “reggae”, effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience.[1][2] While sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican danceable music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that was strongly influenced by traditional mento as well as American jazz and rhythm and blues, especially the New Orleans R&B practiced by Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint.
Reggae relates news, social gossip, humor, and political commentary. Reggae spread into a commercialized jazz field, being known first as “Rudie Blues”, then “Ska”, later “Blue Beat”, and “Rock Steady”. By the early 1970s, reggae was firmly established as Jamaica’s national music. It has generated catchphrases such as “one drop”, “ting”; exports like Rockers, Boomtown sound systems; and contributed to legendary figures including Bob Marley, Lee Scratch Perry,[3] Professor Longhair.[4][5]
Conclusion
Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, “Do the Reggay” was the first popular song to use the word “reggae”, effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. While sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican danceable music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based on a rhythmic style characterized by regular beats on off-beats, and with percussion playing on the upbeat in patterns reminiscent of mento. Reggae is normally slower than ska but faster than rocksteady. The international reach of reggae has led to many non-Caribbean artists adopting elements of Jamaican musical culture such as appearing with dreadlocks and reggae-inspired clothing and hairstyles (most notably Bob Marley).
Reggae spread into a commercialized jazz field, being known first as `rudies’ music’, then `ska’, later `blue beat’, and finally `rock steady’. It is instantly recognizable from the counterpoint between the bass and drum downbeat, and the offbeat rhythm section instruments. The immediate origins of reggae were in ska and rocksteady; from there roots reggae developed; what we know now as lovers rock evolved from there as well. By 1967 when rocksteady had faded away Ska was stagnant; it had lost its edge, becoming slow/medium tempo only songs about love could be heard radio airplay or being played nightclubs’. This continued until Cedric `Im’ Brooks found new life for Ska by fusing it with African rhythms played on African percussion instruments such as cowbells, congas etcetera; he called his new sound Nyabinghi’.
