Reggae Music



A genre of music developed on the Jamaican shores, Reggae music is a form of music which follows rhythm and musical beats. In fact, one of the main traits of this music is that there is stress on the 2nd and 4th music beat of the melody. The guitar takes care of the third beat or the chord for the 2nd beat is held till the 4th one is played. The use of difficult bass lines and the use of speedy third beat is what differentiate the reggae from other genres of music.

Staple characteristics of Reggae melodies:

One of the most important and noteworthy musical characteristics of the reggae music is that it is played in swing time or 4/4 time. This is because of the way and the pattern of rhythms followed in a piece of music. It is characterized by the presence of simple melodies and pieces of music. So simple it is that one may sometimes find just a chord or two in the entire musical piece.

The reggae music is characterized by the use of certain instruments. These are main instruments for this form of music and are below mentioned apart from the regular vocals.

>> Drums such as the Tom-Tom and snare drums are used to create a distinct reggae feel.

>> Percussion includes the use of bongos, cowbells, shakers and the claves along with African cross rhythms.

>> Keyboards play the staccato style to add more melody to the music

>> Bass plays an extremely important role in the music of this sort

>> Guitar techniques such as skank are used and the chords played are on beat 2 and 4

>> Lyrical themes such as light criticism of the society and other person things

>> Horns are used for mainly introductions and counter melodies

Related genres and subgenres:

Dancehall, Hip Hop and Dub are said to be derivatives of the reggae music. The subgenres include Roots reggae, Lovers rock and Reggae en EspaƱol whereas the fusion genres include Reggaeton, Seggae, Reggae fusion, Samba reggae and 2 Tone. Countries like Africa, Phillipines, New Zealand, Australia, Nigeria and even Poland are considered to be the hotspots for this particular genre of music.

Reggae Progression over years:

Over the years, one can find a lot of influences of other genres of music on the reggae music industry. In fact, it has been mixed with pop, rock and roll and hip hop music to create music that has enthralled music lovers over the years.

There have been many bands and solo artists who have tasted success by mixing this style of music with other genres. An example in sight is a famous music band Beatle. Their song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is a rock song with reggae inspired beats. Singers like Bunny Lee, Desmond Dekker, Clancy Eccles, Prince Buster, Larry Marshall, Johnny Nash and Jackie Mittoo are considered to be icons of this music style industry.

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