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Introduction to Reggae Music
Reggae originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s, incorporating elements of mento, ska, and rocksteady. It was influenced by genres like calypso, R&B, and jazz. Sound systems played a key role in its development and popularity. Artists like Prince Buster and Coxsone Dodd produced early reggae hits and helped establish the genre. Ska preceded rocksteady and had a distinctive upbeat sound featuring horns and vocals. Rocksteady featured slower tempos, electric bass, and organ. True reggae emerged in the late 1960s with elements of Rastafari and faster tempos. The instrumentation included drums, bass guitar, keyboards, horns, and vocal harmonies. Legendary artist Bob Marley
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Introduction to Reggae Music
- 1. SESSION STYLES REGGAE MUSIC CHRISTOPHERBAKER MUSICSTUDENTINFO.COM
- 2. REGGAE ORIGINS -MENTO MENTO 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 1940’s and 1950’s, with the 1950’s 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.
- 3. REGGAE WHAT IS IT? Reggaeis a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960’s. It incorporates stylistic elements such as Calypso, R&B, African, Jazz, and Latin American music. Reggae’s roots are found in the earlier genres Mento, Ska, and Rocksteady.
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- 5. SESSION STYLES REGGAE BACKGROUND The ideaof blasting music from the radio or a record player-the best in American R and B or hot jazz- through a configuration of open-air loudspeaker cabinets became popular in the mid 1940s. Firstly done to attract patrons the music eventually became the event.
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- 7. REGGAE MUSIC BACKGROUNDSOUND SYSTEM Apparatus used to amplify recorded music. Sound system parties became very popular in inner city Kingston areas as entertainment source. Early system operators: Tom the Great Sebastian, V Rocket, Count Smith the Blues Blaster, Sir Nick the Champ, King Edwards or Lord Koos.
- 8. REGGAE BACKGROUND EARLYSOUND SYSTEMS CONTINUED Music played was American R+B, Hot Jazz and even Be-Bop. Louis Jordan was a favourite. Competition was intense as exclusivity was the order of the day. The more obscure the better. Created micro-economy of importation and selling of records.
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- 10. SOUND SYSTEM INNOVATORS Prince Buster Voiceof the People Coxsone Dodd Studio One Duke Reid Trojan Decided to produce their own artists locally thus having exclusive access to the music produced.
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- 12. REGGAE MUSIC INNOVATION introductionsome Mento elements in to the R+B music by stretching off-beats. This concept was adapted and developed by Coxsone where he wanted to take things further by putting greater distance between homegrown and imported music. He called a meeting with Ernie Ranglin, and bass player Cluett Johnson. (Coxsone) deliberately wanted to keep the R and B shuffle beat, but he moved the stress to the afterbeat –the second and fourth beats – to such a degree that it turned the arrangement around. ….People used to call in to stress it even more, and this off-beat become the focus of all Jamaican music that followed on after it.’ Track – Easy Snappin.
- 13. KEY TRACK EASYSNAPPIN’
- 14. REGGAE MNUSIC INNOVATION CONT’D Buster continued thistheory with the accented ‘off’ beat. Introduced Rastafari to popular music through seminal ‘Oh Carolina’ Featured Folke Brothers singing and Count Ossie drum group. Jamaican dialect and phrasing also introduced.
- 15. THE FOLKE BROTHERS & COUNTOSSIE ‘OH CAROLINA’
- 16. SKA MUSIC A coupleof years into the 1960s and the music had settled down into what was to become classic ska sound. The new beat owed a lot to the seminal band the Skatalites who worked with the major studios especially Studio One. Lloyd Knibbs, Tommy McCook, Lloyd Brevette and Jackie Mittoo. Don Drummond was leader of the group and important influence.
- 17. SKA POPULARITY Ska becamethe first unique and distinct popular genre emerging from Jamaica. Gained national recognition as radio picked started to broadcast it. Gained international appeal especially in urban UK; ‘Al Capone’ Top 20 British hit in 1967.
- 18. SKA POPULARITY ‘ALCAPONE’
- 19. SKA INSTRUMENTATIO N Rhythm Section withAcoustic bass Horns Voices
- 20. SKA ARTISTS The Skatalites Millie LordTanamo Prince Buster Jimmy Cliff
- 21. ROCKSTEADY TO REGGAE Late 1960ssaw the birth of a slower heavily bass oriented type of music known as Rocksteady. Key element the introduction of the electric bass and the now dominant, melodic place it took within the ensemble. Electric organ also introduced. Horns were limited due to expense. Rocksteady dominated by vocal groups.
- 22. ROCKSTEADY ARTISTS The Paragons,The Wailers, The Heptones, The Maytals
- 23. REGGAE Rocksteady changed inname and form in 1968. Slightly faster, with new organ pattern and studio effects. Rasta ideology prominent as well as Burru and Kumina drumming styles.
- 24. REGGAE INSTRUMENTATION Drums: Standarddrum 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 guitar’s 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.
- 25. REGGAE SOUNDS ‘THE BUBBLE’ Keyboards aremainly 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 Clavinet, The key to playing the bubble is the rhythm. While the guitar or the keyboard player’s right hand is playing on beats two and four, the keyboard player’s left hand will be playing on all the up-beats, playing what is known as the “bubble”.
- 26. THE ‘SKANK’ The Skank- The skank is a rhythm played usually by the guitar / piano on beats two and our.
- 27. REGGAE ARTISTS TheIsraelites, The Royals, The Wailers, Dennis Brown, The Ethiopians, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Gregory Issacs, Beres Hammond, Barrington Levy….
- 28. REGGAE VOCALS Thevocals 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.
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- 30. BOB! Bob Marley Robert NestaMarley, was a Jamaican singer and songwriter. Pioneer of reggae, his musical career was marked by blending elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady, as well as forging a smooth and distinctive vocal and songwriting style. Born: Robert Nesta Marley, Feb 6, 1945, Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, British Jamaica Died: May 11, 1981, Miami, Florida, U.S. Cause of death: Melanoma (skin cancer)
- 31. REGGAE EXTRAS Derivative Forms DancehallDub Hip Hop Ragga Jungle Drum And Bass Subgenres Roots Reggae Lovers Rock Reggae En Español Fusion Genres Reggaeton Reggae Fusion Reggae 2 Tone Samba Reggae Reggae Reggae step Regional Scenes Africa Australia Italy Germany Guyana Japan New Zealand Nigeria Panama Philippines Poland Trinidad And Tobago United States
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