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===Drums===
A standard drum kit is generally used but the [[snare drum]] is often tuned very high to give it a [[timbale]]-type sound. Some reggae drummers use a separate additional timbale or high-tuned snare to get this sound. [[Rim shot]]s on the snare are commonly used and toms are often incorporated into the drumbeat itself.
Reggae drumbeats fall into 3 main categories: “One Drop”, “Rockers” and “Steppers”.
In the “One drop”, the emphasis is almost entirely on the third beat of the bar while the first beat of the bar is completely empty. This empty first beat is extremely unusual in popular music and is one of the defining characteristics of Reggae. The bass will often leave this beat empty too. In fact, even in reggae drumbeats where the first beat is played like the "rockers" beat, the bass will still often leave aempty gapspace thereon beat one. Perhaps the best known exponent of this style of drumming was [[Carlton Barrett]] of [[The Wailers]] who is credited with inventing it. He also often used an unusual [[cross-rhythm]] on the hi-hat. In the [[Bob Marley and the Wailers]] song, “One Drop”, named after the drumbeat, you can hear many of these elements including the hi-tuned snare, rim shots and the empty first beat. The bass also misses that first beat on every other bar in this song. Carlton Barrett also often used an unusual triplet [[cross-rhythm]] on the hi-hat and this can be heard on many recordings by Bob Marley and the Wailers - and example would be "Running Away" on the Kaya" album.
In “Rockers” theThe emphasis is on beat one3 (usually played on the basssnare drum)or as wella asrim shot) is in all reggae drumbeats but in the “Rockers” beat threethe (usuallyemphasis playedis also on thebeat snareone or(usually asplayed aon rimthe shotbass drum). A classic example would be on “Night Nurse” by [[Gregory Isaacs]]. The drums were played by Lincoln Scott of the [[Roots Radics]] band. The beat is not always straight forward –though and various [[syncopation]]s canare beoften used to add interest. An example of this would be the [[Black Uhuru]] track “Sponji Reggae” where the drums are played by the hugely influential reggae drummer[[Sly Dunbar]].
In “Steppers” the bass drum plays four drivingsolid beats to the bar giving the beat an insistant drive. A classic example would be “Exodus” by Bob Marley and the Wailers” played by [[Carlton Barrett]]. Here again you can also hear thehis unusual crosstriplet cross-rhythm on the [[hi-hat]] that was such a feature of Carlton Barrett's work. The steppers beat was also often used (at a much higher tempo) by some of the ska bands of the late 70’s and early 80’s. Examples would include “Stand Down Margaret” by [[The Beat]] and “Too Much Too Young” by [[The Specials]].
Another unusual characteristic of reggae drumming is that the drum fills often do not end with a climactic cymbal unlike in rock and pop. whereThis is a drumfurther fillexample willof typicallythe enduse inof aspace climacticin crash cymbalreggae.
===Bass===
In reggae the [[bass guitar]] plays an extremely significant role and is often the defining feature of a track. The drum and bass line to a reggae track is often called the “[[riddim]]”; this term can also include other rhythm instruments but it’sit is usually the bass line that does the most to set one riddim apart from another. TheOne illustration of the importance of the riddim isin illustratedreggae byis the fact that in Jamaica, several reggae singers could all release a different song sung over the same riddim.
The central role of bass in reggae can also be seenheard in [[dub]] which is effectively just the drum and bass line with the other instruments, including the vocals, reduced to a peripheral role, cutting or fading in and out with big echoes onattached to them. Also, inIn most other western popular music athe trackintro willleads oftenyou startto witha the rhythmvocal section,which playing an intro before the vocalforms (the main feature of the track) comes in. In dub the roles are typically reversed with the intro consistingleading ofyou guitar, piano, organ, horns etc all heavily echoed before the main feature -to the drum and bass line - thumps in.
The actual bass sound in reggae is thick and heavy and EQ’d so that the upper frequencies are removed and the lower frequencies emphasised. The bass line is often a two-bar [[riff]] that centres around its thickest and heaviest note – the other notes often serve simply to lead you towards the bassiest note. A classic example of this would be “Sun is Shining” by Bob Marley and the Wailers. The bass was played by [[Aston Barrett]], brother of drummer, [[Carlton Barrett]] and one of the masters of reggae bass playing.
===Rhythm Guitar===
The rhythm guitar usually plays the chords on the off-beat (beats two and four from a [[4/4]] rhythm) with a very damped, short, and scratchy chop sound. It serves almost as a percussion instrument. Sometimes a double chop is used where the guitar still plays beats two and beat four but also plays the following 8th beats on the up-stroke. A typical example can be heard on the intro to “Stir it Up” by The Wailers.
===Piano===
The piano also usually plays [[staccato]] chords on the off beats in a [[staccato]] style adding body and warmth to the rhythm guitar though both instruments might typically play extra beats, runs and riffs here and there to add rhythmic interest and interplay.
===Organ===
The choppy reggae -organ shuffle is unique to reggae. Typically a [[Hammond organ]] -type sound is used to play the chords with a choppy feel. Beats one and three are not played - if you imagine a count of “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”, the organ plays “_ and 2 and _ and 4 and”. The left hand plays the “ands” and the right hand plays the numbers so you get “_LRL_LRL”. This is another example of the empty space on a primary beat one in reggae. The part is often quite low in the mix and is more felt than heard but a good example would be “Natural Mystic” by Bob Marley and the Wailers. The organ part comes in 42 seconds into the song with the line “This could be the first trumpet”. Another example where it can be clearly heard would be “Is This Love” by the same band. The Organ andoften pianoalso both often playplays melodic runs tooand inextra reggaebeats.
===Lead guitar===
The lead guitar will often add a rock or blues style melodic solo to a track but most of the time it plays the same part as the bass line, an octave up with a very damped and picky sound. This helps add some definition to the bass line which is usually devoid of any upper frequencies as well as emphasising the all important bass melody. Sometimes, instead of following the bass exactly, the guitar will play a [[counter-melody]].
===Percussion===
A wide range of percussion of percussion instruments is used. [[Bongos]] are perhaps the most significant and will often play free, improvised patterns right through the track with heavy use of African-type [[cross-rhythm]]s. Other percussion instruments like [[cowbells]], [[claves]] and shakers tend to have more defined roles playing a set pattern throughout the song.
===Horns===
===Overall===
Reggae is always played in [[4/4]] or [[swing time]] as the symmetrical rhythm pattern does not lend itself to [[3/4]]. Harmonically the music is often very simple – sometimes a whole track will have no more than one or two chords. “Exodus” by Bob Marley and the Wailers” for example is basically just A-minor all the way through. These simple repetitious chord structures add to the deeply hypnotic effect that reggae often has However, Bob Marley also wrote more complex chord structures and Steel Pulse for example often use very complex chord structures.
==Roots reggae==
Roots reggae is the name given to explicitly Rastafarian reggae: a spiritual type of music whose lyrics are predominantly in praise of [[Jah]] (God). Recurrent lyrical themes include [[poverty]] and resistance to government oppression. The creative pinnacle of roots reggae may have been in the late 1970s, with singers such as [[Burning Spear]], [[Johnny Clarke]], [[Horace Andy]], [[Barrington Levy]], and [[Linval Thompson]] teaming up with studio producers including [[Lee 'Scratch' Perry]], [[King Tubby]], and [[Coxsone Dodd]]. The experimental pioneering of producers within often-restrictive technological parameters gave birth to [[dub music]], which has been considered one of the earliest contributions to the developments of [[Techno music]].
Differences between ska and reggea music:
reggaeReggae is much slower than ska - you will probably find yourself tapping eight quavers, rather than four crotchets, to the bar in reggae.
AndIn althoughska music the backbeatmore patternprominent isinstruments similarare tohorns, bothe.g. styles,saxophone theor basstrumpet, partsbut in reggae music are based on riffs played bythe guitars orare the electricmore important organinstrument.
In ska a walking bassline is generally used while in reggae the bass lines are short (usually 2 bar) melodic phrases or riffs.
Also in ska music the more prominent instruments are horns, e.g. saxophone or trumpet, but in reggae the guitars are the more important instrument.
==Newer styles and spin-offs==
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