Everything But The Weed

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Linda Maze, a Wedding photography Gainesville FL in Gainesville Florida

It took until the 1970s for the Reggae sound to finally gain acceptance in America . Much credited to pioneers such as Lee Scratch Perry and by 1968 rockbands such as the Beatles were actually borrowing the reggae drum beat .
The groove of reggae is hypnotic and is usually thought of as 4/4 time but even about that there is some debate .

The reggae drum beat known as One Drop is often attributed to Carlton Barrett of the Wailers a regular drum kit is used and the one beat is empty, emphasis is placed upon the 3rd beat of the bar . Drummer Barrett was recognized for his unique triplet counter rhythm on the hi hat, in the songs recorded with the Wailers.

The reggae beat known as the Rockers Beat considered to be invented by the reggae team of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare . Thisemphasizes the third beat as all reggae music does but also is emphasized on the one most often using a bass drum. A great example of the rockers beat is Right Time by the Mighty Diamonds with Sly Dunbar (also known as Drumbar) behind the drums .

The last reggae beat is the Steppers which is a driving drum beat with equal emphasis to all four bars. The steppers is also known as four on the floor and the sound is unique .

When attempting reggae beat you have to place emphasis on beat three as opposed to 2 and 4 in standard music. Play a bass drum along with a snare drum on beat three to emphasize the rhythm. You don’t have to be simplistic, you can use more complex patterns but ensure that beat three is always the proncounced beat. The emphasis on beat three is consistent all three types of reggae drum grooves .

Dub is a soundpioneered by Lee Perry and King Tubby and is heavily relied on studio mixing that brings out the drum and bass lines. Though the actual groove may not differ from the main three types , the remixing techniques used have earned the Dub sound its own subgenre and through the miracle of modern software it can easily be created in a home studio. The use of pre-made reggae drum loops can also be a cost-efficient solution .

Though a standard drum set can easily be used, the snare needs to have a higher pitch to accomplish the reggae sound. Using another snare or a timbale can add variety to the drum grooves . Additionally , side sticks and rim shots are frequently used in the reggae drumbeat.

You can and should even add a greater variety of latin percussion instruments sounds such as the conga, the claves, shakers or cowbells to add “spice” and a counter rhythm. Whether you have an acoustic drum kit or are using computer software and a keyboard to synthesize the reggae beat the most important part is the beat 3 and above all to vary it. Have fun with it, it’s not a simple pattern with no variations but instead its own driving beat that is fascinating and complex.