Reggae
Jamaican music style with stressed offbeats and slow tempo (Bob Marley).
What it means
Reggae is a Jamaican music style that emerged in the late 1960s from ska and rocksteady. Its hallmarks are the slow to moderate tempo, stressed offbeats that the guitar sets with short, damped chords (the "skank"), and a prominent, melodic bass. The drums often stress the third beat of the bar (the "one drop").
Musical use
Reggae became known worldwide through Bob Marley (1945–1981) and other musicians. The lyrics often deal with social injustice, freedom, love and the faith of the Rastafari. The style influenced rock, pop and later hip-hop and dub. The music thrives on restraint and repetition; the space between the notes is an important part of the sound.
Reggae should be distinguished from the faster ska, which also rests on offbeats, and from rocksteady, which is slower than ska but less deeply rooted in the bass.
Performance practice
When you play reggae, keep the tempo relaxed and let the bass carry. As a guitarist you place the chords briefly on the offbeats and damp them at once; as a drummer you pay attention to the stress on the third beat.