Reggae, meaning ragged, is a genre of music that originated in the 1960s in Jamaica. This new genre of music was inspired by ska and dance music. Although the music is almost always associated with Jamaica, this is a common misconception because the music was actually most influenced and progressive in the United States and Africa. Reggae music can be recognized to ear by its rhythm which is similar to a heartbeat, otherwise called synocaptic rhythm or nyah-bingi drumming. The music itself is always slow and very simplistic, the harmony uses no more than one or two chords usually used in a song. The unique sound is due to the accent on the 2nd and 4th beat in 4/4 time and an emphasis on the 3rd beat in 4/4 time using a kick on the bass drum. Although many people think of Bob Marley when they hear the word reggae, there are many subgroups: roots, dub, lovers rock, dancehall and reggaeton. The main instruments that contribute to reggae music are drums, percussion, bass, guitars, keyboards, horns and of course vocals. Drums play the main role although the bass is what gives reggae a “heavy” sound. In terms of the lyrics to most reggae songs, they may be in English but are not very understandable because of Jamaican slang or dialect. Please check out some of my favorite reggae songs for yourself to understand the different subgenres and elements of reggae music. Ironically enough, although reggae has been around for over 50 years, it is still very popular, both the classics as well as new evolving music. Sean Paul is an artist who is known for making dancehall music particularly popular starting in 2000. Neil Diamond- Red Red Wine (One of the first reggae songs)
I Shot the Sherrif: http://beta.rhapsody.com/#/artist/Art.1505/tracks Bob Marley
No Woman No Cry http://beta.rhapsody.com/#/search?query=bob+marley+no+woman+no+cry
Sublime- Santeria http://beta.rhapsody.com/#/search?query=sublime+santeria
An example of reggaeton: Sean Paul- Like Glue http://beta.rhapsody.com/#/artist/Art.53856
Sources: http://www.scaruffi.com/history/reggae.html http://www.reggaemovement.com/rm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=20 http://www.ehow.com/facts_5783631_instruments-used-reggae-music.html
No comments:
Post a Comment