The Musical characteristics of Reggae

Musical characteristics of Reggae

Tonality 

 Reggae tonality is typically major, a common key of reggae is C major.

Harmony 

Reggae harmony is typically straightforward and simple, an example of this is the chord progression from Bob Marley's "No Women No Cry'' : I  - V - vi - IV.

Extensions 

Reggae can often use the dominant 7th chords and major 7th chords, which can add a jazzy/relaxed sound to the song.

Scales 

The most common scale in reggae music is a major pentatonic scale for a bright uplifting sound that reggae music typically has.

Riffs 

Typical riffs in reggae music are classed as bass-heavy and usually off-beat emphasizing the 2nd and 4th beat for a jumpy sound.

Rhythms 

Reggae rhythms are often classed as a syncopated pattern because of its off-beat sound, the rhythm is typically played on guitar.

Melody 

Reggae melodies are described as ''simple, soulful and repetitive'', they can be seen as laid-back and are usually vocally lead.

Instruments 

The typical instruments in reggae music are bass, drums/percussion, guitar, keyboard/organ and horns/brass.

Textures 

Reggae can use poly rhythms to create a layered sound, and the most common texture is syncopation which can be highlighted in the percussion/drums.

Lyrics 

Reggae lyrics can be about poverty, oppression, love/relationships, spirituality, hope and etc. Reggae lyric themes can be so broad but all with a similar sound. 

Instrumental Techniques  

The drums are often syncopated, the bass is usually the foundation playing a repetitive bassline, the guitars play short percussive upstrokes  on the offbeats and the percussion usually are syncopated to the beat of the drums.

Improvisation

There can be improvised solos, usually the vocalist can ''scat'' with little riffs and motifs throughout the song, there can also be improvised syncopated fills to match the syncopated beat.

Important notation  

-This is notation from the song Show Me by Bruno Mars.

3 Subgenres of Soul 

- 3 Subgenres of Reggae are Dancehall, Reggaeton and Ragamuffin. 

- All 3 subgenres have a similar musical structure, dancehall and reggaeton have similar lyric theming like dancing and street life. Each subgenre has had great cultural impact on music styles such as hip hop and afro beats.

- Dancehall originated from Jamaica's street dances, dancehall is fast paced and the instrumentation is more electronic based, the lyrics can be sexually explicit which differs from the typical reggae lyrics. Dancehall is very energetic which is needed because it is dance music and typically played in party atmospheres. - Masicka - Gifted (Official Audio)

- Reggaeton originated from Puerto Rico and Panama, it's influenced by Latin music with its rhythms such as Salsa. It has a repetitive beat like dancehall and it has incorporated themes of rap and R&B. Lyrics contain themes of romance, party life and urban experiences, reggaeton contains less political themes. CNCO, Little Mix - Reggaetón Lento (Remix) [Official Video]

- Ragamuffin originated from Jamaica, it gets labelled "digital Dancehall'' because it relies on MIDI, sampling and drum machines instead of live playing. It often has rough raspy vocals and is described as a more "hard-edged'' sound.  Ragga is high energy and very technology based and it has early hip hop influences.  Dennis Brown Feat. Gregory Isaacs - Raggamuffin

Opinions on Subgenre's 

- My favourite sub genre is Ragamuffin, although I think all 3 subgenres have quite a similar sound Ragamuffin is probably the one I'd like to dance to the most.

Famous musicians in each subgenre 

- A famous Dancehall musician is Vybz Kartel, he came from Jamaica, he is known for being one of the most influential people in modern dancehall music. Even though he got incarcerated he did carry on releasing music and shaping the dancehall genre. Some of his songs include, Romping shops, Clark and Fever.

- A famous Reggaeton musician is Daddy Yankee, he is know as the ''King Of Reggaeton'', he pioneered the genre. He is known for his hit song ''Gasolina'' which brought the genre of Reggaeton to global audiences. He's still a key artist in the music industry and he influences new artists today.

- A famous Ragga musician is Wayne Smith he is known for releasing the first landmark Ragga track ''Under Me Sleng Teng'' using a Casio MT-40 synthesizer. This introduced the more electric side of to reggae with new rhythms and styles. This therefore influenced more artists with this new subgenre of reggae.

Evolution of Reggae

- Reggae traces back from Jamaican folk music like Mento which was a blend of African rhythms and European melodies. Then the Ska style emerged in the late 50s which has a fast syncopated style, with influence from Jazz and American R&B. Reggae began as a genre in the 70s where artists starting singing about political themes, artists like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Reggae was a way to covey African Identity, and it only grew as a genre, in the late 70s more electronic instruments were used to create a more ''dance'' sound. Now reggae has fused with many popular genres like pop and hip hop and the reggae genre still carries on being a staple of music.

What Reggae has in common with other styles 

- The off-beat style is common with Jazz, funk and R&B. Reggae also uses standard instruments in common with every genre. The story telling lyrics is common with folk music and it's dance style is common with Latin music.