How to Play Easy Reggae Bass

Basic reggae bass lines are some of the most simple bass lines to play. Sure, reggae music can be full of funky trick bass grooves, but you will find much of the best reggae has solid, steady bass lines that are simple to play. These are some bass players tips and tricks to get you started playing easy reggae bass lines in no time.

Things You'll Need

• Bass guitar
• Computer with good speakers
• Flatwound strings for reggae bass

Instructions

1. Listen to some classic and modern reggae music, like Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, and Barrington Levy. Pay special attention to the bass lines.

2. Notice that on nearly every single reggae song, the electric or acoustic guitar is playing the upbeats while the bass is keeping it rock steady on the downbeat of every measure, with another downbeat on "three" or "four."

3. Tap your foot to the rhythm the bass player is playing on your favorite reggae records. Then, pull your bass out and try to play the rhythm you just tapped out.

4. Learn the basic reggae chord progressions, including the same one-four-five interval progression used in blues music and the simple two-chord one-four progression also used in funk and soul music.

5. Try playing along to a few songs, learning the root notes and playing them on the downbeat, with another hook note on the "four" of the measure. You will be surprised how easy it is to learn the bass lines from many reggae songs by ear, just by playing along.

6. Put a set of flatwound strings on your electric bass for that muddy bass tone favored in dub and reggae music. Don't turn the tone on your pickups up.

7. Crank the treble all the way down on your bass amp, and boost the lows and low-mids. Now you are really playing like a true funky reggae bass player.