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Reggae

    Reggae Editor's Picks

    • About Reggae Music

      Reggae is a musical style heavily associated with the island of Jamaica. Its style is very focused, however, it features a number of different artists influenced by a wide spectrum of music. Reggae has also changed over the years to include more modern elements of music, such as hip hop. The work of one of the most famous artists in... more »

    • How to Appreciate Reggae Music

      Reggae music is an art form that originated in Jamaica in the mid-20th century and has since exploded in popularity, earning fans throughout the world. Most people, however, enjoy reggae only now and then. They see it as light, carefree music for summer vacations but don't fully grasp its depth, its social significance and its musical... more »

    • How to Learn the Different Styles of Reggae

      Who says all reggae sounds alike? Given a little time and patience listening to the music, you too can come to understand why there are tens of thousands of albums that supposedly "all sound alike." more »

    • History of Reggae Dance

      Reggae dance music is a genre of music that was introduced in the 1960s in Jamaica. Reggae music evolved from two other types of Jamaican music: ska and rock steady. This type of music and dance deals with a variety of subjects, including peace, love, religion, sexuality and other types of social and cultural issues. more »

    • How to Build Your Reggae Collection Beyond Bob Marley

      So, you've played your copy of Bob Marley's "Legend" so much that you've worn a hole in it. What now? First, buy a new copy. Then, expand your horizons a bit and discover new reggae artists that you might like just as much as Marley. Not many people recognize the depth of talent in reggae music, but with a little work, you... more »

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    Reggae

    JazzBluesMentoCalypsoSkaRocksteady cultural_origins Late 1960s [[Jamaica, especially instruments [[Bass guitar|Bass - Drums - Guitar - Organ - Brass instrument - derivatives [[Dancehall - subgenres [[Roots reggaefusiongenres [[ReggaetonReggae fusionSeggae2 Tone regional_scenes [[African reggae|Africa - Australia - Nigeria - other_topics [[Music of Jamaica - List of reggae musicians
    }}

    Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.

    While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based on a rhythmic style characterized by accents on the off-beat, known as the skank. Reggae is normally slower than ska but faster than rocksteady. Reggae usually accents the second and fourth beat in each bar, with the rhythm guitar also either emphasising the third beat or holding the chord on the second beat until the fourth is played. It is mainly this "third beat", its speed and the use of complex bass lines that differentiated reggae from rocksteady, although later styles incorporated these innovations separately.

    Etymology

    The 1967 edition of the Dictionary of Jamaican English lists reggae as "a recently estab. sp. for rege", as in rege-rege, a word that can mean either "rags, ragged clothing" or "a quarrel, a row".1967 Dictionary of Jamaican English

    Reggae as a musical term first appeared in print with the 1968 rocksteady hit "Do the Reggay" by The Maytals, but it was already being used in Kingston, Jamaica as the name of a slower dance and style of rocksteady.NiceupHistory/> As Reggae artist Derrick Morgan stated:

    We didnt like the name rock steady, so I tried a different version of "Fat Man". It changed the beat again, it used the organ to creep. Bunny Lee, the producer, liked that. He created the s read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae

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