It took until the 1970s for the Reggae sound to finally gain acceptance in the US. That would be thanks to the pioneers such as Lee Scratch Perry and by 1968 rock bands such as the Beatles were actually borrowing the reggae drum beat. The beat of reggae is hypnotic and is usually considered 4/4 time but even about that there are those who argue.
The Wailers’ drummer, Carlton Barrett, is often mentioned as the creator of the One-Drop rhythm. One-Drop is played on a standard drum set and has an emphasis on the 3rd beat and an empty 1st beat, with the emphasized 3rd beat often played with both snare drum and bass drum simultaneously. Carlton Barrett became famous for his hi hat counter-rhythm with a triplet feel, a sound used in many of the Wailer’s songs.
The reggae beat known as the Rockers Beat is attributed to the reggae team of Sly and Robbie. This emphasizes the three beat as all reggae music does but also is emphasized on the one most often using a bass drum. You can hear a great example of the rockers beat in reggae in the Right Time by the Mighty Diamonds with Sly Dunbar drumming. The last reggae beat is the Steppers which is a driving drum beat with equal emphasis to all four bars. The steppers is also known as & four on the floor and the sound is unique.
When playing reggae you must focus on beat three instead of two and four as you would in regular pop and rock music. Combine a bass drum with a snare or sidestick on the third beat. Reggae is often very simple, but you can incorporate more complex grooves as long as you emphasize the third beat. All three types of reggae grooves accent beat three.
Invented by King Tubby and producer Lee Scratch Perry, Dub is relying on bringing out the bassline and drums by applying mixing techniques. The beat doesn’t actually differ much from the main three reggae drumming styles, Dub is considered a separate sub genre because of the sound produced at the remixing stage.
A standard drum kit is often used i reggae, but with the snare drum tuned up. An extra snare drum or a timbale is also often used to add variation. Latin percussion such as congas, bongos and shakers is also used to add variety to the beat. No matter if you are using a real drum kit or a drum sampler to get the reggae groove going the most important part is to remember is to emphasize the third beat, and add variations to it.
Curious about reggae drumming? Take a look at OddGrooves Reggae drum loops
