by Ed Friedland THE COMPLETE GUIDE 10 REGGAE ANG JAMAICAN BASS STYLESCONTENTS PAGE AUDIO TRACKS FOREWORD—by Art Cohen 24 INTRODUCTION a7 Game History 66 e eee 7 This Book . beet ee tect ece ee a The CD. Acknowledgments ....... About the Author Performance Tips... ee eee ec eeee ee 9 Tuning vette vee ese ees EARLY SKA... beeen ee ee 2-8 ROCK STEADY. +19 REGGAE . 20-31 ROOTS REGGAE... 32-89 DUB so MODERN SKA. . 127 40-44 DANCEHALL 2.2.0. ee eee eee eceeeeee eee eee 28 A2AT Reggae SOUrCES 6. ee eee eee ee eee eeee ee 30 Bass Notavion Legend 1.6... 0ece ec ee ees eee cnee ee 3FOREWORD though emall in size, the island of Jamaica is one of the most musically fercte places on earth. A White her larger neighbor, Cuba, exercs a major influence in the world of jazz, Jamaica's infl= tration and Sransformation of international pop music through Reggae (mostly dominated by ‘American ana British gréups) 16 unprecedented for such a tty, economically challenged country, While musically related to other Caribbean atyes like Trinidadian calypso and Haitian com pas, Reggae retains ite own unique style, and has bean far more influential than any of ite Afro- Canbbean cousins. The 1970s saw reggae (or reagae-Influenced) songs being cut ny pop otars like Faul Simon, Faul McCartney, the Rallina Stonge, and Erie Clapton, yeb by mid-decade, rege a2 was otill considered “underground” enough to be appropriated by punk bands like The Clash and The Slite. Reagae continues to have a huge influence on pop music across the world to this day, Consider these facts: * The current ska craze is based {loosely} on a etyle of Jamaican music from the early 60x, aithough few fans of bands like Goldfingar or Reel Big Fish may realize it. * The “uechno” movement that spawned groups like Prodigy and Madonna's newest-work Ie in- spired in part: by Jamaican aut music. Dub began ae a novelty in the early ceventies when pro- ducers started adding tape doley and other effects to Lhe instrument.at B-eides of pooular ingles, * Most signiticatcly, Rap music also has otrong roots In Jamaica. in 1970 a DJ named U Roy made hit records by rapping aver popular songs of a fow years earlier. This style, called “chat- ng," “toasting,” or just “DU in Jamaica hae been hugely popular ever since, Jamaican immi~ grants eventualy brought it to New York City in the 19706, and the rest ie history. Regaae’s remarkable influence and staying power is langaly dus to ite fascinating hlotory. Reggae’s rich and varied culcural lineage combines the musical traditions of African slaves and the Europeans that tack control of the island during Its history. A later period of influence o¢- curred in the second half of the twentieth cantury when jazz and R&B music came across the Caribbean on radio waves from stations in Miami and New Orleane, Ao well, sound system oun 29 were buying up American “race” records ouch as Louis Jordan and Rosco Gordon to play at all-night. dance parties, a common form of weekend entertainment for many Jamaloans, The ound system has lang been the lifeblood of the Jamaican music irdustry, Wealthy Jamaicana and couriets could afford to go out and see live bands perform, but the poor people could only afford to hear music at the large mobile discotheques that were set. up wherever there was enough apace to dance and sell heer and food, Sound system owners lke Clement, “Coxsone” Dodd started out by bringing back R&B records from the USA, but when it became harder to find che sort of records that went: over well in Jamaica, Dodd (along with most of his rivalo) Were oon recording vheir own records at home. Though most of the early recorde were simple stylistic knock-offs of American éongs, Jamaican mueicians were soon expanding on them, adding thelr oan favor. The result was a Uniquely danceable farm of music called Ska, named after the eound the guitar made as it strummed on the “anc” of every beat. When Jariaica won ite independence from the UK in 1362, ‘the government: declared Ska the official music of yeung Jamaica, Developing it into a unique sound became a matter not only of music, but of patriotieml By the end oF 166, the beat hac! slowed down into a style krown as Rock Steady, which, wich Ite new emphagie on the electric bass, prefigured the Reagae music that wap to develop by the end of the decade.Throughout the developmant of Jamaican pop music, continuing up to the present day, the popularity of the cound cystems has remained constant. Most classic Jamaican music—from ‘the Wallers' firet hit, “Simmer Down,” to the latest curs from Buju Banton or Beenie Man—has been produced not primarily for radio play or retail eale, but for the dancehall. A song ists con- sidered successful uniess it inspires an enthusiastic response from a hot, aweaty room full of tired people. Reagae ion’t music that encoursgee subtle oxperimentation, bub neither doce it tolerate self-indulgent: pretensions. In Jamaica, the artist or producer who is unable to speak directly to the people—moving ‘the audience in some way—le not in the business for long. In America, record company exace often don't find out what is popular in clubs unvl they read about it in Newsweek (yet they can make any song a hit by throwing enough money at it). Jatraicen producers are often label own- ar5 and sound eystem operators, They have always had immediate, direct feedback from choir customers about every record they press. In the exties, a producer would record all day with the best, cession musicians on the island. As the players headed off to their night giga, the producer would cub the beat tunee of the day onto lacquer “dub plates.” In a few hours, they could audition them for the crovide, who demanded their favorites be played repeatedly throughout the night, Ir was only after a song became a proven hit in the dance halle that a producer would consider preesing vinyl copies for ale; he only bothered to press the recorde he knew would sell. If a producer wanted to take a chance on an unknown sirger, or experiment with some crazy idea. all he had to risk was an hour (maybe) of studio time and the cost of a few acetates. If the song flopped, on to the noxt one; if it wae a hit, all the better (the pro- ducer provably owned all the publishing rights in any case). This system of immediate Feedback from the fans has kept the producers in touch with the record buying public. The rosult of thie invimacy with the fans has been a vitsl, living body of music with a deep respect for its roots. At the same time, Reagae has an insistence that the music speak to the present. When Jamaican producers started using multi-track recorders in the mid 19606, they re~ alized it. was cheaper to make a new record by taking the rhythm track of an old hit and have & singer “voice” a ew Gong on top of it, The practice of “versioning” started as a way te cut costs, but turned out to be excremely popular ih Jamaica, When a new record based on a pop- ular rhythm track gevs played in the dancetsll, the audience first gets a ruah of recognition when they hear the track etart up, followed by the seemingly contradictory pleasure of kear- ing a whole new eong thereafter. The people loved this, and soon darcekall selestars (DJs) were stringing together multi- ple songe based cn the sare rhythm track. These “version excursions” brought a new level of compositional complexity 10 the music, Each excursion was a unique combination of recorde and Dd Je talk created freah every night, based on whatever got the best crowd response. In between vocal versione, the DJ would lip on the Instrumental B-side (usually just labeled “ver- sion”) ard rap over it. It waon't long before someons thought to do the eame thing in the etu- dio and the rap record was born. Gince mary of the chord progressions were the same, the eacivat wey to dietinguich diferent rhythm tracks was by their baselines. These basslines be- came. 0 popular in their own right: that econ other producers were recording their own versions of popular rhythm tracks. Ae the years passed, new producers would often try to score an in- stant hit by recreating a popular rhythm track from years past. In the Jamaican record bust ress popular new rhythm tracks, of riddims, appear every year (and are promptly appropriated by every producer around}. However, there inevitably is a batch of re-versioned classic rhythime that also make the charts. If you listen to a Reggae radic show, purchase a new album of Reggae musis, or attend alive Reggae show, you are almost. guaranteed to hear new songs with baselines dating back twenty or thirty yeare. The tempo may be different, the byle of drum-ming i likely to be whatever is currently popular, but the bassline remaing the same, almost unchanged from when it: was first reconded. A well known exemple of thie cccurred whet an in- strumental called “Full Up” mutated into an international hit in the early eighties—Musical ‘Youth's “Fase the Dutchie” More recently, the rhythm from the Heptones’ hit "Party Time” went straight to #1 on the US charte backing Ini Kamoze’s "Here Comes the Hot Stepper" Both of these tracks originated at Coxsone Dodd's Studlo 1 in the late 1960s. Most of the truly “clas sic” rhythms came either from Studio 1 or from Dodd's biggest rival, Duke Rela (owner of the Treasure Isle recording studio ard record label). Although the studio musicians that created these rhythms are largely unknown to the mainstream Keagae audience (in Jamaica or abroad), men such a6 Studio 1 keyboard- istfarranger Jackie Mittoo [who wrote many of the basslines), guitaret Lynn Taitt, and bassiats Jackie Jackson, Lloyd Brevett, and Leroy Sibbles kelped create a musical canon that: has stood the test of time. Te this day, if a singer has to work with a pick-up band, al he has to say 16 “Anewer Rhythir’ in G and the band wil know to play the baseline from Slim Smith's sixties hit “Never Let Go.” While some might. consider this a lack of originality, it's no mare “un- original” than playing a 12-bar blues. The siniple convarttions of the niusical form challenge each new performer to leave hie or her own stamp on an otherwise “generic” style, Unlike the blues, Reggse produces popular new rhythms that join the canon every year. The producer or musi- cian whose work is chosen for immortality in this fashion can only Feel honored. —Art Cohen on the radio in 1979. A couple of years later, after his drummer explained ta him ‘that reggae was much, much cooler, he discovered the music oF Steel Pulee, Bob Marley, and Black Uhuru, Since then, ne has gone on to play guitar and bags in auch A rb Cohen firet discovered ska music when he heard Madness’ “One Step Bayond” Boston-based bands as Steady Eamest and Dion Kribb & the Agitazors, ae well ae filling in with everyone from local ska-popsters Beat Soup to the legendary Skatalites, In his non-spare time, he is a computer programmer.INTRODUCTION he title Reqgae Base \s actually a little misleading. Reggae is the name cf a stylistle period in T Jamaican popular music; however, it has become a generic teem for all popular Jamaican music from the late ffties up to the present. Really, this book should be called Jamaican Bass. The base plays an important role in Jamaican music. More than just the traditional an- chor, it acts as a hythmic and melodic *hook" that defines the entire song. Bass lines are known a8 riddime—as spoken In the tongue of Jamaican English, These riddims become com- positions in their own right, and sre continually re-intarpreted through the years. The riddim of Jamaican bass playing became etandards, forming a repertoire of must-krow patterns for anyone attempting the otyle. SOME HISTORY The pericds of Jamaican music we will look at start arourd the late 1950 and continue Up £0 the present. Until the late fifties, the predominant etyle of music in Jamaica was Mento Basically a folk music blended from the traditions of mary cultures, Mento combined instru: mentation used by the African slaves brought to Jamaica with the chord structures of their European captore. There were rhythmic influences from nearby Cuba, and traces of calypeo from Trinidad. Mento evolved In the late 1950s Into Ska. The original Ska period was roughly 1955 te 1966. There have been several Ska revivals since then, one occurring from the early- ‘mid seventies through the early eighties with the ries of the faster “English Beat” groups, and one currently taking place in the mid to late nineties with many American pop groups adapt~ ing the faster Ske groove with rock’ roll, The original Ska poried can be broken down into two parte, the earliest of which was a product. of Mento blending with the wing and REB music that Jamaicans first heard from American scldiers stationed there. Toward the early sixtios, Ska began to develop a more pronounced Jamaican character. With a heavy accent on the upbeat, Gka ie a medium tempo dance music that. was popularized by delays playing recorde on their portable cound systems, These sound systems were mobile d'covheques that brought the mucic to the people, Heavy competivion among the various dee~ Jays led to a boom in Ska production, each deejay procuring or producing the nenest releases for their systems in an attempt to be the most popular. The upright base was the predomi- nant instrument oF choice during the earty Gka period, giving way to the electric base later on, In 1966, Jamaica enperienced a particularly hot summer, The story hae it that dancehall crowds demanded a slower grcove, and 60, Ska became Reck Steady. Th slawer tempo ana the increasing uee of the electric base brought the bage line to the torsfromt. Somewhere arcund 1966, Rock Steady ovarved a transition to the Reggae period, the tempo picked up elighty, but the quitar parte began +o double up playing eixteeavh notes on the upbeat. inetead of the sighth note patter's of Rock Steady. The Reagae peried continues to this day, and has many sub styles, often dictated by changes in the drum parte and how they interact with the bass ine. The 1980s brought the advent of electronic mnusical instruments like drum machines, syn thesizers, and sequencers. These devices found vheir way into Jamaican popular music and cre- ated a style known ao Dancehail. Much of this music emphasizes keyboard bass, however many of the riddims use bass guitar with a drum machineTHIS BOOK Throughout this book, you will eee the use of the word riddim to describe the base lines prevented. Thie iv not an attempt on my part to sound more Jamaican: I'm from Now York. If you are not from Jamaica, it may sound silly and be perceived as “posing” to actualy sal these lines “riddime," expecially to @ Jamaican, However, it makes it easier to distinguish when | am talking about # bess line and when | am talking about a rhythm that: is part: of a paes line, So. for educational purposes, | will continue Lo use the term “ridditn” in reference ta a base line, When multi-track recording firet came to Jamaica, producers found it economical to have differant singers perform over the seme rhythm track. This is hew certain riddims became etandards. A riddim may be known by the name of ite original recording, but hae been used by eeveral artists to cut new songs, The riddline of Jamaica form a Fascinating lineage; tracing 4 tb269 line back through the many “versions” to {te original recording ia a lese0n In economy ana variation. Thia book will focus on the classic riddims of Jamaican base from the early Ska days, through Rock Steady, into Reagae, Modern Ska, and Dancehall, Ao these arcoves have bean re~ interpreted through the years, we will eometimes look at éeveral variations of 3 particular rid- aim. All the examples will be written out in etandard notation and tablature. THE CO The CD that accompanies this book will give you the chance to play with a real Reggae rhythm section. Your band mates are Xavier Marquez on guivar, Scowt Anderson on keyboards, and Carl Cherry on drums, They are present and former members of Neon Prophet, a popular Reggae band in Tucson, Arizona. Imagine haw fortunate | was to find these guys here; it's along way from Kingetonl The bass teacks were performed by myself, mostly on a Precision Base with LaBella Flatwound strings. All che examples with a CD icon next to them have number corre- eponding to the track number on the CD. tt is recorded in a split-mix, mth the bags and drums con the left channel and the keyboard, guitar, and drume on the right. Onze you feel comfort able with an cxample, tum off the bave track and get in the groove with the ather players. Whenever possible, the true arrangement. of the riddims is kept intact. n some cases, there may be a heed for two guitar parte, or a piano and organ track. As this wag recorded live with 8 four piece rhythm section, come adjustments were necessary ACKNOWLEGMENTS Special thanks must go to Art Cohen: without his valuable insight and wonderful compila- tions, this book would have been impossible. Thanks to my family: Sonia, Irving, Lee Ellen, and Aimee Friedland, and David Tayler. Thanks to all at Hal Leonard, Thanks to Mark Keisal, Dave Flores, and everyone at Carvin; Jim Roberts, Richard Johneton, Vicki Hartung, and everyone at Bass Player Magazine; Jim Brady Recording Studios; LaBella Strings; Pam ard Larry Fishman: Bob Mick; and The Bass Place: in Tempe, AZ.ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ed Friedland i a graduate of the High School of Music ard Art in New York City, and a former faculty mentber of Berklee College of Music, Boston College, and Arizona State University. Ed has a Masters Degree in Education from Cambridge College in Cambridge, MA. Hels a contributing editor and monthly columnist for Bass Player Magazine and has auvhored four other books for Hal Leonard: Building Walking Base Lines, Expanding Walking Bago Lines, Jazz Base, and Bags inprovization. His performance credits include Johany Adams, Linda Hopkins, Robert Junior Lockwood, Barrence Whitfield and the Savages, Martha and the Vandellae, The Marvellettes, the Drifters, Brock Genton, Larry Coryell, Michal Urbaniak, Robben Ford, Eddie Daniels, John Stawell, Faul Horn, Mike Metheny, illinois Jaquetve, and others. He ac- tively performs on acoustic bao, 4-. 5-. and G-atring electric bazeee, ae well ae piccolo elec trig baes, Ed uses Carvin basses, LaBella strings, and Fishman transducers, PERFORMANCE TIPS In general, Reggae base playing is very laid back. You will cee many examples that contain sixteenth-note rhythms, yet. the articulation must be relaxed-~almost lazy The Reggae six- teenth note Is not the same as a Fusion eixteenth note. The groove le very heavy and the down- vest must be played with conviction. Thia brings up an important Reagae myth to diopek it is widely believed that a key clement of Regaae base playing la putting a rest on beat |. IF you lie~ ten to Reggae, and look through the riddims in this book, you will find that: this is not the case most of the time! In the occasional riddim where the downbeat is a rest, you Must still Feel the downbeat. The rest of the line depende on how you feel the blark space. Reggae bass lines are a balance of note and space. Even the smallest eixteenti-note rest plays a crucial role in how the riddim grooves. Wren listening to Reggae, it le important te krow that the skank (the piano/guitar offbeat) is counted on the “and” of each beat. This is easier to hear in Ska, but the sams holds true for Rock Steady and Reggae. Another peint worth mentioning Is the need for reetraint. If you are coming to Reggae from a rock or jazz background, you may be accustomed to taking liberties with the bags Kine Subtle (or not 30 subtle) variation Is one cf the aspects of base playing you may enjoy, In Reggae, the siddim lo it! There Is little or no variation during the course of a song, You play the riddim, and that's all. The trance-inducing repetitive nature of the bass line is decidedly African in ive origins (if we can momentarily Forget about the Pacheleel Canon in D major!). This repeti- tion is also present in the music of James Brown. All hig tunes had set bags lines that were played néthout variation. Any variations in the bass line were met with a atiff fire from “The Godfather of Soul.” Of course, there are ridaims that evolve over a period of time: the sick 1s to learn how to add +0 a line without: loving the chythmic drive. Aston “Family Man” Barrett's work with Bob Marley ia a prime cxample of how riddims can be more interpretive and laze ota- tic, The sound of Keggae base le full, round, dak, and fat. This fe not the place +o try your Jaco Pastorius rear-pickup-on-the-.Jaz7-Base sound, If you have a two pickup instrument, use both, or perhape the front pickup alone if you can without creating hum. Many of the top Reagar bareists use Jaze Bags otyle instruments, though Precision style basses also sound fine. IF you have a single bridge position pickup Music Man style base, you'l need to boost the low frequencies on the active slectronice and cut the treble. |n the traditional Reggae mix, the base ie way up front, heavily emphasizing the 100h2—SCOhz range. Many of the examples in this book are deliberately written to be performed on the lower strings, in higher positions.10 Playing up higher on the E and A etringe produces a fuller. boomiar sound, If controlled with the Proper ap settings, thase positions bring out the fat sound of the bass without losing defi- nition: If your amplifier hae a graphic equalizer, start by cutting frequencies above 1K. This will darken your sound, but stil leave enough mide to get articulation, Next, start to booet. around 100hz. Be carefultoo much of a boost combined with high volume will blow your 2pzakere. The louder you play, the Is29 boost you will need. Depending on your particular baoe, you may need to boost the frequencies on either side of 10Oh2. Remember to be careful-the euthor as- sumee no responsibilty fo epeaker repairel An optimal speaker setup for Reggae io a cabinet ‘with two 15" speakers, or two separate 15" units, This will glve you a full, puncky sound without too much high frequency. Other configurations can be made to work If you have one of the newer 4X10 cabinets with a built in tuester, the first thing to do ie tur off the tweeter—you won't be needing those frequencies! f you have only one cabinet, put it directly on the floor This will enhance the lows. TUNING Before we start playing, lev get in tune. Here's a G note for you to tune up ta. Q treup tosEARLY SKA he original Ska period ran roughly from 1959-1966. Heavily influenced by American R&B, some T of the earliest Ska records were nearly identical to boogie biues. Except for the flavor of Jamaican accent in his vocals, Laurel Aitken’s 1959 hit “Boogie in My Bones” could easily pase for a Big Joe Tuner record. Much of the early Ska was instrumental music, performed by jazz-or'- ented studio musicians. The instrumentation was typical of jazz groupe—horne, plano, guitar, acoustic base, and drums. The predominant use of hors influenced Ska to be performed largely in ‘the typical horn keys of F and Bb. The bass lines of this period were still very rooted in jazz and R&B (for the most part) quarter-note walking bass lines, As Ska progressed, rhythmic variety started to show up in the baes, Ibis important to note that most Reggae groups were vocal groups being backed up by the crew of studio players. You will notice on the Ska tunes on this CD, the electric base has a sound similar to an ‘old upright base. Thie wae a deliberate attempt to capture the vibe from the original record- inge. You can accomplish this effect by muting the strings close to the bridge with the edge of your palmn anid plucking the stringe with your thumb in a downstroke motion, This will vake some practice; be careful not to put too much weight on the strings as this will cut off more of the ‘tring vibration than necessary, Each particular base hae ite own response and you will need to find just the right touch for your inetrument. Although I have notated the tablature in the original positions that an upright: bassiet would play, to achieve the right sound, you may want to play these examples in a higher location on the fingerboard. The shorter, fatter etring lengths help simulate the sound of an upright baee being miked. Here io a classic early-Ska base line using walking bass In the style of “Simmer Down.” B Gm Cm? F Be Gm m7 E B Gm cmt F Bh Gm cm? F The next line ie a typical early-Ska instrumental, While the base mostly walks, there is some rhythmic activity—a eign that bassists were starting to get away from the walking pattern and define something uniquely Jamaican. This one is in the style of "Guns of Navaronne.” B B B BB Dm G om ”12 2 = 3 At this point, we will move on to the Rock Steady period. The early Ska approach on bass is somewhat limited to the walking bass, with some variation. If asked to interpret a song in this style, it is safe to say walking the base line will do the job. There is a large catalog of ter- rific Ska recordings to be found by The Skatalites, Prince Buster, Don Drummond, a young Bob Marley with his vocal group The Wailers, Laurel Aitken, Derrick Morgan, and many others.ROCK STEADY ccurring between 1966 and 1968 (approximately), the Rock Steady period is where the bass 0 really begins to take on the dominant role in Jamaican music. The slower tempo, along with the new world-wide prominence of the electric bass, became fertile ground for the development of what is now looked upon as the classic riddims of Reggae music. In this period, you will see much greater rhythmic diversity—eighth notes, sixteenth notes, and triplets, as well as quarter notes. The use of space in the bass line became very pronounced in Rock Steady. In this period, the emphasis in recording shifted more toward the vocal group, often used ae a vehicle for eocial commentary. The practice of versioning or re-using pre-existing rhythm tracks had its start during the Rock Steady period. Many of the riddims you hear from later periods of Reagae were recorded in this time. This re- cycling process sometimes makes it hard to pinpoint a definite stylistic period for a riddim. Here is a classic “transitional” Rock Steady riddim in the style of "Dancing Mood’: Ane « am D iS SS ea ae Ee fr a Add inane : f= [po ee ee SS ees 1%Here is a very melodic riddim in the style of “Take it Easy.” Remember: the rest is as im- portant as the notes. ° o D lay 4 times The next riddim borrows heavily from American R&B/soul, and is similar to “Girl I've Got a Date” ° F B SS This riddim hae a sixteenth-note figure that lays back so far, it comes very close to be- coming an eighth-note triplet. This one is in the style of "Happy Go Lucky Girl” o| lay 4 times Around 1967, an element appeared called Rude Boy music. The lyrics spoke to the grow- ing number of dis-enfranchised urban youth in Kingston. Thie riddim, in the style of “O07.” is a classic example of Rude Boy music, °® * > 8 potenThis “rudie” hae an eighth rest on beat one—not as common in Reggae as you would think. It’s similar to “Tougher than Tough” G D G c G D =e The insistent: pounding on the root, moving up to repeated b7the creates a hypnotic ef fect in this riddim—in the style of “Ba Ba Boom.” o lay 8 times “Key signtee denotes BY Mitoydin, The next riddim (in the style of “Carry Go Bring Home”) reste on beat one and uses chord tones in eighth notes. play 4 times 6The heavy use of repeated sixteenth notes is a common aspect of many riddime. The fol- lowing riddim (similar to “Queen Majesty") is a good example of this practice. e@-; Dm play 4 times The use of the root going to the Sth with multiple repeats of the Sth is a common move- ment in Reggae base. Here is an early example comparable to “Rub a Dub Style” e This riddim uses the same basic pattern but also goes through some chord changes. it's in the Style of “Barb Wire.” tThe shift between Rock Steady and Reggae is less defined than the Ska-Rock Steady transition. 1968-69 were the transitional years for this development. This example (similar to “Real Rock”) of the root—Sth motion rests on beat 1. "Key senate denotes BP Minclyan Here is another transitional riddim, this time in the style of “Love Me Forever" Oo 4 bmn om Bn lay 7 tmes This early “one drop” riddim hae been reused for years. It’s similar to “My Conversation” lay 8 times > « An Play $time 7This riddim mixes elghth and sixteenth notes. Play the sixteenths with laid back feel. This one’s cimilar to “Kingly Character” ® a Bhm a Bm 18REGGAE his Is the period that: gives all Jamaican popular music its name. It is a stylistic period that is T seen as ongoing. In Reggae, the bass becomes an even stronger infiuence—anchoring the beat: and glving the drummer more freedom to experiment. Mary of the characteristic grooves of Reggae came from thie new freedom drummers had. The “One Drop,” “Rockers,” “Steppers,” “Lover's Rock,’ and “Flyers” grooves are all dictated mostly by the drummer; the bass lines for these riddims do not have specific characteristics that define each one. Many of these stylistic variations were de- veloped from the pre-existing foundations by Reggae drummer Sly Dunbar, along with his partner in rhythm, bassist Robbie Shakespeare, Bob Marley ie quoted ae saying the change from Rock Steady to Reagae occurred when the guitar went from the single “skank” on the upbeat to the doubled “reg gae" rhythm, This one-measure patter is a classic early Reggae riddim in the style of "54-467 @ « c ply 8 snes —— “Key signs denotes G Minoan. This riddim is considered to be one of the earliest examples of the Reggae period, It's sim- ilar to “Nanny Goat.” So Se py tines ESF —- 5 e—— a 4 — —S = = = — * E n lay 8 times 19This is a variation of the riddim heard on —a classic that gets used over and over— and is in the otyle of “Better Dub” oe _ This one has a repetitive figure that moves through some changes. It’s similar to “Alt Baba” Some of the early Reggae is also known as “skinhead” Reggae due to ite popularity with the British youth culture of the same name. It ie typified by a faster beat and a “scratchy” rhythmic feel—often in the guitar part. The next several figures are some examples of skinhead Reggae. Here is a very active riddim. The Db major scale in the lact two beats makes for a tricky return down to the low . This one’s in the style of “The Israelite.”This riddim rests on beat 1 and has a unique chromatic run. It’s similar to “Shu Be Du” F Se play 4 times = eS re Here's another example that rests on beat 1. It's similar to @, except the chorde tones move up instead of down, This one’s in the style of “Longshot Kick De Bucket.” > « c The following riddims belong to another subgroup of the Reggae period. This period has no particular name, but is considered to be “non-Skinhead” and “pre-Roots”. This riddim reste on beat 1, has lots of epace, and emphasizes the fifth of the chord structure, It’s similar to the tune “Money in My Focket.” ° , on = SS = SS Se “+ —This classic riddim has a great bouncy feel. The dead note gives it a real lift. This was one of the first riddims to turn on a lot of people worldwide on to Reggae music. It's done in the PS style of “The Harder They Come.” a e oe D a Notice how the space in this one allows the groove to happen—similar to “6.90 Skank.” 2 « tn 6 tnHere is a classic riddim with a very cool variation in the second half. This one’s done in the style of “Skylarking.”ROOTS REGGAE vig development in Reagae was the Influence of the Rastafarian religion in Jamaica. Outwardly, A ‘the dreadiocked hair and use of marijuana as a sacred ritual are elements of the Rasta faith that people pick up on. On a deeper level, the religion acknowledges the African heritage of Jamaica's black population, and a belief that they are destined to return one day to Africa, their Spiritual home. The connection between Rastafarianiom and Reggae music created the “Roots” pe- riod. The lyrical content is mostly oriented toward cultural consciousness raising, and the chord structures started to emphasize more minor sounds, While many groups are responsible for the rise of the Roots movement, Bob Marley is recognized as the most prominent artist of this period Here io an early example of Roots Reggae. It’s performed in the style of “Satta Massa Gana” 24The small slide up to G in this one is a nice effect. This riddim ie similar to “War Inna Babylon.” = —, = + SSS SESE + - a7 = | Ee =a = 0 c play 2 > = ee SaaS = SS Se — This riddim echoes come R&B influences, and is in the etyle of “Two 7e Clash” 2 a > Am ayes SS ae = ve eS +r : 7 5 * fs + =o This two-part riddim has a unique slide in measure 4, The B section uses a triplet otart- ing on the b3rd of the C minor chord to create some rhythmic and melodic tension. This one is in the style of “Get Up Stand Up” ® a cm 1Section A of this riddim is a repeating four-measure phrase with lote of space. The B eec- tion uses the octave-Sth-root pattern in a descending “rake” fashion. This track le similar to “I Shot the Sheriff” 2 wo cm mn 1 => o |. > e play mes Here is a shuffle-type riddim. The straight eighth notes should also be interpreted with a triplet feel. This one’s similar to “Jammmin'” Drier TH Bm7 = G Fin lay 4 times0U8 ub Is a stylistic period of Reggae that borrowed heavily on the riddims of the past. As in most Reggae, riddime were “versioned” for years after their initial release. Dub came into play as stu- dio technology Improved, allowing more adventurous re-mixes of old classics to be created. These dubs were used largely as platforms for DJs to rap or “toast” to in the dance halls, | have cho- sen not to include ary Dub riddims, a6 they are mostly re-mixes of pre-existing lines. if there is a Dub “style” to be learned, It: would be to develop a feeling for when the various instruments lay out. Dub mixes generally feature the appearance and disappearance of the various instruments at frequent in- tervals, While there Is no set pattern for these occurrences, it is possible to create a Dub mi on a live gig by selectively laying out when the feeling is right. MODERN SKA n the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ska made its first big comeback. A movement started in | England where Jamaican ex-patriots and Englih punk rockers joined forces. This unlikely blend created a mix of Punk eneray and Ska sophistication. Groups like The Specials, The Selector, The Beat, and UB4O took old Ska classics, sped them up, and created a movement sometimes called “Two-Tone"—named after an English record label. Another goal of the Two-Tone movement was to promote racial harmony among the working class white and black youth of the UK. Many of the bands were racially mixed, and the appeal of the music was broad. We are once again in the midet of another Ska revival in the United States. Many young bands have re-discovered the Ska classics, some ‘through the records of the English Ska movement, and all eventually finding their way back to the recordings of The Skatalites and Don Drummond Here io a high eneray line from the English Ska period in the otyle of “On My Radio” > > o e pintoDANCEHALL he dancehall has always played an important role in the development of Jamaican music. Before J cheap transistor radios were readlly available, the sound system and dancehall were the ways Jamaicans heard the new hits. In the early 1980s, Reggae became conspicuously dance-orl- ented, Many of the widely accepted conventions of Rap, House Music, and Techno had thelr otart in tthe creative pressure cooker of Jamaican recording studios. Dancehall style also borrowed heavily from American music, and paralleled the development of mechanized record production with drum ma- chines and synthesizers, The influx of cheap synthesizers from Japan had a big Impact on how music wae produced in Jamaica. Indeed, some classic Dancehall riddims were actually pre-set base and drum pattems created by a synthesizer programmer in Japan! Many of the riddims of “Digital” Reggae are played on keyboards, yet are still important for the reggae bassiet to know. This is an early example of Dancehall style, played in the style of “Night Nurse.” (cceceencerseeacen @ G G = =e SS Se se SS eredThis “digital” riddim was a pre-set pattern from an inexpensive Casio keyboard. Remarkably, It became one of the most versioned riddims of Dancehall style. The following fig- ure is similar to “Under Me Sleng Teng” This is a unique riddim, It has more of a Latin clave-based feel than most Reggms 1 te similar to the tune “Punnany.” lay 12 mes While not a pre-set, this riddim was originally played on the auto-base buttone found em ‘the aforementioned Caeio. It is possible to simulate thie sound by using an octave divider witie- ‘out the original sound of the bass blended in. Play the line up an octave, and let the foot pedal drop it. down with the eynthesized effect. This one is In the style of “Tempo” > : pasos SSREGGAE SOURCES tile compiling this book, | found several great resources for Reggae music and information. A must-have CD compilation ie Tougher Than Tough, The Story of Jamaican Music, on Island Records. The liner notes are very informative, and the chronological order of the recordings 16 very useful. A terrific book on Reggae Is Reggae, The Rough Guide, by Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton, publiched by Penguin Books. This is a very comprehensive work, detailing the history and development of Jamaican popular music and ite artiete. lt has over 1,000 recommendations for CDs and records, IF you have internet access, you're in luck; there are many great: sources on-line for Reggae music. Go to hetpul/mwngeocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/2597/ to find “The Jamaican Riddim Directory” This site hae soundfiles of many classic riddime broken into various categories, Check out http://wvwniceup.com! where you'll find the ‘Jammin’ Reggae Archives"—a collection of in- formation and Web links to Reggae music. At http://www.webcity.cojp/info/maeda/riddimOt htm! you'll find “Never Grow Old,” an extensive listing compiled by Keita Maeda of Reggae riddime and their various versione. This list proved very helpful in cross referencing many of the riddims in this book. OF course you can check out wuw.ziplink.net/~upsetter/ska/calendarhtm| put up by ‘Art Cohen. This ie the National Ska and Reggae calendar with tour information and local show listings for the entire United States, There is a lot of Reggae out there on the Web. Once you start searching, you can find more information than you can imagine. | hope you have found this compilation of Reggae bass lines helpful and fun.BASS NOTATION LEGEND Bass musie can be notated two diferent ways: on 8 musical sta and in tablature ne ee 7 oi pte ay one EETArGemsnoermse sag TABLATURE phi repeat te ass Sages or oe peeks Sg, an each be pees ae Trina oan Bag i te 1B Se tone teh FUL Peto og ne es LET SUES ed SUE: Sane msi, et Cumgcbusatacsow trie Gmswurie tise” bedirbwanietenetgnige focus sabe Srestng wera npriy eng wi pang php stand toms acetone Tc Soap themed ve oot ——> — ‘aU: ey gy arc tne TREAOLOPCNNE The ie st RATE TP ti ayy SHAE Ut nih atte Tomdcyr ney taney aya scpasoe morgue assy berew mine” Sena oes ae cd tog Satan taesiat games ee BS = SS Be i= an = Hes 4 = i AAIUEALARMONE: Sie two MUFFED TRS: ees ses EN: Se he ded e—ENDAN LAE Se tt Salmon tech ng” pecetty Mey tds sen Sateen a te emebet Sy oe ected So) wt en Peo ag feedback mht : one = ae = by hot aoe === it if = INGKT-HAND TAP Hapa 0") be et_—_LEFTAAND TP: arn: (a5 te et_——_SLAP: Slap stg wt i-and POP Sra pn") sig wi atta inca wine “petand” decor" indezod wih he "ean" eees or nb Inco mice apr ‘nse tga aed pil oe eto rted rca. Sent SS SS x : x ADDITIONAL MUSICAL DEFINITIONS + exam tte 26mm + Sasi me moan tse soe me maser ard oh, Accent ote wh gutsy bats Fin. + Lal sed ea receipt + Pay ments Fu tae sd tyra parm ics ‘eto be imag ate esegenen n + Dovstote ace 4+ Insure let (ops a). v + Uparote + apa mass tenn sre. 5. siceue + Gotoh sgn (tan ae (ETT + Wee epee sites as tren seas maria Te Cade ten 3 [12 snes, yt tat nag oe at Secon es “Co tin ard ecm ering oly sce NOTE: Taoue ruben ie parentass me {To oles ang suze evra sandr eons ed, 2 Te oles sutas,outa owateuson (sacha a hares pu, se ot vate ego AL Tete trey au hos” nl ete near oon aso Dees. 3Gant a s "9 series of technique book/audio packages created forthe purposeful building and development of your chops. Each volume is written by an expert in that particular technique. And with the inclusion of audio — either CD or cassette — the added dimension of hearing exactly how to play particular grooves and techniques makes this truly like a private lesson. Books include notes and tab, Bass Fitness—An Exercising Handbook 4 Josguin des Pres 2 errs designe help nrese your sped, roe your deste ‘develop accuracy and promt Brget independence: Recommended y ord ead bass players, music shoals and misc aginst 10660177 Book On $795 Bass Improvisation— The Complete Guide to Soloing yd Brdand D inciades ener 50 ack or demonsrin ad pial, Te book works for elec or aco bss and cones: modes, harmonic ior, ‘ioc nor, blvs, pextacics, diminished, whole tone, yan D7, and tothe inportant scales; phrasing. cordscale concepts, melodic development, sig jour ear and uch more. 0695164 Book/CD Pack Building Walking Bass Lines int riedind ar seth mo come speach sla, bat {eainedinreck nse ths ty RA, pg an ey feu obereol ms ee odo wont tse erie use al ang ies ed ae Sen hae hore oes wr Tho eee 90a herr vcs ges bbe pp pe ‘vargas 36503 Bol Caste Pack O88 Tel Fc $795 $1295 $1795 Expanding Walking Bass Lines by Bd rnd Pap Bug Rig Bas Lins, is ck pics nse ‘toca ng cme cn lean, br oe en hae aoe inp ss ne a2 Pack 51995 Fingerboard Harmony For Bass ‘AlLinear Approach For 4-, 5~ and 6-String Bass ty Gan is ‘eae tory and rey hes ington ro nef {Sings ng tracer Tne ets ay Ws ecw FP Sa and earcses TAs contest took oes Hd pester iy nese near ppt uch oe Boos tke Pak Funk Bass ‘yf Liebman ‘halyard the es sige sorce forthe techniques wed pa fink and lapse bas Inakes a focword by John. Fact an ‘exosd by ie Appleman ofthe Berle lege Of Mus, Wi Le, Mark gan, Sut hrm and cy otters tres sow photos and speci sectin on eqoment and e's, & bok fr ewerone~ fre beans adbuced late Tnlaes 258i ado accompaninen. 00699347 Woolas Pack, 10999548 ool Pack. $1795 $1495 $1795 rcs eters arab sic chan it he Funk/Fusion Bass ‘fon Licbman This low ep to Funk Bas sas tbe extnigues and gow of todas op fvhason bass penes It acuses eens on maserig te two Enger lech, sng cosine, ule elements, eblshing a uo, lig 2 ‘nko ong cabs. ava C wit nr 90 racks jan aang Wh, eats enor wie by Ear, Wind Ande bass rine Wie. 10696553 Book Pac. $1995 Jazz Bass by Pa redland Ths booW/CD pack tures ore 50 examples covering walking bas, the ‘noe 3/4 ne, Latin, and alls eves slong, perforzace proocl, and ices seven complete ues. (00695084 Bool Pack. The Lost Art of Country Bass Aa nse tok Country so ec a Upright Payers ty eab ose Ce ytd iar nd Ge Tock pc aces dic nd nbs ts he sf tha ty rel ary Sar, Dl aes YT tate wage Ge evs torw be sade hss hor oedse ‘aac date cer ena Te nde 3 ns Tabb ag Sedan | oxps107 eo Pack $1795 $1795 Muted Grooves dy sgn des Pres Develo he sing ig sng aking alight hand equs sed the _pesttlegend bas wh compres cers book,Kincaes ner 100 praca exces wi afin accompariment for each (1096554 Hoole Pack 069655 ook Pack, implified Sight-Reading for Bass from be Fudan othe ble Pagboard type Pe BLD tak he ts pes xd ie reg i Picile Liat! aap ened pe fi el ces et oe Bera, aetna al ey ares el oes So pats sho. Bah fk kad moe the ‘Sing? donk oot Roa Puck lap Bass Essentials tones res and Buny Braet ‘ea ena pack cor 0 sel ae ees Cas np ph en yo fos aes at flyer fon srs an oa re. (00365 ol Pak 51695 HALeLEONARD* CORPORATION $1295 $1695 s1795 wsreg re Tem re RS eae Meat ee Bee en ESS wots CW er Cusirdie M i /eae ur Rec OUR irs iti eerr a aT EU Toa fed 2 © Authentic Grooves and Riddins © Standard Notation and TAB