Hey guys/girls, in my music comp class im writing a ska song for my final project and I was wondering if you guys could give me some tips about playing ska? and could you recommend me song good ska artists please?

Five iron frenzy

woot

The Specials.

Lock in with the drums, pop on some Fishbone, The English Beat, and Sublime to an extent.

Reel Big Fish
Mustard Plug
The Toasters


Just to name a few.

Choking victim
rancid
catch 22

Choking victim
rancid
catch 22

Rancid???

Dude..since when did rancid become Ska? lol

Ehh Rancid used to play some ska. I highly recommend Streetlight Manifesto. Excellent bassist. All you have to do is make your bass line sound really busy and lock in with the drums as someone said above me.

Hey guys/girls, in my music comp class im writing a ska song for my final project and I was wondering if you guys could give me some tips about playing ska? and could you recommend me song good ska artists please?

Go for the original 60s ska bands. People like Desmond Dekker, Pato Banton, The Maytals and The Skatalites. The 70s two-tone bands like The Specials and The Selecter are good too.

Edit: Pato Banton? Well, I've been quoted now so I can't hide it! :rolleyes:

Go for the original 60s ska bands. People like Desmond Dekker, Pato Banton, The Maytals and The Skatalites. The 70s two-tone bands like The Specials and The Selecter are good too.
Yeah, the Maytals were the first thing in my mind.

does anyone have any tips for playing ska? any particular modes that sound better than others? when/where to play, etc

Desmond Dekker! He is by far my favorite ska singer. Not only that, he was the first ska singer ever. Even Toots says he was ("Desmond Dekker Was First" is a very nice song dedicated to him). Desmond Dekker still plays shows in England and Europe, too.

Tips: make the bass line busy and staccato and everything else simple and staccato. Also, learn how to play the one-drop (resting on the 1). The one-drop isn't everything in ska but it sure makes basslines interesting. As for modes, dorian and mixolydian are the most predominant. You don't have to get all fancy with note choices in ska. It's pretty basic, really.

Listen to some early Madness music. I'd recommend you get a copy of their first album called 'One Step Beyond'.

Also, Ska came from R&B (in its original sense) mixing with Caribbean styles and rhythms. It's hardly surprising that a lot of what works in blues works in Ska and its successor, Reggae. There's a lot of mileage available in I IV V chord progressions and minor pentatonic riffs.

Going through a pile of ska cds I have here, most bass lines are simple. Most of the time the bass player is hitting a root on the 1 and sticking with the 3 and 5 the rest of the time.

I don't get the feeling that the original artists theorised too much about what they did.

I like the ethiopians...Train to Skaville

Ehh Rancid used to play some ska. I highly recommend Streetlight Manifesto. Excellent bassist. All you have to do is make your bass line sound really busy and lock in with the drums as someone said above me.

STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO!!! definetly awesome ska

STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO!!! definetly awesome ska

Hell yea they are!!!!!! :bassist:

heatskores, flatliners and planet smashers come to mind, although im not sure how far the first 2 have spread.

Rx Bandits.

I very, very highly recommend a little known British band called "The Scrub". Check em out, every time I see em I'm skanking around the room like Ska has just been invented...

Five Iron Frenzy!

Great basslines...Their live cds are hilarious as well, and check out the last 10 or so tracks on Quantity is Job 1

Try leading into chord changes with notes that are a half step or whole step away. Its even better if they are chord tones.