Reggae bass lines

[Skel]

Anyone know how to characterize a reggae bass line in such a way that it could be explained? Kind of like "ok a reggae bass line never does this or always does that (in musical terms of course)" - anything that could be put to a test to measure whether it's a reggae bass line?

Not conscsiously knowing, it seems like reggae bass, using anything in 4/4, would play the first two measures and drop out the 2nd two except for putting that dot on the "I", playing the first quarter note of the 3rd measure only. Pls correct me or help me understand if possible.

[J. Crawford]

I know that the drummer almost always plays the snare on the 3rd beat of the measure. If that helps.

[Jimmyplaysabass]

usually just root third 5th in some combination

or 4ths are fun

check out some reggae songs to get an idea.

[Mr. E Bassist]

In ska and reggae the thing is the bass is moving a lot. Jimmy is right in that it is mostly 1-3-5 combinations. But the drummer sets up the groove that you should work with, and as far as the third beat goes that should be the only time you hear the bass drum, not the snare . The later reggae has come to use more 16th notes, but not in a scale run or anything, more like starting on the 7th of the chord for the 1, then hammering on to the root for e & a. Just like any music genre the best thing to do is listen to it. Some good people to check out are: Derrick Harriot, Alton Ellis, Desmond Dekker, The Ethiopians, Prince Buster. Of course some of the time it's going to sound like ska, being as that ska was the basis for reggae that makes sense.

[Skel]

Okay, I'll listen to some - thanks for the suggestions on who to listen to. Also, I did really "hear" that root-third-fifth when you guys mentioned it. I think the 16th notes sound awesome because they're contrasted so well, and not just constant. I had forgotten about those too - so thanks, it helps a lot.

[bigblondeafro87]

Check out Aston Barrett from Bob Marley. For years I overlooked his basslines as being 'simple' or 'dull', but if you really listen to all of his subtleties and unique phrasings, he is a VERY interesting player.

[jugoziithouu]

In ska the bass is all over the place, since the guitar is the rhythm and the trumpets give color the bass is free IS FREE THANK JACO ALLMIGHTY

In reggae its another story reggae is more about the vocals so just lock with the drummer come up with a tasty rythm and some fancy fills and thats it

Im more about ska tho so i definitively may be wrong in the reggae wrong but don't over analyze baselines i mean, there is not like a formula for each genre be innovative and if it sounds right off you go

[warwick_thumper]

There is no one formula because there are so many sub-genres inside reggae (dancehall, dub, rocksteady, four on the floor styles, old school ska, new school ska). Listen to Family Man, Robbie Shakespeare, the boys from Slightly Stoopid play some adventurous lines, Eric Wilson, and P-Nut. P-Nut is really great at demonstrating extremely locked in (with the kick drum I mean) B string grooves that swing and percolate. Once you have found the right style reference then there are definitely some repetitive patterns that you should be able to identify.

[Reuben]

Very very common to not play on the "one."

[kesslari]

This thread might be helpful - give it a read. It covers a lot of what you're asking.

Reggae and Dub Primer

[Red-I-Jed-I]

Most of what I play on the bass is Reggae. Reggae bass lines use triplits and shuffles a lot. The notes are hardly ever sustained, they use a lot of rest and as a result the bass lines sound very jumpy. The bass is usually the most busy intrument in a reggae song, except for solos and such. All reggae would sound pretty much the same with just the guitar skank and the drums, use your bass like to make the song unique. (Also this is something that I thought of yesterday). Sing a good hip hop style bass drum and snare beat in your head and play your bass to it. Do rythmic variations on your bass over that same drum beat and that might help. (Hip hop gets a lot of its rythims from reggae)

[tomvelsor]

i have a lot of reggae things worked out that work VERY well.

first off tonally - get a sansamp and put the bass all the way up with the drive around 1-2 o'clock. good. great. grand.

then the actual music comes into play. learn chord shapes of basic triads. then just bounce around the notes. learn the three shapes- root in the bass, 5th in the bass, 3rd in the bass. this way on basic chord changes your hand goes nowhere, you just change your inversion and most likely can hit the chord without moving your hands. obviously dont play the chord, just use those three notes in whatever funky rhythm you want. and there you go, your as good as any reggae bass player out there.

[Drifta]

Originally Posted by tomvelsor

i have a lot of reggae things worked out that work VERY well.

first off tonally - get a sansamp and put the bass all the way up with the drive around 1-2 o'clock. good. great. grand.

then the actual music comes into play. learn chord shapes of basic triads. then just bounce around the notes. learn the three shapes- root in the bass, 5th in the bass, 3rd in the bass. this way on basic chord changes your hand goes nowhere, you just change your inversion and most likely can hit the chord without moving your hands. obviously dont play the chord, just use those three notes in whatever funky rhythm you want. and there you go, your as good as any reggae bass player out there.

Sorry to bump a OLD thread, but I was searching TB and this comment made me throw up in my mouth. I can pump out 8th and 16th root notes, but I'm not as good as any rock or metal bassist out there.

It is a pet peeve of mine when people over-simplify reggae. I've met so many good musicians that have never played reggae and just can't grasp what it is all about. Guitarists and keyboardists think because theyre playing the reggae 'chop' that it is reggae. Or a drummer that has the 'simple' beat down, but runs fills so often - kicks too often - and doesnt play on the high hat don't realize they're stepping outside of what reggae really is.

[jahfish]

whole notes on the beat, 16th notes around the one drop? usually the '3rd beat'

[simmerdown]

[tZer]

I am still trying to get my head around what defines many reggae bass lines.

So far, what I've found is that there are a number of sub-genres of reggae that have certain rules - a one drop, step, rock steady, lover's, etc... each one has distinctive characteristics that define it as part of that genre - then they all share some common features.

The common features (to my limited ear) include a very bassy, fat sound. Short, rhythmic notes that create a very irresistible pulse - and if you don't know what that pulse feels like, you need to go to a few live shows and situate yourself near a sub-woofer. You will feel the pulse...

Musically speaking, the notes do tend to follow many of the same-ish rules as you'd follow playing an uncomplicated jazz boogie/blues swing line - play pulsing 1/4's (emphasize the forward motion - in reggae beat 3 seems to be an especially potent beat) use the chord tones and scale tones in repetitive patterns - to frame out the changes (which are usually very simple) - and have your line emulate/support or provide a strong counter-melody to the main vocal line - and you pull, pull, pull the beat (lay back, but remain tight - very hard for me... I'm a pusher...)

Ska is like inside out, uptempo swing jazz - instead of emphasizing 2 & 4 (The skankin' guitar has those beats covered), you emphasize 1 & 3 - very legato (not staccato) 1/8th and 1/16th notes are your friends as are chord tones (arpeggios) - and you push, push, push the beat. A lot of times the drums will go half-time while the bass continues cruising along which really opens up the feel while maintaining a sense of speed and urgency.

My own personal list of "How to create a reggae bass line" include:
1) Know what sub-genre you are in and obey those rules
2) Listen to the melody - create a line that emulates/complements it
3) FEEL and DRIVE the PULSE and make your 1/4's 'pump' and 'pulsate' - short, precise, leverage your tone circuit to enhance the bass - pluck near the neck...
4) REPETITION IS YOUR FRIEND. REPETITION IS YOUR FRIEND. REPETITION IS YOUR FRIEND. REPETITION IS YOUR FRIEND.

The real mofo for me about reggae - especially down-tempo stuff - is how 'loose' it sounds, but how tight it really is. It's really hard to create that 'loose-tightness' - but it can't be too loose because you lose the pulse, or too tight because you will lose the all-important laid-back feel.

[bass12]

Originally Posted by tZer

I am still trying to get my head around what defines many reggae bass lines.

So far, what I've found is that there are a number of sub-genres of reggae that have certain rules - a one drop, step, rock steady, lover's, etc... each one has distinctive characteristics that define it as part of that genre - then they all share some common features.

One of those common features is often the bass line. The styles you've mentioned (don't confuse rocksteady as being a "sub- genre" of reggae - it is a precursor) are generally distinguished by other factors. "One drop" refers to a specific drum pattern, same as "steppers". "Lovers rock" was a predominantly UK phenomenon which differed most in it's lyrical content and delivery, as well as the general production style of the era in which it was produced. Throughout the history of reggae, various bass lines have been recycled and those lines have often transcended the various reggae styles. In some cases, the re-appropriation of certain bass lines has helped define a sub-style (the use of classic studio one bass lines during the birth of dancehall in the late 70s, for example). The biggest shift in reggae bass probably occurred with the dancehall of the late 80s (when reggae was already into it's "digital" phase). Many of the recordings from that era began to incorporate bass lines consisting of single notes that did little more than reinforce the bass drum. One of the biggest dancehall hits of that era, in fact ("Murder She Wrote" by Chaka Demus & Pliers), didn't even have a bass line. In more recent years there's been a "one drop revival" trend which has meant both a reintroduction to a lot of classic Jamaican bass lines as well as a whole bunch of fresh ones. Anyway, interesting thread topic.