← All lessonsModule 14 · Latin & World Grooves
Reggae and the Offbeat
Move the chords off the beat and empty out beat one: play the skank, build a one drop, and let a deep, melodic bass carry the tune.
In this lesson you'll
- Play the skank: short chords only on the ands.
- Build a one drop groove with kick and snare on beat three.
- Play a two-chord reggae loop with a melodic bass line.
Music in this lesson
- Bob Marley & the Wailers (the one drop)Carlton Barrett, drums
Remember
The skank plays short, choppy chords only on the and of each beat, and your ear fills in the empty downbeats.
The one drop puts kick and snare together on beat three and leaves beat one empty, so the beat seems to drop on three.
The deep, melodic bass carries the tune, and with the downbeat empty the groove leans back instead of pushing forward.