Reggae Music

Reggae music is normally always going to be played within a four by four time or either swing time, mainly because of the symmetrical pattern of rhythm that doesn't lend itself to the other time signatures like a three by four time. Harmonically speaking, the music is normally very simple, and there are times that a whole entire song won't have any more than a couple of chords. "Exodus", the Wailers and Bob Marley song is almost comprised entirely of A-minor chords. All of these simple and repetitious structures of chords add to reggae's hypnotic effect that it sometimes has. Marley however, wrote on chord structures that were more complex and bands similar to Steel Pulse also often used chord structures that are very complex.

The Lyrics:
The reggae music genre has been noted for all of its traditional social criticism, even though most reggae songs discuss lighter subjects that are more personal, like sex, love and socializing. There are some reggae lyrics that make an attempt to raise all of the political consciousness that the audience has, like criticizing materialism or by informing the listener about controversial subjects like Apartheid. There are many reggae songs that also promote cannabis' use, which was considered to be a sacrament within the Rastafari movement.

There are a lot of reggae artists that utilize religious themes within their music, whether it is discussing some sort of religious topic or just simply giving praise to Jah, the Rastafari God. Some of the other common topics that are socio-political within reggae songs include anti-racism, Black Nationalism, anti-capitalism, anti-colonialism, Babylon and criticism of the political systems as well as the promotion of tending to the younger generation's needs.

The Subgenres:
The name "roots reggae" is given to the music of a spiritual nature that has lyrics that are predominantly in the praise of God or Jah. Some of the lyrical themes that are recurrent include the resistance to the government's oppression and poverty. Most of Peter Tosh's and Bob Marley's songs can be referred to as root reggae. In the latter part of the seventies, the creative pinnacle of reggae's roots laid with the singers like Horace Andy, Barrington Levy and Big Youth.

Dub is also a reggae genre that was pioneered during the early days by the studio producers like King Tubby and Lee Scratch Perry. Dub music involves the extensive remixing of material that has been recorded and puts a particular emphasis upon the drum and bass line.