Ska Music

Ska’s popularity and success as a music genre came about in the 1960s and since then it has remained a part of the music world. We must not forget the legends of Ska music like Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, Prince Buster and Duke Reid. They saw the need to give Jamaica a music identity with Ska and started its recording.

Playing Ska Music:
Traditionally Ska would involve bass, guitars, horns and keyboards but it is also identified by drumbeats. The Ska drumbeats are tapped on the second and fourth beats while the trumpet, trombone and sax are frequently used instruments.

Ska Music In Different Forms:
Actually most articles or descriptions about Ska would claim the same origins, same type of instruments, different bands as being the best Ska bands and different stories of who brought it to the limelight. However, rather than go down that path, it would be more fruitful to understand the different roads the Ska music has gone through over the years. We have the traditional Ska -  names like “The Melodians, Desmond Dekker” could be easily recognized in this period of 1960s Ska.

The 2 Tone Ska Era:
This revolved around England in the 1970s. It was a mixture of traditional Jamaican Ska , punk and rock and characterized by heavy guitar. It is much faster in tempo than the traditional 1960s Ska. Names like The Higsons and The Specials can be found in this period.

The 3rd Wave Ska Music:
This began in the 1980s in the United States. Different bands being influenced by the 2 Tone Ska beats started coming up and by the 1990s a lot of Ska bands have made it to the top chart. Names like Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish are found here.

Different periods have seen the Ska music changing to a different style and incorporating more genres while still maintaining its traditional self.