Reggae Rhythm & Riff – EP011

Helpful Tips

In this lesson, you’ll learn the strum pattern that defines Reggae rhythm, as well as, a riff that’s a lot of fun to play! But the best part is, you’ll put it all together to jam alongside a full band backing track (Drums & U-Bass).

Reggae music has an easily recognized rhythmic element in that the hits occur on the off-beats (i.e. the &’s of the down-beats). In this tune, this is heard throughout the majority of the piece, with a few exceptions to add a spice of variation.

You’ll also notice that the tempo of the piece is fairly slow and that the feel of the music is laid-back. This is another cardinal trait of Reggae music. There’s also a swung 16th note feel that we’ll talk about in the tutorial video. This feel is similar to a swung 8th note feel.

In regards to The Riff, notice how it has a call and response element to it. C&R means there are two distinct phrases, where the second phrase is heard as a response to the first. To put this concept into an analogy, this is the same idea as a Q&A session. A question is always responded to with an answer.

Each measure contains C&R, whereas the first half is the call, and the second half is the response.

Part 1 – Performance & Free Lesson

Tab Play Along

Backing Track Play Along Sans Ukulele #1 (No Riff)

Backing Track Play Along Sans Ukulele #2 (No Rhythm)