Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Shuffle Rhythm
in first person for the most personal touch. For example, "I woke up on the wrong side of the bed
cause you were missin this morning." The one line describes a lot more that's going on than simply
getting up in the morning. Many blues lyrics create inferred ideas that are metaphors. Many times
they are sexual or spiritual. The term "rock n roll" has sexual meaning. B.B. King sings one called
"Rock me Baby." Buddy Guy's show stopper is when he sings "Love Her With a Feeling" which
includes the lyrics: One leg in the east... ...one leg in the west... ...I'm right down the middle... ...tryin
to do my best!. Then the crowd goes hysterical, especially those who aren't familiar with the song.
BLUES
by Peter Thomas
Chords in the 12 bar blues sequence
Blues breaks the rules of conventional jazz harmony and improvisation.
The distinctive sound of blues chords is often created by the flattening of various notes (mainly the
3rd, 5th and 7th). The harmony often becomes ambiguous as the flattened 3rd will often be used in a
melody at the same time as the major 3rd in the accompanying harmony. (Not the other way round:
in a minor blues all 3rds are flattened). There is a blues scale which contains these notes, however in
a major key most players combine the flattened notes with the natural notes. (See below blues
scales ). When using the blues scale or phrases derived from it the same (tonic) scale is used over all
three areas, i.e. in the key of C you use a C blues scale and do not usually change to an F blues scale
for the F7 chord at bar 5. The resulting dissonances are effective depending on the players taste and
feel for the blues
When looking at the more basic 12 bar blues chord sequences (i.e. those in blues music rather than
some of the more sophisticated jazz/blues) it does not usually make sense to use the RN analysis in
the same way that we have been used to where key centres are defined by dominant chords. The
flattened 7th is often used on tonic and subdominant chords purely as colour and need not imply a V7I cadence or a secondary dominant.
If this makes no sense, then now would be a good time to read (or reread) the Jazz
Beginnersand/or Rock & Blues Beginners pages
Example:
In the key of C the C7 chord in bar 4 of a typical 12 bar blues (see below Ex: 12a) appears to be a
secondary dominant chord (V7 of IV), but it is more in keeping with the blues to think of the 5th and
6th bars as the subdominant rather than a new key centre. The IV chord of a blues is invariably a IV7,
but the F7 at bar 6 is chord IV7 of C, not chord V7 of Bb. Although theoretically you could think in
terms of the RN analysis we have been using, and play a scale of F Mixolydian (mode starting on F
using notes of the Bb major scale) this is unlikely to sound like good blues.
IV7
I7
IV7
IV7
V7
(IV7)
V7
IV7
I7
IV7
IV7
IIm7
V7
IIm7-V7
ex 12b
Often the secondary dominant is used in bar 8:
IV7
I7
IV7
IV7
VI 7
IIm7
V7
IIm7-V7
Ex 12c
There are also 12 bar blues sequences in a minor key:
Im
IVm7
Im7
I7
IVm7
IVm7
Im7
Im7
bVI
7
V7
IIm7-V7
C7
F7
F7
G7
G7 or
F7
C-G7
Although some or all of the tonic and subdominant chords may have a minor 7 added, this is
a blue note and does not have its usual harmonic function as a dominant chord (except in bar 4 where
it acts a secondary dominant leading to the IV7 chord). The above example only introduces the 7th to
the tonic at bar 4 to emphasise this chord change. It is not a modulation to IV as it would be in
classical harmony.
Blues musicians tend to use phrases and patterns rather than scale runs, though jazz variations of
blues can be based on a 12 bar blues structure and can include jazz and blues style patterns alongside
each other.
Jazz Blues
A simple jazz blues sequence usually changes to chord IV at bar 2 and back to chord I at bar 3 and
uses a IIm7 V7 at bar 9 (often preceded by a secondary dominant).
Early 12 bar jazz blues sequence (Typical of swing or jump blues)
F7
C7
F7
F7
C or A7
Dm7
G7
Dm7G7
This type of sequence is typical of 1930s-1950s swing, jump and R&B styles. More complex sequences
were used in bebop
Typical bebop blues changes
o
F7-F# 7
Gm7-C7
F7
F# 7
C-Dm7
Em7-Eb7
Dm7
G7
C-Am7
Dm7-G7
Blues scales
Blues musicians use more than one blues scale, (and rarely use the blues scale in its entirety)
however the scale that has come to be called the blues scale is similar to a minor pentatonic scale but
with a #4th (or b5th) added. (ex 12g). I shall refer to this as the minorblues scale but bear in mind it
can be used in major and minor blues sequences.
This scale can be used over all the chords of a basic 12 bar blues sequence, so in the key of C a C
blues scale can be used over the F7 and G7 as well as the tonic chord. (Apparent wrong notes are
acceptable in the context of blues, but their correct placement is usually dictated by experience and a
feel for the style rather than academic rules).
The secret of convincing use of the blues scale is to add a major 3rd (ex 12h) or combine it with a
scale which is commonly used in rhythm and blues, swing or jump music. I shall call this
themajor blues scale (ex 12i).
Boogie Bass
Many rock and roll tunes are based on a 12 bar sequence, often with a typical bass line derived from
a boogie-woogie piano left hand (ex 12k). A good way to become familiar with blues changes is to
practise this in all keys.
Reggae
TM, , Copyright 2003 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved.
The word "reggae" was coined around 1960 in Jamaica to identify a "ragged" style of
dance music, that still had its roots in New Orleans rhythm'n'blues. However, reggae
soon acquired the lament-like style of chanting and emphasized the syncopated beat.
It also made explicit the relationship with the underworld of the "Rastafarians" (adepts
of a millenary African faith, revived Marcus Garvey who advocated a mass
emigration back to Africa), both in the lyrics and in the appropriation of the African
nyah-bingi drumming style (a style that mimicks the heartbeat with its pattern of
"thump-thump, pause, thump-thump"). Compared with rock music, reggae music
basically inverted the role of bass and guitar: the former was the lead, the latter beat
the typical hiccupping pattern. The paradox of reggae, of course, is that this music
"unique to Jamaica" is actually not Jamaican at all, having its foundations in the USA
and Africa.
An independent label, Island, distributed Jamaican records in the UK throughout the
1960s, but reggae became popular in the UK only when Prince Buster's Al
Capone (1967) started a brief "dance craze". Jamaican music was very much a ghetto
phenomenon, associated with gang-style violence, but Jimmy Cliff's Wonderful World
Beautiful People (1969) wed reggae with the "peace and love" philosophy of the
hippies, an association that would not die away. In the USA, Neil Diamond's Red Red
Wine (1967) was the first reggae hit by a pop musician. Shortly afterwards, Johnny
Nash's Hold Me Tight (1968) propelled reggae onto the charts. Do The Reggay (1968)
by Toots (Hibbert) And The Maytals was the record that gave the music its name.
Fredrick Toots Hibbert's vocal style was actually closer to gospel, as proved by their
other hits (54-46, 1967;Monkey Man, 1969; Pressure Drop, 1970).
A little noticed event would have far-reaching consequences: in 1967, the Jamaican
disc-jockey Rudolph "Ruddy" Redwood had begun recording instrumental versions of
reggae hits. The success of his dance club was entirely due to that idea. Duke Reid,
who was now the owner of the Trojan label, was the first one to capitalize on the idea:
he began releasing singles with two sides: the original song and, on the back, the
instrumental remix. This phenomenon elevated the status of dozens of recording
engineers.
Reggae music was mainly popularized by Bob Marley (1), first as the co-leader of the
Wailers, the band that promoted the image of the urban guerrilla with Rude
Boy (1966) and that cut the first album of reggae music, Best Of The Wailers (1970);
and later as the political and religious (rasta) guru of the movement, a stance that
would transform him into a star, particularly after his conversion to pop-soul melody
with ballads such as Stir It Up (1972), I Shot The Sheriff (1973) and No Woman No
Cry (1974).
Among the reggae vocal groups, the Abyssinians' Satta Massa Gana (1971) is
representative of the mood of the era.
In 1972 reggae became a staple of western radio stations thanks to the film The
Harder They Come.
Musical characteristics
Stylistically, reggae incorporates some of the musical elements of rhythm and blues (R&B),jazz, African
and Latin American music, as well as other genres. Reggae is either played in 4/4 time or swing time,
because the symmetrical rhythmic pattern does not lend itself to other time signatures such as 3/4 time.
One of the most easily recognizable elements is offbeat rhythms; staccato chords played by a guitar or
piano (or both) on the offbeats of the measure, often referred to as the skank.
This offbeat can be counted so that it falls between each count as an "and" (example: 1 and 2 and 3 and
4 and etc.) or counted as a half time feel at twice the tempo so it falls on beats 2 and 4. Harmonically, the
music is essentially the same as any modern popular genre with a tendency to make use of simple
modal chord progressions. For example: I - bVII7 and I - ii - iii - ii are both common progressions in
reggae and both examples of the kind of chord structures used in modal jazz. The use of repetitive
rhythmic patterns and static, modal chord structures add to reggae's sometimes hypnotic effect.
The concept of "call and response" can be found throughout reggae music, in the lyrics but also in the
way parts are composed and arranged for each instrument. The emphasis on the "third beat" of the bar
(depending on how it's counted) also results in a different sense of musical phrasing with bass lines and
melody lines often emphasizing what might be considered "pick up notes" in other genres.
In Steppers, the bass drum plays four solid beats to the bar, giving the beat an insistent drive. An
example is "Exodus" by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Another common name for the Steppers beat is the
"four on the floor". Burning Spear's 1975 song "Red, Gold, and Green" (with Leroy Wallace on drums) is
one of the earliest examples. The Steppers beat was adopted (at a much higher tempo) by some 2
Tone ska revival bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
An unusual characteristic of reggae drumming is that the drum fills often do not end with a climactic
cymbal. A wide range of other percussion instrumentation are used in reggae. Bongos are often used to
play free, improvised patterns, with heavy use of African-style cross-rhythms. Cowbells, claves and
shakers tend to have more defined roles and a set pattern.
Bass
The bass guitar often plays the dominant role in reggae, and the drum and bass is often the most
important part of what is called, in Jamaican music, a riddim (rhythm), a (usually simple) piece of music
that's used repeatedly by different artists to write and record songs with. Literally hundreds of reggae
singers have released different songs recorded over the same rhythm. The central role of the bass can be
particularly heard in dub music which gives an even bigger role to the drum and bass line, reducing the
vocals and other instruments to peripheral roles.
The bass sound in reggae is thick and heavy, and equalized so the upper frequencies are removed and
the lower frequencies emphasized. The bass line is often a repeated two or four bar riff when simple
chord progressions are used. The simplest example of this might be Robbie Shakespeare's bass line for
the Black Uhuru hit "Shine Eye Gal". In the case of more complex harmonic structures, such as John
Holt's version of "Stranger In Love", these simpler patterns are altered to follow the chord progression
either by directly moving the pattern around or by changing some of the interior notes in the phrase to
better support the chords.
Guitars
The guitar in reggae usually plays on the off beat of the rhythm. So if one is counting in 4/4 time and
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counting 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +, one would play a downstroke on the "and" part of the beat. A musical figure
known as skank or the 'bang" has a very dampened, short and scratchy chop sound, almost like a
percussion instrument. Sometimes a double chop is used when the guitar still plays the off beats, but also
plays the following 8th beats on the up-stroke. An example is the intro to "Stir It Up" by The Wailers. Artist
and producer Derrick Harriott says, What happened was the musical thing was real widespread, but only
among a certain sort of people. It was always a down-town thing, but more than just hearing the music.
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The equipment was so powerful and the vibe so strong that we feel it.
Keyboards
From the late 1960s through to the early 1980s, a piano was often used in reggae to double the rhythm
guitar's skank, playing the chords in a staccato style to add body, and playing occasional extra beats,
runs and riffs. The piano part was widely taken over by synthesizers during the 1980s, although
synthesizers have been used in a peripheral role since the 1970s to play incidental melodies
and countermelodies. Larger bands may include either an additional keyboardist, to cover or
replace hornand melody lines, or the main keyboardist filling these roles on two or more keyboards.
The reggae organ-shuffle is unique to reggae. Typically, a Hammond organ-style sound is used to play
chords with a choppy feel. This is known as the bubble. This may be the most difficult reggae keyboard
rhythm. The organ bubble can be broken down into 2 basic patterns. In the first, the 8th beats are played
with a space-left-right-left-space-left-right-left pattern, where the spaces represent downbeats not
playedthat and the left-right-left falls on the ee-and-a, or and-2-and if counted at double time. In the
second basic pattern, the left hand plays a double chop as described in the guitar section while the right
hand plays longer notes on beat 2 (or beat 3 if counted at double time) or a syncopated pattern between
the double chops. Both these patterns can be expanded on and improvised embellishments are
sometimes used.
Horns
Horn sections are frequently used in reggae, often playing introductions and counter-melodies.
Instruments included in a typical reggae horn section include saxophone, trumpet or trombone. In more
recent times, real horns are sometimes replaced in reggae by synthesizers or recorded samples. The
horn section is often arranged around the first horn, playing a simple melody or counter melody. The first
horn is usually accompanied by the second horn playing the same melodic phrase in unison, one octave
higher. The third horn usually plays the melody an octave and a fifth higher than the first horn. The horns
are generally played fairly softly, usually resulting in a soothing sound. However, sometimes punchier,
louder phrases are played for a more up-tempo and aggressive sound.
Vocals
The vocals in reggae are less of a defining characteristic of the genre than the instrumentation and
rhythm, as almost any song can be performed in a reggae style. However, it is very common for reggae to
be sung in Jamaican Patois, Jamaican English, and Iyaric dialects. Vocal harmony parts are often used,
either throughout the melody (as with vocal groups such as the Mighty Diamonds), or as a counterpoint to
the main vocal line (as with the backing vocalists, the I-Threes). More complex vocal arrangements can
be found in the works of groups like The Abyssinians and British reggae band Steel Pulse.
An unusual aspect of reggae singing is that many singers use tremolo (volume oscillation) rather
than vibrato (pitch oscillation). Notable exponents of this technique include Horace Andy and vocal
group Israel Vibration. The toasting vocal style is unique to reggae, originating when DJs improvised
spoken introductions to songs (or "toasts") to the point where it became a distinct rhythmic vocal style,
and is generally considered to be a precursor to rap. It differs from rap mainly in that it is generally
melodic, while rap is generally more a spoken form without melodic content.
Lyrical themes
Reggae is noted for its tradition of social criticism in its lyrics, although many reggae songs discuss
lighter, more personal subjects, such as love and socializing. Many early reggae bands
covered Motown or Atlantic soul and funk songs. Some reggae lyrics attempt to raise the political
consciousness of the audience, such as by criticizing materialism, or by informing the listener about
controversial subjects such as Apartheid. Many reggae songs promote the use of cannabis (also known
asherb, ganja, or sinsemilla), considered a sacrament in the Rastafari movement. There are many artists
who utilize religious themes in their music whether it be discussing a specific religious topic, or simply
giving praise to God (Jah). Other common socio-political topics in reggae songs include black
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nationalism, anti-racism, anti-colonialism, anti-capitalism and criticism of political systems
and "Babylon".