When people think of Jamaica, the first thing that comes to mind is probably an image of someone lying on the sand, with a cold beverage in-hand, while Bob Marley plays on the radio. This image is probably one of the reasons why musicians always want to learn one of Marley’s tunes, as it typically evokes a great feeling to the listener. Reggae music in general brings that tropical vibe to mind – which is just one of the many reasons why a drummer should learn to play some reggae rhythms.
Any drummer worth listening to will tell you the same thing: namely that you have to learn different styles of drumming to become better yourself. Some of the reasons for this are that it will improve your ability to read music, you will increase your coordination, you will learn how to better use dynamics in your playing, and most importantly for most working musicians, you will increase your song repertoire and style skillset making you become much more hirable.
Ways to Learn
There are many ways to learn how to play a new style of music. One is to go to your local music store for questions or recommendations about local percussion instructors. This is a great idea for someone starting out playing drums as well as for more experienced percussionists. For beginners, it’s a great idea because you will learn the basics about music like time signatures, how to read music, and all your essential rudiments that are the building blocks of rhythmic patterns.
You will also be able to focus on the style of drumming that most interests you, but any good percussion instructor will expose you to other styles of drumming and music. That’s why this is a great idea for more experienced drummers as well. An instructor can teach you new musical styles and rhythms that you might not be familiar with like salsa, samba or reggae.
Another way of learning to play with a reggae style is to purchase guides or visit websites that have videos of drummers explaining and showing how to play different styles of drumming. Most drumming magazines and percussion manufacturers have videos available for purchase on their websites. For those with a tight budget, YouTube tutorials are an excellent free resource.
Why You Should Learn Reggae Rhythms
Learning to play in a reggae style is a great way to start learning Afro-Cuban percussion, as it tends to have slower rhythms and lighter grooves than other types of drumming. Unlike your basic rock beats where the emphasis is on beat 2 and 4, reggae uses an accented bass note on the 3rd beat. This might seem like a different language, and in a sense it is; but there is another way to look at drumming and percussion as a whole.
Music, especially drumming, is a universal language – albeit one with different dialects and speech patterns. However, once you familiarize yourself with the different dialects and patterns you can speak to anyone who understands that language. This really means that all music is made up of different types of rhythmic patterns and musical forms but by learning all the different forms and beats you are able to incorporate them into your drumming.
A practical example of this is to take a look at a popular band like The Police. Their drummer Stewart Copeland is famous for his mastery of several different styles of drumming, which can be clearly heard in songs like “So Lonely” or “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”. Ostensibly a rock band, they used reggae beats in several songs while still making music considered to be rock and roll. The Clash are another example, although they incorporated reggae and ska rhythms into their punk music.
Learning how to drum in a new way can be challenging at first but will ultimately reward a drummer willing to put in the work. By increasing the different styles in which you know how to play you will become not only a more proficient drummer, but you will open yourself up to more opportunities to play music in a variety of musical groups. Also check out this site has a great selection of electronic drum sets.
