From: mbreen@sdacs.ucsd.edu (Michael Breen)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.bass
Subject: Re: how do you do that funky reggae?
Date: 13 Oct 1992 23:02:19 GMT
Organization: University of California, San Diego
NNTP-Posting-Host: sdacs.ucsd.edu

[kinda long]
Reggae is not trivial or easy to play on bass.  The bass is the most important
instrument in a reggae band (every type of band?).  At least, you should
be the *loudest* instrument in the band.  This is one style of music that
calls for kick drum and bass to be very prominent, and the usual spotlight
hogs; keyboards and guitar; actually taking a supporting role.  I loved
playing in the many reggae bands I played in.

Having said that, any decent player can cover reggae.  The resolve that 
usually only comes with many years of playing comes in very handy, though.
The trick is not to overplay.  Lots of repeating lines.  Lots of measures
full of one type of durations (e.g. all quarter notes or all eigth notes).
It is your job to establish rhythm and melody (as with any band), but it
is more important in reggae to stay consistent throughout a song/gig.

A few "secrets":

1) Get really stoned.  This isn't really necessary, but helps keep you mellow.
Plus it looks cool onstage.  Most of the reggae players I played with were
very into tone, not flash.  Some of that probably came from concentrating on
every note/chord/arrangement sounding good.  That may be also why the bass
does so many repeating lines.  Reggae is right up there with blues on
song-length/sequence/arrangment improvisation, but *not* part improvisation.

2) Do 'mixdowns'.  A lot of reggae songs start/end/transition this way.
It involves a break in the regular reggae rhythm for just a measure or two,
with all instruments accenting together.  Hard to explain.  Listen to the
intro the Bob Marley's "War" as one of many examples.

3) Stop.  This is most effective if all the rhythm instruments stop at once,
leaving only bass and drums, then come back in slowly.  This is also very
effective if no one (even the band) expects it.  Right in the middle of a
long jam, stop playing bass for a few measures.  Pretty soon everyone in the
room is looking at you, like, "Is s/he doing this on purpose?"  It helps
if you've followed rule (1) above, and when everyone looks, you're dancing
blissfully unaware that anyone has noticed lack of bass.  Then drop back
in just as unexpectedly.

4) Research.  Listen to lots of different styles of reggae (there are many).
Study a bit about the history.  Did you know the reason the bass is so loud
is that DJs pump the bass all the way up on their systems?  That bled over
into the band sound in Jamaica.  Did you know Bob Marley's first name is
Nesta?  Nesta Robert Marley.  American immigration thought it sounded like
a girl's name, so they switched first and middle names on his paperwork.

DO NOT!!!:
1) dread your hair (if your non-african-american or non-Rastafarian)
looks stupid and shows complete ignorance of Rastafarian faith
2) pretend to speak Jamaiacan patios
looks stupid and shows complete ignorance of the history of Jamaica
3) pretend to smoke grass as a 'sacrament'
looks stupid and shows complete ignorance of Rastafarian faith
4) slap
not very many styles that look or sound 'flashy' go over well in reggae

Sorry this is so long.  I hope this gets you started.  I studied a *lot* of
reggae and Jamaican history, and it served me well through many years of
performing ska and reggae.  Email me if you want more stuff.

Michael Breen
singing and philosophizing
(and looking for a good San Diego-based reggae band that needs a bassist)