Instrumaps
All genres

What makes reggae sound like reggae?

Coming soon

Reggae leads with rhythm: the 'one-drop' leaves beat 1 empty and lands the weight on beat 3, while a guitar or organ chops the offbeats — the skank — on 2 and 4.

Reggae is the clearest proof that a genre can be a groove before it is anything else. Its identity lives almost entirely in where the weight falls, which makes it the perfect contrast to a straight rock .

What makes it reggae

  1. 1RhythmWhere the weight sits — which beats are loud, which are silent on purpose.
    Coming soon
  2. 2TextureHow the parts are layered: what plays the groove, what fills the space.
    Coming soon
  3. 3HarmonyThe chords and how they move — the progression under the melody.
    Coming soon