Reggae is one of those styles that everyone knows of, but not many people take the time to master. It’s a style of music that has a feel that is heavily driven by the drums. As a drummer, you’d benefit greatly by learning to play a few reggae grooves.
I remember my first encounter with reggae drumming more than a decade ago. It was at a small beach party, and the local band was playing some classic Bob Marley tunes. The drummer’s laid-back groove had everyone swaying, and I was mesmerized by how effortlessly he created that infectious rhythm. I spent the entire night chatting with him, soaking up every bit of knowledge I could. He told me, “Reggae is all about the feel. If you can make people move without them realizing it, you’ve got it.”
The grooves I’ll talk discuss below are mostly quite easy. You just have to work on making them feel good and like reggae beats. Here are 7 beats that will help you achieve that feel.
Beat 1
The first groove is the most basic form of a reggae one drop. It’s all quarter notes, having your bass drum and cross-stick land together on beats 3 of the bars. Make sure to make that landing fairly heavy.
The hi-hats fall on all the counts, but beats 2 and 4 are accented, meaning they’re louder. It helps to play those notes on the edge of the hi-hat instead of on the surface.
It’s important to nail this groove before moving onto the others as it forms the foundation to build from.
Beat 2
The next groove is similar to the first one. However, you’re playing 8th notes on the hi-hat instead of quarter notes. It’s a bit busier and it’s a great groove to use when the music needs more depth. You can play it slow or fast. You could also play it straight or swung.
Again, make sure to play the accents on the hi-hat and play the bass drum and cross-stick very strongly.
Beat 3
This groove combines playing quarter notes with 8th notes while the one drop feel stays true. It adds a bit of variety to the last two grooves. It will help solidify the feel if you swing the 8th notes slightly.
A great way to practice this groove is to play it a few times after playing the first two grooves and then repeat the process. Work on it at slow and faster tempos.
Beat 4
Beat 4 gets your snare drum a bit more involved. The snare is playing three times in a bar while the bass drum is sticking to the one drop feel. It adds a great bit of variation to the classic reggae feel and works well as either a repeating groove or a one-time fill.
You can also try playing this groove with an open snare drum instead of a cross stick.
Beat 5
The next groove is similar to beat 4. However, the bass drum is matching all the snare drum notes. It has a bit more intensity to it and can be played in heavy bridges of some reggae tunes. Experiment with playing it as written and then opening up a bit by moving your right hand to the ride cymbal.
You can also play open snare drums instead of cross sticks. The coordination required may take a bit of time to get used to, meaning this groove is a bit more difficult to play than the previous ones.
Beat 6
Beat 6 makes use of 16th notes instead of 8th notes. That means it sounds a bit faster. It also makes use of space within a bar. The rests give it a sense of hesitation which is often used in reggae drumming.
You can swing the 16ths or play them straight. The groove tends to sound really good when played at high tempos. You’ll need to work on your hand technique to be able to pull the quick doubles on the hi-hat off.
Beat 7
The last groove is a bit easier going than the last one. It uses repeating groups of 3s on the hi-hat to keep the groove driving. You can play the right hand part on the hi-hat or the ride cymbal. Just make sure to keep the repeating rhythms sounding as clean as possible.
Final Word on Playing Reggae Beats
All the grooves I’ve written out here will work within most reggae songs. So, find some songs to play along with and work through these grooves in musical contexts. I commonly suggest starting with Bob Marley’s classics or some Toots and the Maytals tracks, as they have those iconic grooves that can really help you internalize the feel of reggae.
The best reggae drummers are great at pulling the groove back without actually slowing the songs down. You need to try your best to get a relaxed feel when playing. Remember, it’s not about perfection; it’s about making people feel that groove and getting them to move.
