Reggaeloops.com Blog

The keyboard in reggae usually doubles the rhythm guitar's skank, playing chords on the offbeats in a staccato style to add body. Sometimes a keyboardist plays occasional extra beats, runs and riffs. Most larger bands will use two keyboard players; one for the rhythm part and another to cover horn and melody lines. 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. There are specific drawbar settings used on a Hammond console to get the correct sound. This may be the most difficult reggae keyboard rhythm. The 16th beats are played with a space-left-right-left-space-left-right-left pattern. The right-hand part coincides with the rhythm guitar and piano. It makes the music sound faster than it really is. The organ often also plays melodic runs and extra beats. The organ part is typically quite low in the mix, and is often more felt than heard. Examples include the songs "Natural Mystic" and "Is This Love" by Bob Marley. In many recent reggae recordings and concert tours, synthesizers are used to imitate brass horn parts. For many reggae artists, it is too expensive to bring in a full horn section from Jamaica.