History of Reggae
What country did reggae start in?
Jamaica!
Is reggae usually fast/hurried or slow and laid back?
Slow and laid back.
What sea is Jamaica within?
Caribbean Sea.
Do musicians create the feel of reggae by playing slightly early (ahead of the beat) or slightly late (behind the beat)?
Behind the beat, slightly late.
Who are three important reggae musicians?
What instrument usually plays Rhythm #2?
Guitar.
What country did Jamaica become independent from in 1962? For bonus points, explain how this impacted the lyrics and topics of reggae songs.
Great Britain. The lyrics were usually about ideas like freedom and peace, because the idea of being free from British rule was a very important idea when reggae was first starting.
Can you describe what playing a rhythm with "swing" vs "straight" means? Bonus question: what other style of music is swing important in?
Swung rhythms make the first of each pair of eighth notes a little longer and the second one a little shorter. Jazz music also uses swing.
List two facts about dub reggae. Some ideas:
-What does dub reggae remove from old recordings?
-Who was a famous dub reggae musician?
-What were dub reggae tracks used for?
Dub reggae uses old recordings and removes vocals (and sometimes guitar) to create tracks that are mostly bass and drums. Other musicians would "toast" (or rap) over the top of these tracks. King Tubby was a famous dub reggae musician.
Tough question! What about the bass drum (the purple note in rhythm #1) is different in reggae than most other styles of music?
There is no bass drum on beat 1. Pretty much every other style of music with bass drum has it on beat 1.