Description

Learn Authentic Rhythm & Lead Parts for Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady, Dub and More

It’s no understatement to say that reggae music forever changed the world. A compelling mix of soul, jazz, R&B and Jamaican mento, it’s the ultimate feel good music with its hypnotic, laidback grooves.

The Reggae & Ska Guitar Book is a one-of-a-kind guide to the guitar styles at the heart of reggae.

In fact, it’s is a chronological guide to the development of reggae through the decades and shows how to play its many sub-genres with authentic, stylistically accurate guitar parts.

Your journey includes scheduled stops at:

• Ska, the early years – how American R&B combined with elements of calypso and mento
• Rocksteady – the bridge between the original ska and later reggae eras
• Reggae – the emergence of seminal groups including Bob Marley & The Wailers
• Dub – how versions or “doubles” creatively expanded the sound of reggae
• Ska revival – an offshoot of the punk/mod eras, explore the sounds of The Specials, Madness, The Selecter and more
• The Third Wave – how ska burst upon the US from a California-based revival, with bands like Reel Big Fish, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Sublime
• Lovers Rock – reggae surfaces again, this time combining the sweet melodic soul of Motown with laidback Jamaican grooves
• Going Full Circle – how reggae influenced world music and artists such as Paul Simon, Eric Clapton and The Police
• Dancehall and Beyond – fusing island musical sensibilities with hip-hop, dancehall adopted a new type of reggae drum groove that has influenced countless contemporary pop records ever since

Learn the Essential Techniques of Reggae Guitar

With each sub-genre of reggae and ska came refinements and changes to the role of the guitar. There is so much more to it than hitting chord stabs on the up-beats! You’ll learn…

• The skank groove that forms the backbone of the ska sound
• Stylistically accurate major and minor chord voicings
• How to introduce double-stops, triplet ideas and sliding articulations
• Single-note pentatonic riffs and fills
• How to play the chicken scratch technique pioneered by Hux Brown
• Using delay pedal effects to expand your sonic arsenal
• Adding jazz, rock ‘n’ roll licks, and even modal scales to spice up single-note accompaniments in the style of the greats
• The rhythms and approach of the ska-punk movement of the Third Wave

Discover the Unique Styles of the Reggae Greats

There is still more to this unique book as you discover the styles of the pioneering guitar players who led the vanguard of each era of ska and reggae music.

Each chapter features a “Guitarist in Focus”, explaining their influences, how to achieve their sound, and examining the unique aspects of their technique and musical approach. This is topped off with a longer, authentic study piece in each player’s style. Discover the approaches of:

• Ernest Ranglin – one of the founding fathers of ska/reggae guitar
• Lynn Taitt – acclaimed Kingston-based session guitarist who played with Desmond Dekker, The Ethiopians and Johnny Nash
• Al Anderson – Bob Marley & The Wailers and later, Lauren Hill
• Alva “Reggie” Lewis – The Upsetters, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Lee “Scratch” Perry
• Roddy “Radiation” Byers – The Specials
• Bradley Nowell – Ska-punk legend of Sublime
• Dennis Bovell – guitarist for Matumbi and producer of acts including Madness and Orange Juice
• Andy Summers – heavily reggae-influenced, innovative guitarist of The Police

Hear It!

The Reggae & Ska Guitar Book is the most complete book you’ll find on the subject of ska/reggae guitar and its sub-genres. There’s nothing else like it!

Because so much of reggae is felt rather than read, it’s essential to hear the music, and we’re delivering that to you in two special bonuses:

Bonus 1: Download 112 free audio examples to hear exactly how each example should sound. The audio download also includes ska, reggae and dub backing tracks, which you can use to jam to and experiment with your own ideas.

Bonus 2: We’ve created a special Spotify playlist to accompany the book. Throughout the book, seminal tunes you must hear are frequently mentioned. Well, here they are in one brilliant playlist, organized in chronological order, so you can hear the development of the music through the eras.

Don’t settle for doing a generic impression of reggae guitar when you play! Get intimate with the authentic ska/reggae sound and buy The Reggae & Ska Guitar Book now!