- Year 10
- AQA
The development of reggae
I can describe the key features of reggae and how it developed, and can create a simple reggae groove.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
- Year 10
- AQA
The development of reggae
I can describe the key features of reggae and how it developed, and can create a simple reggae groove.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Reggae grew out of ska and rocksteady to become an important style of music in Jamaica and around the world.
- Reggae often expresses political messages and addresses social issues.
- Some of its defining characteristics are the skank rhythm on electric guitar, one-drop drum beat and reggae bubble.
- Those features all emphasise the offbeats, and avoid emphasising the usual strong beats (one and three).
- The bass line often plays on the strong beats, sticking out from the other rhythms.
Keywords
Ska - Ska is an upbeat style of music that emerged in the late 1960s in Jamaica. It later developed into a style called rocksteady.
Reggae - Reggae is a style that emergend in the late 1960s and became an important global style.
Skank - The skank rhythm is a defining feature of reggae that emphasises offbeat quavers.
Reggae bubble - The reggae bubble is a typical organ pattern that emphasises offbeats.
One-drop - The one-drop beat is a typical reggae drum beat, which removes the usual emphasis on beat one.
Common misconception
Drum beats should emphasise the start of each bar.
Most pop and rock drum beats do this, but many other musical styles do not emphasise beat one. The one-drop beat starts with a rest on beat one, and emphasises beat two and four.
To help you plan your year 10 music lesson on: The development of reggae, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 music lesson on: The development of reggae, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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Explore more key stage 4 music lessons from the Rhythms and conventions of Latin and Caribbean music unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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