The Reggae & Ska Guitar Book: Learn Authentic Rhythm & Lead Guitar Parts for Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady, Dub & More

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 – explore the sounds of The Specials, Madness, The Selecter and more
• The Third Wave – Ska's California-based revival, with bands like Reel Big Fish, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Sublime
• Lovers Rock – reggae surfaces again, combining the sweet melodic soul of Motown with laidback Jamaican grooves
• Going Full Circle – how reggae influenced 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
• 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
• Adding jazz, rock ‘n’ roll licks, and even modal scales to spice up single-note accompaniments in the style of the greats

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 approach, plus a longer study piece in each player’s style. Discover the approaches of: Ernest Ranglin, Lynn Taitt, Al Anderson, Alva “Reggie” Lewis, Roddy “Radiation” Byers, Bradley Nowell , Dennis Bovell, and Andy Summers

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 are frequently mentioned and here they are, in one brilliant, chronologically organized playlist.

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!