The One Drop Reggae Beats

Carlton Barrett - Bob Marley & Wailers Drummer. Photo credit: Facebook.com

The One Drop Reggae beats style rhythm is one of the most recognizable beats in Reggae music's history.

Another name for the One Drop Beat Reggae is Reggae music Drumming.

Carlton Barrett the long-time drummer of Bob Marley and the Wailers is credited as been the creator of the beat, but this was later disputed and later it has been attributed to drummers including Barrett, Carlton and his brother Aston, and Winston Grennan.

Reggae Music's beats often have an emphasis on beat 3 of the bar. Usually, this is from the bass drum or bass drum and cross-stick snare. The Accents are often used on the hi-hats to play louder on beat 2 and 4.

Reggae Music incorporates lots of off-beat rhythms. These are usually beats played by a guitar or piano sometimes both on the off-beats also known as upbeats.

One of the most popular songs in which One Drop Reggae Beat is most noticeable is Bob Marley's One Drop released in 1979 on his Survival album.

Listen to Bob Marley One Drop below...

One Drop Reggae Beats usually has a 2/4 or 4/4 with accented 2nd notes time signature, and a low tempo.

The name One Drop Reggae is also used by the Marley Beverage Company, partly associated with the family of Bob Marley, as the brand name for Marley "premium Jamaican coffee beverage made with real cane sugar and all-natural ingredients".

Would you like to play Reggae Drums beats? We have located one of the most in-depth videos of how to play One Drop Reggae beats by drummer Stephen Taylor.

Bob Marley has songs such as "No Woman, No Cry", "Three Little Birds", "Get Up, Stand Up", "Waiting in Vain", "Stir It Up", "One Love/People Get Ready", and "I Shot the Sheriff" which all featured the One Drop Reggae Beats.

Other songs which also had the One Drop beats are "My Cup (Runneth Over)", "Duppy Conqueror", "Soul Rebel", and "Small Axe".  These songs were part of a double LP set released by Lee 'Scratch' Perry.

Pages related to One Drop Reggae

• Instruments in Reggae Music
• Reggae Music Chords
• Founding Father of Reggae Music
• Reggae Music and Its Origins

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