Caribbean music has entertained many music fans and has a great influence on the rest of the world. Music from the Caribbean islands such as Calypso, ska, rock steady and dancehall have evolved from each other and fused into what we know as reggae music. This music genre has also been influenced by elements of African rhythms and American blues. Strong bass lines and the bass drum beating characterize this music genre.
Reggae music originated from the island nation of Jamaica. This country is home to many homegrown musicians and record producers who have developed the distinctive style. Lee 'Scratch' Perry is the most famous Jamaican producer. He is responsible for launching the careers of many reggae musicians.
Artists such as Burning Spear and Horace Andy spread reggae music beyond the islands. However, none of them can match Bob Marley in terms of popularizing this music to the rest of world. No Woman, No Cry, Buffalo Soldier and Redemption Song are just some of Marley's hits. When he passed away, he enjoyed legendary status and was given a state funeral in Jamaica.
In addition to Bob Marley, Johnny Nash, Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, and other crossover singers also had success in the British pop charts. The Police, UB40, Selector, The Clash and The Specials fused reggae music with rock. In fact, one of the first multi racial groups in the UK was the British band UB40.
Social issues, such as poverty and political freedom are addressed in the lyrics of many reggae songs. These songs are the anthems of the poor who grow up in shanty towns and are still struggling to make ends meet. Some of the songs are about the beliefs of the Rastafarian religion, of which Marley was a practitioner. There are explorations of spirituality, invoking God, or Jah as he is called in some of the songs. However, some reggae songs are controversial because they defend the use of cannabis which Rastafarians advocate.
Reggae Music in all of its forms, have influenced and led on to other forms of music, namely drum and bass and hip hop. So far, nobody has taken over from Marley's mantle and rap and R & B dominate the charts at the moment. Music experts say that Reggae music needs another charismatic figure to spread the word.
This unique kind of music has achieved a lot considering that it came out of a small island with early recordings produced on basic equipment. People responded to the melodic simplicity of the music and the heartfelt lyrics. There was always a high standard of musicianship and a direct connection between the artists and the fans in reggae music. Since nobody can keep a good thing down, this Caribbean music will surely rise again.
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If you are a bass guitar beginner learning how to play bass, once you've started to get your left and right hand technique co-ordination together you should graduate immediately to songs. Bob Marley tunes are great ones for bass beginners - they combine simple, melodic bass lines with an interesting rhythmic sensibility.
The bass player for Bob Marley was a guy called Aston Barrett, often known by his nickname of 'Family Man.'
Here are 5 great Bob Marley tunes you should learn to play that will help develop your song vocabulary, and are a heap of fun to play too.
1. Stir It Up
This is a really simple bass line. But playing through the song will teach you a great lesson for bass guitarists - which is to learn the parts of a song and then deliver them time after time with verve and feeling. Sometimes as bass guitarists we are called upon to play simple and repetitive lines. It's a good habit to get into to start learning to do that now and make those lines groove like crazy.
2. Jamming
Jamming is a shuffle or 12:8 feel bass line. Again it's not particularly complex, but is great fun to play. I've gigged this both in the original Bob Marley style, and also in a 'smooth jazz' style similar to saxophonist Grover Washington's great version of the tune.
3. Get Up Stand Up
Great song. Great bass line. Again this is not too complex, but mastering the rhythm will help develop your rhythmic sensibility. And the line in the verse is oh so simple, but so melodic. This is one of those tunes that just flat out feels good to play.
4. I Shot The Sheriff
This isn't one of my favourite Marley tunes. But I decided to include it because it can be played in several different ways so you should learn it. I've gigged it as a reggae tune, faithful to the Bob Marley version, as a rock tune - like Eric Clapton's version) and as a reggae flavoured smooth jazz tune where the format of the song lends itself to alternating melodies with solos, all punctuated by the G Minor Pentatonic Riff that closes each cycle out.
5. Is This Love
This IS one of my favourite Marley tunes. Again it has a loping, shuffle feel. Learning this one will teach you some interesting rhythms (swing 8th notes, quarter note triplets) and help develop your melodic sensibility. This is another great fun tune to play.
Summary
Family Man's bass lines are great for beginners to learn. As well as these tunes you'll find another 14 great Aston Barrett bass lines in the book Bob Marley Bass Collection. For more on the history of reggae bass lines you should check Ed Friedland's book Reggae Bass.
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The baja sweater is really named a baja hoodie but people call them many names from the baja pullover to hippie hoodies. No matter what you call these Mexican sweaters they are typically the same in style. They have a pocket or kangaroo pouch in the front if you will. They have stripes going up and down and then they have a hood in the back. They come in thousands of different colors and they are usually made in Mexico. The Mexican Threads baja hoodie is found online and is a very popular item for young kids all the way up to adults.
The material is typically a combination of acrylic, polyester and cotton but some are 100% cotton and others are 100% acrylic. They don't itch anymore like they did in the 70's and 80's. Hippies really love to wear them with tie dye and patch work clothing. The most popular color is the rasta, which is green, yellow, black and red. The rasta style looks very Jamaican and is common among Bob Marley fans. There are usually 3 colors in each baja hoodie but some of them are very colorful with more than 10 colors in one single sweatshirt. They are typically hard to find because not very many sites sell them. You can find them with free shipping which saves a lot of money because most sites that sell them tend to charge a lot for shipping. There are a lot of uses for a baja hoodie and they are in high demand in 2011.
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