The Style of Reggae Music

Reggae music has a style that is influenced by other genres such as R&B, Jazz, and African and Latin American music. The tempo in which Reggae music is played is either in 4/4 time or Swing time. The reason it is not in other tempos such as 3/4 is because the symmetrical rhythm does not lend itself to other time signatures. One way to easily tell whether a song you are hearing is Reggae is to listen for an off-beat, or the skank. In any Reggae song an offbeat rhythm can be heard on the offbeats of the measure. It is usually played as a staccato note by a guitar, a piano, or both. When counted the offbeat falls on the "ands" in 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. In half time the offbeat would then fall on the 2 and 4.

This video is a tutorial for how the offbeat rhythm works and it is a great example of what it sounds like.