5 progressions (circular I-IV-V, two-chord vamp, i-bVII minor vamp,
No Woman No Cry I-V6-vi-IV, verified rocksteady I-ii-iii-ii) x 2
plays: top-3 skank triads, Wailers middle-string set, top-4 partials,
quality-neutral 5+R dyads. One-drop/double-skank/ska/bubble grids
documented. Research flags honoured (NWNC is major-key; Get Up Stand
Up stored as near-one-chord; doo-wop claim replaced with verified
Queen Majesty changes). Validator and build green.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
'The reggae guitarist plays one thing and plays it perfectly: the skank — a small, high, choked chord chop strictly on the offbeats. Beat 1 is sacred silence (the one drop), beat 3 belongs to the drums, the low end belongs to the bass. Strike, choke, wait.',
comping:[
{
label:'One-drop skank',
rhythm:'. . X . | . . X . — chops on 2 and 4 only',
description:'The core part. Strike the chord, release fret pressure instantly (fingers stay touching, off the frets), silence until the next chop. Downstroke-dominant in reggae. Counted double-time it becomes the and-of-every-beat.',
},
{
label:'Double skank (Stir It Up)',
rhythm:'. . D U | . . D U — down-up pair on 2 and 4',
description:'Each chop splits into a two-hit "chak-a": downstroke on the beat, upstroke on its and. The rockers-era intensifier — same placement, doubled motion.',
},
{
label:'Ska upstroke',
rhythm:'. U . U . U . U — every offbeat 8th, bright and fast',
description:'The same offbeat principle at 120–180 BPM: upstrokes on every "and". Rocksteady is this relaxed; roots reggae is this halved. The placement never changes across the whole family — only the drums do.',
},
{
label:'The bubble (only without keys)',
rhythm:'. . X X . . X X . . X X . . X X — the "& a" of every beat',
description:'Normally the organ\'s job (Jackie Mittoo): a palm-muted continuous offbeat pulse in the midrange. Cover it on guitar only when there is no keyboardist — never alongside one.',
},
],
plays:{
'reggae-stir':[
{
label:'Top-3 triads (the classic skank)',
level:'intermediate',
chords:[
{shape:TOP3_MAJ,note:'I'},
{shape:TOP3_MAJ,note:'IV — same shape up the neck'},
{shape:TOP3_MAJ,note:'V — two frets above the IV'},
],
tips:'One shape, three positions, chop on 2 and 4. The chop must die immediately — if a chord rings into the next beat, that\'s a rock strum, not a skank.',
},
{
label:'Middle-string set (Wailers register)',
level:'intermediate',
chords:[
{shape:MID_MAJ,note:'I — strings 4-3-2'},
{shape:MID_MAJ,note:'IV'},
{shape:MID_MAJ,note:'V'},
],
tips:'A warmer chop one string set down — the Marley band register. Use it when a second guitar or keys already occupy the top strings.',
},
],
'reggae-two-chord':[
{
label:'Top-3 triads',
level:'intermediate',
chords:[
{shape:TOP3_MAJ,note:'I'},
{shape:TOP3_MAJ,note:'IV — five frets up, or two down on the next string set'},
],
tips:'Two chords for the whole tune means the skank IS your entire job: identical length, identical volume, every chop. Boredom is the test — pass it.',
},
{
label:'Top-4 partial barres',
level:'intermediate',
chords:[
{shape:TOP4_MAJ,note:'I'},
{shape:TOP4_MAJ,note:'IV'},
],
tips:'The fuller chop for when the band is sparse — still nothing below the D string. Half-press the barre (Marley style) and the chop turns almost fully percussive.',
},
],
'reggae-minor-vamp':[
{
label:'Top-3 triads',
level:'intermediate',
chords:[
{shape:TOP3_MIN,note:'i — one-finger barre'},
{shape:TOP3_MAJ,note:'♭VII — a passing breath, two frets down'},
],
tips:'Treat the ♭VII as ornament, not destination — Get Up Stand Up is functionally one chord, and the groove is the message. The intro hook (♭7→root on the G string) doubles the bass.',
},
{
label:'Middle-string set',
level:'intermediate',
chords:[
{shape:MID_MIN,note:'i'},
{shape:MID_MAJ,note:'♭VII'},
],
tips:'Lower, darker chop for the heavier roots feel. Keep the choke brutal at slow tempos — space is the instrument at 75 BPM.',
},
],
'reggae-nwnc':[
{
label:'Top-3 triads with the bass walk',
level:'intermediate',
chords:[
{shape:TOP3_MAJ,note:'I'},
{shape:TOP3_MAJ,note:'V — the bass plays its 3rd underneath; your triad doesn\'t change'},
{shape:TOP3_MIN,note:'vi'},
{shape:TOP3_MAJ,note:'IV'},
],
tips:'The V⁶\'s descending bass (root→7th of the scale→6th) is the bassist\'s line — your job is to NOT double it. Stay high, stay small, let the walk happen below you.',
},
{
label:'Neutral 5+R dyads',
level:'intermediate',
chords:[
{shape:DYAD_5R,omit3:true,note:'I'},
{shape:DYAD_5R,omit3:true,note:'V'},
{shape:DYAD_5R,omit3:true,note:'vi — same dyad; the bass supplies the minor'},
{shape:DYAD_5R,omit3:true,note:'IV'},
],
tips:'Two strings, no 3rd — quality-neutral, so one dyad shape skanks the whole progression while bass and vocals colour it. The most transparent part you can play behind a singer.',
},
],
'reggae-rocksteady':[
{
label:'Top-3 triads, doo-wop sweetness',
level:'intermediate',
chords:[
{shape:TOP3_MAJ,note:'I'},
{shape:TOP3_MIN,note:'ii'},
{shape:TOP3_MIN,note:'iii — two frets up'},
{shape:TOP3_MIN,note:'ii'},
],
tips:'A diatonic staircase: the minor barre walks up two frets and back while the I anchors. Rocksteady tempo (~86 BPM) sits between ska\'s sprint and roots\' crawl — relax the chop accordingly.',
},
{
label:'Top-4 partial barres',
level:'intermediate',
chords:[
{shape:TOP4_MAJ,note:'I'},
{shape:TOP4_MIN,note:'ii'},
{shape:TOP4_MIN,note:'iii'},
{shape:TOP4_MIN,note:'ii'},
],
tips:'The soul-ballad version of the skank — slightly fuller, still bass-free. Good under a falsetto lead vocal where top-3 triads would crowd the singer\'s register.',
},
],
},
improv:{
scales:[
{over:'major vamps',scale:'major',why:'Major pentatonic fills in the gaps AFTER vocal lines — call and response, never over the singer.'},
{over:'i–♭VII vamps',scale:'minor',why:'Minor pentatonic answer phrases; the ♭7 doubles as the ♭VII chord\'s root — the free note of roots reggae.'},
{over:'any vamp (riddim role)',scale:'minor',why:'The classic second-guitar job is doubling the bass melody in unison, palm-muted for a dull attack — locked exactly, not approximately.'},
],
targetNotes:
'Reggae lead is economy: short pentatonic answers in vocal gaps, high picked arpeggios of the current chord with 16th-note pickups, or unison bass-doubling. If you\'re not sure whether to play — don\'t. Beat 1 stays empty even for the soloist\'s instincts.',
licks:[
{
over:'reggae-stir',
description:'The Stir It Up hook (reconstruction from Ethan Hein\'s published note-by-note analysis, not a record transcription): an ornamented rise A→C♯→D over the I, then arpeggios of the IV and V with 16th-note pickups carrying the swing.',
tab:' A (I) D (IV) E (V)\ne|--------------------|----2----5---|----4----7----\nB|---------2----3-----|--3----------|--5-----------\nG|----2---------------|-------------|--------------\n A C# D D F# A E G# B',
source:'ethanhein.com "Musical simples: Stir It Up"; Bob Marley & The Wailers (1973)',
character:'Strict role separation and sacred negative space: bass owns the melody, drums drop beat one entirely, and the guitar is a choked offbeat chop that never, ever lands on 1 or 3.',
tip:'Not a cadence — a wheel: a full bar of I, then IV and V share a bar, forever. The V never "resolves"; it just hands back to the I.',
},
{
id:'reggae-two-chord',
name:'Two-chord I–IV vamp',
rn:['I','IV'],
degrees:[0,5],
qualities:['maj','maj'],
bars:[2,2],
mode:'major',
songs:['Lively Up Yourself — Bob Marley'],
tip:'Two chords for an entire song. The interest is the interlock — every instrument in its own time slot — not the harmony.',
},
{
id:'reggae-minor-vamp',
name:'Minor vamp (i–♭VII)',
rn:['i','♭VII'],
degrees:[0,10],
qualities:['min','maj'],
bars:[3,1],
mode:'minor',
songs:['Get Up, Stand Up — Bob Marley','Them Belly Full — Bob Marley (chorus)'],
tip:'Get Up Stand Up is arguably ONE chord — the ♭VII is a passing breath, not a destination. Roots reggae treats harmony as a drone with occasional weather.',
},
{
id:'reggae-nwnc',
name:'Roots ballad (I–V⁶–vi–IV)',
rn:['I','V⁶','vi','IV'],
degrees:[0,7,9,5],
qualities:['maj','maj','min','maj'],
bars:[1,1,1,1],
mode:'major',
songs:['No Woman, No Cry — Bob Marley'],
tip:'Major key despite the tears: the V carries its 3rd in the bass (G/B in C), walking the bassline down by step into the vi. The descent is the emotion.',
},
{
id:'reggae-rocksteady',
name:'Rocksteady climb (I–ii–iii–ii)',
rn:['I','ii','iii','ii'],
degrees:[0,2,4,2],
qualities:['maj','min','min','min'],
bars:[1,1,1,1],
mode:'major',
songs:['Queen Majesty — The Techniques (1967)'],
tip:'Rocksteady grew from doo-wop covers, and it shows: a gentle diatonic staircase up and back at ~86 BPM. Soul harmony with the bass carrying the tune.',
},
]
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