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Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 12:44 am
by DjTrainWreck
Can anyone help me out, i cant seem to get any chord i know sounding reggae/dubbish. Is there like a hidden scale or someshit? Ive got the guitar noise and what not i just dont know what keys to chord and stuff. Ive tried every chord of everyscale i know (not much.) Please help with whatever you can

thank you
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 12:46 am
by stappard
Minor 7th would do it. try Am7, ACEG
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 12:59 am
by disco.infiltrator
Straight minor chords can sound reggae. All in how you play it. One the 2 and 4 and as short as possible usually works.
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:55 am
by Recessive Trait
never under estimate the power of the sixth.
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 2:37 am
by Basic A
stappard wrote:Minor 7th would do it. try Am7, ACEG
Nail, head, boom.
But seriously dude something that helps, throw a few muted notes into your chord, if you havent already. Dont be afraid to stack your chords big too, but Id stay on the octave.
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 2:47 am
by ketamine
Basic A wrote:stappard wrote:Minor 7th would do it. try Am7, ACEG
Nail, head, boom.
But seriously dude something that helps, throw a few muted notes into your chord, if you havent already. Dont be afraid to stack your chords big too, but Id stay on the octave.
Please explain this in detail. I've no musical understanding, but I've been wondering the same thing as OP this week...

Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 2:51 am
by ENZA
DjTrainWreck wrote:Can anyone help me out, i cant seem to get any chord i know sounding reggae/dubbish. Is there like a hidden scale or someshit? Ive got the guitar noise and what not i just dont know what keys to chord and stuff. Ive tried every chord of everyscale i know (not much.) Please help with whatever you can

thank you
major and minor triads my friend.

Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:32 am
by Basic A
ketamine wrote:Basic A wrote:stappard wrote:Minor 7th would do it. try Am7, ACEG
Nail, head, boom.
But seriously dude something that helps, throw a few muted notes into your chord, if you havent already. Dont be afraid to stack your chords big too, but Id stay on the octave.
Please explain this in detail. I've no musical understanding, but I've been wondering the same thing as OP this week...

What do you mean in detail?
I dont have much music theory either Ive just memorized major minor, stay in scale, and experiment with layering different notes in within key... what I meant by stack big. Also adjust velocity to control relationship between each note to put harmonic content around the root note of the chord, but not drown it...
Muted chords are what make skanks so hard ot synthesize, because they are a fretting technique by definition. However. I know alot of vsts made for guitar emulation support it, so, best of luck.
Resonance on a filter, put the delay ona send and high pass itup a bit keeps things brighter... Put the verb, before the fitler with resonance, it gives a more tube-y feel...
Hard shit to synthesize.
Have some clean, uneffected recordings of me fretting skanks though, just because thier hard to synth... lemme know, but some people are hell bent that this can be synthed and argue when I offer them samples as help.
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:34 am
by ENZA
stappard wrote:Minor 7th would do it. try Am7, ACEG
all u need to know
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:53 am
by studio dread
ENZA wrote:
major and minor triads my friend.

try A minor and E minor with a piano. You'd be surprised how much reggae uses these chords, it's a good starting point. Forget 7ths for now
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 4:26 am
by a.paul
Recessive Trait wrote:never under estimate the power of the sixth.
this
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 6:58 am
by mmjdw
You have to put them on the 2nd and 4th beat.

thanks no problemo
Then have kick on first and a little open hat on 1.3 copy paste
that will basically get it
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 7:20 am
by kaiori breathe
Try looking up reggae chord sequences? Go to ultimate-guitar.com and search for your favourite reggae musicians. You'll find shit loads of chord sequences.
G Major > D Major > A minor 7 = bob marley's three little birds. Great tune, very reggae feel to it. Reggae is more about the rhythm than the actual chord choices. Try to use lots of syncopation.
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 8:32 am
by Bipolar
Yeah was gonna say, search for some Raggae Midi files and load them into whatever you use to produce! they'll give you a clear idea on whats happening.
http://midi.dubroom.org/ alot of stuff there, and theres many sites like it, all i did was type Raggae Midi into google, GL
EDIT: hahaha, just seen that this is written on the front page of that site i linked: "Artists like "Skream", even, makes uses these midi's as basis for commercial releases without even crediting this website and/or the producers of the original midi files. (just compare "Blue Eyez" with "Rock The Nation In Dub")"

Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:56 am
by DjTrainWreck
kaiori breathe wrote:Try looking up reggae chord sequences? Go to ultimate-guitar.com and search for your favourite reggae musicians. You'll find shit loads of chord sequences.
G Major > D Major > A minor 7 = bob marley's three little birds. Great tune, very reggae feel to it. Reggae is more about the rhythm than the actual chord choices. Try to use lots of syncopation.
Syncopation?
I just started a reggaeish track, thanks for all the responses guys. Im kinda stuck right now in this track im making, i think i got the chords but i donno what to do next

Would anyone like to leave some feedback and/or advice on this track? thanks guys stay up
Soundcloud
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 2:01 am
by Phigure
DjTrainWreck wrote:kaiori breathe wrote:Try looking up reggae chord sequences? Go to ultimate-guitar.com and search for your favourite reggae musicians. You'll find shit loads of chord sequences.
G Major > D Major > A minor 7 = bob marley's three little birds. Great tune, very reggae feel to it. Reggae is more about the rhythm than the actual chord choices. Try to use lots of syncopation.
Syncopation?
Syncopation is when you've got rhythms that kind of go against the pulse. Emphasis on the "weak" beats instead of the strong and stuff like that
Re: Reggae/Dub Chords
Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 6:36 pm
by antics
I think they're alright to do, they dont come across like a real guitar but the feel is still there, just listen to a bit of skream's album and go from there

, made awesome ones with the trumpet from orchestral the other day

... Definately add some reverb, so that they have a bit more character than a blip.