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5 Things you should know about the reggae piano!

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It’s very rare these days at a reggae concert, to see an acoustic piano been used as a reggae piano.  Bands don’t use a piano for reggae anymore, in fact the only place you may find a reggae piano being used extensively is in the recording studio and even that is becoming a rare sight.

So what happened to the reggae piano? Well acoustic pianos just slowly fade out of reggae. Technology moved on and they were not as flexible as some of the more popular keyboard Workstations, being used to give the reggae piano sound.

The reggae piano sound however, still has its place in modern reggae music.  If you doubt me on this, ask yourself why is it fans of reggae music all over, keep going back to the classics?  It’s the sound of real instruments being played live!  I am not a purist but, that my friend is hard to achieve on a computer.

1. Types of Pianos Used

On stage and in some studios the reggae piano sound was achieved by using an upright piano.  Some studios like Channel One in Jamaica used a baby grand as their reggae piano.  You probably wouldn’t find a grand piano being used for reggae except in very big studios if at all. 

2. What Make?

Any decent make of piano can be used as a reggae piano.  So brands like Bechstein, Bosendorfer, Steinway, Bluthner, Steingraeber, Yamaha and others can and was used as reggae pianos.  

3. When was it used?

The piano was used for reggae from in the 60s all the way up until the 90s when they started to conspicuously fade out. Some studios still use the reggae piano to get a traditional reggae feel.

If you listen to the music of the Skatalites, Wailers, Toots and the Maytals and the other bands and studio recordings from that era, you are more than likely to hear an acoustic reggae piano being used.

4. How was it used?

The reggae piano was first used as part of the rhythm section along with the reggae guitar to fatten the sound and give a doubling effect. A technique call the “Bang” (The style of playing most commonly associated with the reggae piano) was used and is still being used today.  

The reggae piano can be used to add fills.  This is normally done by using the left hand to do the bang while the right hand adds the fills.  Sometimes the reggae piano is just used to add fills while the guitar keeps the rhythm going.

It was also used as a solo instrument extensively by Jackie Mittoo and others.  It is still used today by Monty Alexander, though he mostly plays jazz.

5. Top players

If you are an ardent student of the reggae piano then you need to study the works of Jackie Mittoo.  His works as a reggae piano player includes solo albums and works he did for the Skatalites and others. 

Others include Earl Lindo from the Wailers, Ibo Cooper from Third World and Monty Alexander.  And that it! Leave a comment below to let us know what you think.  For more on reggae piano and reggae keyboard

 

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