Red Bush Reggae – Reggae – Beginner (Grade 2)

Description

Take a chill-out with Red Bush Reggae, a relaxed reggae number in F major that will suit established beginner pianists at about the Grade 2 (ABRSM) standard.

A classic reggae style features throughout this piece with the left hand's off-beat accompaniment. This rhythm may take a bit of practice to get used to (keep it nice and light), but you'll quickly get into the 'groove' as both hands work together.

Although the time signature is written in 4/4, there is a 2-in-a-bar feel to Red Bush Reggae and so the tempo feels Andante and relaxed.

The right hand's catchy melody brings out the characteristic reggae accent on the third beat of every bar. In reggae music, this is also often accentuated by the bass drum of the drum kit.

The eighth note quavers are played fairly 'straight', but if you listen carefully to the performance track, you may notice that some rhythms have a very slight swing to them. This is part of the style of reggae - switching between straight and slightly swung rhythms.

After the melody and 'middle 8' section comes a 16 bar 'break down' with both hands creating a more percussive style. This flows back into the original melody with a DC al Coda to end.

Red Bush Reggae comes with a groovy play-along backing track as well as a slower tempo practice backing to enjoy, so that you can really get into the reggae vibe!