Reggae lovers are musical and why others aren't and why they get bored

[bandulu]

This happens every time I talk to a (musically) mainstream type of person. When I ask if he/she likes reggae music 9/10 times the response goes like "I like it, it's cool, but I seldom listen to more than 1 tune. It gets boring me".

So I'm asking you why don't we get bored? Do our ears function differently than those mainstream ears?
I mean I listen to roots music 24 hours a day and I don't get bored.

Now, my theory to this is that most people don't really really pay attention to the music, and mainly because they aren't aware of bassline. This idea came up to me last time when I talked to friend of mine about a Beres Hammond tune - she is a singer(!) with a good voice (rnb, soul etc.) - and we listend to that tune. After a while I started to sing along with the bassline. She suddenly started to laugh and she was truly amazed ) She then told me that even she knew that song for quite a long time, she never ever payed any attention to the bassline. She only listens to the vocals and the melody, but never to the bass. She didn't even know that the bass was there playing half of the tune's melody and structure:)) After I showed her the bassline, I think it was the first time for her, that she truly appreciated this tune and reggae music in general.

I reckon, maybe that's the main problem. People aren't used to the way we listen to our music. They don't listen properly (especially to the bassline) and they always miss half of the story. So no wonder they get bored.


I really would like to hear your opinion about this.

jah!

[AnorakTrev]

Most of the people who listen to reggae , listen on a " system " capable of hearing the bass ! Just can`t get that via mp3 . ( I stand to be corrected on that point ) Also , we actually LISTEN to what we play , as opposed to it being in the background . Discuss !!

[I-Lion Tafari]

Wow, this is an iteresting fred!!!

I experieced people gettig bored by reggae. They meant, it´s all the same. They used to talk about the riddim guitar/keboards which mark the riddim. They didn´t pay attention to the vocals, horns,bass etc.

So they never could enjoy different kinds of chucking like upstroke or downstroke. A lot of people don´t get the fine structure of a reggae song which is like a clockwork.

Mainstream listening spoils the ears for a fine listening. So does listening from low quality equipment.

I used to play riddim + lead guitar ina roots band. Some rock guitar "heros" came along to criticise me as a muusician. So I invited some a dem to join our rehersal sesssions to pay riddim/lead guitar. Instead of doing the chucking short and crisp they played it way too long - and very cheesy. Even their solo playing wasn´t wailing or soulful - it was brutal and loud without any connection to the other instruments.

[=Nilo82=]

You got it all wrong. If you don't like reggae it's most likely a genetical defect.

[Oink]

You guys are right, most of the average music listeners don't realize that reggae is all about that fat bass.

In my personal experience, another reason why many "mainstream" music listeners don't take reggae seriously is because of the language barrier that undeniably exists. Now, I live in a country where English is not the native language so that makes it even harder for the average person to understand the heavy Jamaican patwa. But I suppose many English speakers too will have a hard time understanding, say, I-Roy when he's really rocking (I know I do ).

Friends of mine find some of the reggae I play for them comical because of the - in their ears - nonsense being sung. I guess you can't blame them for that. To fully appreciate reggae requires a certain effort to understand the "language", Jamaican culture and humor. I know I couldn't listen to Brazil music all day long without having a clue what was sung.

Another thing I've found most mainstream music listeners don't get at all is the Jamaican fashion of voicing the same riddims many times Okay, I can understand that it may seem weird... But. Well, I happily listen to ten different takes on Sleng Teng.

[Jonti]

Not listening to/appreciating the bass certainly seems to be a major problem with people who don't 'get' reggae/roots/dub. Part of this is down to the technology people are using (computers, MP3s, awful tinny speakers) but I think it's also down to the public's ADD-linked search for catchy hooks. Most people listen out for catchy lyrics/trebly bits but don't even know how to listen to all aspects of production. It's sad, but I think most people just don't have time for careful appreciation of music, in spite of (or perhaps because of) it being everywhere these days.

Anyway -- I know this is a bit vindictive, but: why should we care? Let them eat cake.

[p.o Box 14006]

hi,i have ã friend who is ã audiophile,good hifi cmponents.hand made cabinets with speakers designed for deep bass sound.he happens to listen to stricly 'heavy metal' not the typical known bands but more obscure .anyway the point being i've never heard more richer,driving hard bass in my life and as my friend pointed out quite classical influenced,excellent musicians imo.even though its not my cup of tea it opened my ears and mind.i did throw in ã lee perry cd ...super ape.the bass sounded amazing on his system .my die hard 'metal' friend proclaimed he liked it and when he gets oldEr that's the music he would listen to.....lol. he's ã good guy with differnt music taste but loves bass

[Pots n Pans]

I think a lot of people listen to a lot of music where the bass just isn't that important as an instrument and they just don't hear it, and they don't expect it to do ANYTHING important, never mind drive and structure a whole tune!

I remember sitting with a friend one night at a reggae dance and he said that he just didn't get it, it was too repetitive, why did I like it. I asked him whether he was listening to the guitar or to the bass (he was a guitar player) and sure enough, he was listening to the guitar! He enjoyed it a bit more after that...

I think there are compositional rules to a lot of genres, and reggae is so alien to a lot of the rules people know from pop music that they just don't get it, and they don't put in the effort to find out how it works. Which is a shame...for them!

[A Youthman Deh]

While it certainly is true that most people aren't almost at all aware of productional qualities, it isn't necessarily only a bad thing.

In a way, I miss that state, where I really couldn't distinguish almost anything from the tunes I was listening to. When I was taking my first steps into reggae, there was a time, when there was just one wonderful, mystical experience that I had absolutely no way of breaking into pieces (at that time). When I started to get more into the details, that mysticism somehow started to decrease; I know now how most of the sounds and soundscapes are achieved, and hence a mystery is no longer a mystery.

Of course, there's now so much more to appreciate, and no doubt more still will come. Of all this I am so thankful.

Nevertheless I miss that mystery.

And I find those people _very_ lucky in a way, who still fully have it and can actually appreciate it, too. As opposed to getting bored due to ignorance instead of fulljoying a wonderful and unique, mystical, spiritual experience - never mind the ignorance.

GUIDANCE

[super ape]

everyone is mentioning the bass
but is forgetting about the drum kit!

reggae (etc) riddims = drums + bass, i think

i always trip out on the traps
that high hat, bass, and snare get me going. the bass is the flavoring to the staple of the meal.

i guess you can have reggae without the drums...but it wouldn't be the same!!