Offbeat strumming: the ska and reggae upstroke
Nothing on the beats and a short upstroke on every 'and' between them, through Am, Dm, G and E: the offbeat chop at the heart of ska and reggae guitar. The hand still swings down on the beat, just above the strings, so the ups land exactly halfway between. Cutting each chord short, by easing off the fretting hand straight after it, is what makes it bounce.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 110 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 110 bpm
- Starts at
- 66 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4
- Level
- Intermediate
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Swing down above the strings on the beat and hit them only on the way up; ease the fretting fingers off to cut each chord short.
Count '1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and'. On the numbers the hand swings down but misses the strings; on every 'and' it comes up through the top three or four. All the guitar's sound falls between the beats, against the kick and snare.
The chords are short. Straight after each upstroke, ease the fretting fingers off so the fretted notes stop, and let the strumming hand's palm brush the strings on its way down to stop the open ones. That chop, sound then silence, is what makes the rhythm bounce.
Ska plays it fast and bright; reggae plays the same chop slower. Start at the player's slowest tempo and keep the downswing going the whole time.
Mistakes to watch for
- Hitting the strings on the downswing too, which turns the offbeats into plain eighths.
- Letting the chords ring on, so the gaps between the chops fill up.
- Rushing the ups towards the next beat. They sit exactly halfway between, with the hi-hat.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 66
- 72
- 77
- 83
- 88
- 94
- 99
- 105
- 110
That's 16 loops and about 3 minutes before you're playing at 110 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one. Strums are checked for when they land, not for which strings rang.
Questions
How fast should I play Offbeat upstrums?
The goal is 110 bpm in eighth notes, which is 3.7 strums a second. Start wherever every strum is clean: the player begins at 66 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
Is the reggae strum up or down?
Both are played. Ska guitarists mostly chop up on the offbeats; in reggae the chop is often a downstroke on beats 2 and 4. This exercise trains the upstroke, the more common way in.
Why does my offbeat strumming sound like ordinary strumming?
Usually the chords ring too long. The short gap after each chop is half of the sound: stop the strings straight after each stroke and the rhythm starts to bounce.
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