Reggae Roots: Learn the Feel and Techniques on Ukulele

BY DANIEL WARD | FROM THE FALL 2026 ISSUE OF UKULELE MAGAZINE

Reggae is one of the most influential styles to emerge from Jamaica, and its rhythms can now be heard all over the world. A true history of the music would fill all the pages of an entire issue and more, but it’s helpful to know a little about where it came from before diving into the playing examples.

The reggae we know today developed during the 1960s, growing out of earlier styles including mento, ska, and rocksteady. Artists like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, and Toots and the Maytals helped bring the music to a worldwide audience. The ukulele has a particularly strong connection to reggae through Hawaii, where reggae mixed with local musical traditions to create the “Jawaiian” sound. By the 2000s, reggae was firmly embedded in ukulele culture.

In this lesson we’ll look at the elegant simplicity of the mechanics that create this style and how they fit on the ukulele. The notation is written for low-G tuning to capture some of the bass-heavy character of reggae, though all of the examples can be played in reentrant tuning as well. A good steady rhythm and a feel for articulation are the keys to making the groove work, so spend some time listening as you work through the music.

The Skank

Reggae is best learned by ear, and to really understand and play the style requires a steady sense of rhythm and a feel for articulation to create the groove. (The video at UkuleleMag.com/U54 is especially helpful here.) 

This music is built on the backbeat, which we refer to as the skank—a strong chord stab on beats 2 and 4. The skank can be played on its own as a single downstroke, but is often followed immediately by an upstroke. Whether it’s a single hit or a quick double, both need to be articulated with a short burst of sound so they don’t ring. It’s also important to be able to play this style with both straight (evenly spaced) and swung eighth notes (long-short), depending on the song. Try each example both ways.

Example 1 introduces the skank pattern in cut time, with an accent on the downstroke and a staccato on the upstroke. Both notes are very short, so you’ll need to stop the sound quickly. Many times I’ll use a closed-position chord so I can mute with the fretting hand, but these examples begin with open chords.

In Example 2a, the groove is simplified to short downstrokes only. This approach is commonly layered with other reggae parts and helps establish a strong sense of pulse. Example 2b combines the single and double strokes, giving you a chance to create variations and begin improvising within the groove.

A common supporting part called the “bubble” appears in Example 3. Usually heard on organ or keyboard, it works great on ukulele as well. The pattern alternates between a lower note and a chord, creating a floating quality that begins on the and of beat 1. To play it, assign your picking hand’s thumb to string 3 and your middle and ring fingers to strings 2 and 1, respectively. This part is often layered over the skank by another player.

Cool Variations

The progression in Example 4a moves from the I chord to the IV, with both voiced as major seventh chords. It’s a pleasing sound, and these chord shapes make it easy to stop the notes before they ring too long. Notice the bass notes at the start of each chord change. They help ground the downbeat and are especially useful when playing solo.

Example 4b adds a bass line and introduces several rhythmic figures commonly heard in reggae. This line features a dotted quarter-eighth figure, a pair of eighth notes at the end of the bar, and an accented quarter-note triplet. Each contributes to the overall feel. The line also works well played an octave or two lower on bass.

The same I–IV motion takes on a different character in a minor key in Example 5a. The bass note on the first downbeat remains, but the bass line in Example 5b is reversed, placing the rhythmic ideas in the opposite order. Playing roots and fifths, along with outlining the root and third (major or minor), is a great way to begin creating bass lines in this style. As always, listening to recordings and learning lines by ear remains the best teacher.

Finally, Example 6 introduces a part often called the “percolator,” a muted repeating figure that adds motion and energy without getting in the way of the groove. The repeated notes shift with the harmony, creating a bubbling rhythmic layer. Here, the figure stays on one note before moving up a half step for the Dm chord, then returns to Am with a small pickup figure. Play the figure with palm muting throughout—lightly rest your picking hand’s palm on the strings as you pick. 

Putting these parts together with other players is a lot of fun. You’ll hear all of the ideas working together in both swung– and straight–eighth-note songs. Enjoy learning the patterns, then go listen to as much reggae as you can.