"one drop" Reggae beat?

Guys,
I have been taught and taught others that "one drop" or "drop one" in reggae drumming means literally dropping the first beat (beat one)... BUT while researching reggae it seems there are 3 "arguments.."
1. some people agree it means drop beat one (i.e. dont play it.. maybe play the & of 1 instead or another ostinatoe that goes over the bar line avoiding the 1 etc)
2. some say it means playing just "one" back beat i.e. on beat 3 of the bar. so hat hat hat snare-bass-hat hat (in 1/4 note groove)
3. some say it means both.. dropping beat one AND playing just the 3 backbeat..

now reggae doesn’t seem to have many "rules" or books/names etc. because its so much about feel, I tend to teach common themes that occur, BUT you guys got any thoughts on "categorising" the "drop one or one drop" beat?

thanks
g

I guess it could be for the drummer also, but I've always thought it referred to the bass part not having a note on "1". I've also heard it referred to the drumbeat having bass drum on 2 & 4 along with a rim click, usually with the "ands" accented on the hi-hat, therefore leaving out a downbeat on 1. I can play several styles of reggae pretty well but I don't exactly know what "one drop" means.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_drop_rhythm is one person's opinion. Remember, Wikipedia cannot be considered a viable, "official" (like, if you're writing a paper) because anyone can edit entries, and doesn't need a validated reference to do so.

timmdrum said:

I guess it could be for the drummer also, but I've always thought it referred to the bass part not having a note on "1". I've also heard it referred to the drumbeat having bass drum on 2 & 4 along with a rim click, usually with the "ands" accented on the hi-hat, therefore leaving out a downbeat on 1. I can play several styles of reggae pretty well but I don't exactly know what "one drop" means.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_drop_rhythm is one person's opinion. Remember, Wikipedia cannot be considered a viable, "official" (like, if you're writing a paper) because anyone can edit entries, and doesn't need a validated reference to do so.

Click to expand...

Yes, and the reggae beat is really a half time feel, so the the two and four are more like up beats than down beats; but there are a lot of ones, like four on the floor, in the bass drum on Bob Marley records with an up beat before and after the snare drum. The bass beats could have been added for an American audience though.

To me, "one drop" always meant the single emphasised beat in the bar, "one two THREE four", tho it could just as well refer to leaving out beat one. They're both crucial to the groove.

When they do fours on the kick, that's called "steppers", isn't it?

"One Drop" means you drop the 1 ... you don't play beat one.

The groove is alla breve, felt in 2 ... like 2/2 ... which is very close to the basic Brazilian samba.

You can do whatever you want, think of it how you want, but if it's going to be a "one drop" you don't play beat one. If the backbeat is on 2 and 4 or on 3 (half-time), it doesn't matter because the concept is you don't play beat 1 ... no matter if you are thinking 4/4 or 2/2.

Bart Elliott said:

"One Drop" means you drop the 1 ... you don't play beat one.

The groove is alla breve, felt in 2 ... like 2/2 ... which is very close to the basic Brazilian samba.

You can do whatever you want, think of it how you want, but if it's going to be a "one drop" you don't play beat one. If the backbeat is on 2 and 4 or on 3 (half-time), it doesn't matter because the concept is you don't play beat 1 ... no matter if you are thinking 4/4 or 2/2.

Click to expand...

Bart is correct. This is a tricky beat to learn when you're ear was schooled on 4/4. I met a drummer from St. Catherine once who told me to pretend like, "you're too poor to afford a bass drum pedal and 3 is your favorite number. Let the guitar player keep the groove".

That helps me a little when I'm trying to cop a reggae beat.