Ska stroke

File:Skank on Em64.png

Reggae downstroke pattern<phonos file="Skank on Em64.mid">Play</phonos>.

File:Skank on Em64 sounds as.png

Though notated with quarter notes, the Ska stroke sounds like sixteenth notes due to muting or dampening.

File:Upstroke skank on Em64.png

Reggae upstroke pattern.

Skank guitar rhythm often considered "'the' reggae beat"<phonos file="Reggae double riff on D and Em64 straight.mid">Play straight</phonos> or <phonos file="Reggae double riff on D and Em64 shuffle.mid">Play shuffle</phonos>.

The ska stroke or ska upstroke, skank or bang, is a guitar strumming technique that is used mostly in the performance of ska, rocksteady, and reggae music. "Reggae is most easily recognized by...the skank." Ska strokes serve as a rhythmic base to a song, and may be doubled by the drums. This style of playing has a dance associated with it, the skank. In reggae, the guitar usually plays a short, percussive, "scratchy chop sound [chord]," on beats 2 and 4 (1234), often supported by staccato piano (late 60s to the early 80s) or synthesizer.

Ska strokes create a bouncing rhythm, going up then down in pitch. Played in 4/4 time (𝄆1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 𝄇), the chosen guitar chord is played on the downbeat (#'s rather than &'s), and then a ghost note is played on the upbeat (&'s rather than #'s) by lifting the left hand off the fret a few millimeters. However most traditional ska is focused on the upbeat, playing on the downbeat is more closely associated with reggae, where the ska strokes are played much slower as opposed to ska.

Double-time: ||:1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & :||
Common-time: ||:1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 :||
Half-time  : ||:1234123412341234:||

<phonos file="Skank- double, mid, and half times.mid">Play</phonos>

See also

• Mento
• One drop rhythm

External links

• Basic Ska Strokes