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Few genres in the world are as influential as reggae music.
Its central themes of unity, love, and resistance break through cultural barriers, reaching the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Africa, and even as far as Australia.
There’s no doubt that we can thank reggae music’s seemingly simplistic and approachable sound for this. Although reggae can seem quite easy to play, with short progressions and upbeat skanking rhythms taking the forefront, there are stylistic techniques and theoretical nuances beneath the hood to master in order to truly understand reggae chord progressions, and reggae music at large.
In this article, we overview reggae’s history and break down some key reggae chord progressions that you’ll want to know if you’re interested in making music in the genre.
Feel free to use the table of contents below to navigate to a specific section.
What you’ll learn:
Feeling ready? Let’s get started!
Understanding reggae music
A brief history of reggae
Reggae music originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s, drawing influence from earlier Jamaican genres like mento, rocksteady, and ska (where reggae draws its “skanking” guitar and piano technique), as well as American genres like jazz and R&B.
The term “reggae” came from a popular song called “Do The Reggay” by Toots & The Maytals. The rest is history, with a rich heritage of legendary artists like Bob Marley and The Wailers, Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs, and modern artists like Chronixx and Lila Iké. Reggae would go on to influence later genres, evolving into dancehall, which birthed reggaeton’s signature dembow rhythm.
Key elements of the reggae sound
While many flavors of reggae music exist, the following key elements remain consistent throughout the genre and make it one of the most distinct sounds in the Caribbean and throughout the world:
- The skanking guitar and piano on the offbeats
- The organ bubble pulsing between each downbeat
- An ever-present bassline to shake your subs and outline the chord progression
- A steady drum pattern to hold the band down, layered with percussion that adds color to the arrangement
That said, be weary of mindlessly following a formula, as many iconic reggae tunes break these patterns—but this is a great place to start for anyone looking to create reggae music.
Core reggae chord progressions
Now, let’s break down the music theory behind some of the core reggae chord progressions we hear in so many classics.
While we’ll only cover these three common reggae chord progressions here, they cover hundreds—if not thousands—of reggae and dancehall songs:
Don’t let the simplistic nature of these two-chord progressions fool you; approach them with consistency, soul, and feeling, and you’ll be skanking in no time.
1. The I – ii chord progression
The I – ii progression is perhaps the most iconic progression in all of reggae music. It has passed the test of time, being used in the earliest iterations of reggae music, all the way up to Chronixx’s 2025 track “Sweet Argument.”
The I – ii chord progression simply draws on the chords built on the first scale degree in a major scale, which is the major one chord, and then the second scale degree, which is the minor two. In the key of F major, this would be Fmaj to Gmin, as heard in the classic tune “Big Ship” by Freddie McGregor.
I’ve always admired this record’s mix, mainly with how filtered the electric guitars sound. It really lends itself to the percussive skank style, which is played by strumming staccato-like downbeats with the right hand and quickly muting the strings with the left hand after letting the chord ring out for a split millisecond.
This is how guitars can establish the song’s tonality while still keeping the percussive, almost drum-like sound of the skank. These have always been the great “mysteries” of the stylistic approach to reggae guitar for me, but if you can master this tone (which is all in the hands), reggae music can be very exciting to play on the instrument.
The piano in “Big Ship” follows the guitar in perfect time while adding spirited chromatic notes to introduce a melody during the chorus. This sort of playfulness creates a conversation between the musicians, and allows individual personalities to shine despite the repetitive nature of the chord progression.
If you’re looking to incorporate the I – ii chord progression into your own music, this sample can be a solid starting point.
2. The I – ♭VII chord progression
The I – ♭VII chord progression has also stood the test of time. One fantastic example of its use is “Legalize It” by Peter Tosh.
In G major (the key of “Legalize It”), the I – ♭VII progression would be Gmaj to Fmaj, which gives this chord progression a Mixolydian mode feel.
“Legalize It” follows a similar pattern to “Big Ship,” except with a Clavinet added to the arrangement. The main guitar adds a slight bubble rhythm, as well as a more muted / atonal approach to the skanking technique, as there are no audible notes ringing out. There’s a secondary guitar with a phaser effect hammering G and C chords and F and B♭ chords, adding some harmonic complexity but keeping the overall structure of the chord progression.
Meanwhile, the piano follows the traditional skanking rhythm, comping G and F major chords. The Clavinet complements the piano, accenting the downbeats in a heavy, slightly saturated low register.
If you’re looking to incorporate the I – ♭VII chord progression into your own music, this sample can be a solid starting point.
3. The vi – V chord progression
My personal favorite reggae chord progression is the vi – V progression. It sits in a minor key, and it feels dark and serious, yet still nostalgic. In the key of B♭, the chord built on the sixth scale degree would be Gmin, and the chord built on the fifth scale degree is Fmaj. Let’s analyze “No Ice Cream Love” by Johnny Osbourne, which is in this key.
This track features an organ doing a bubble technique in the left and right hands, which is similar to a skank, except it adds extra notes on beats 1-e, 1-a, 2-e, 2-a, 3-e, 3-a, 4-e, and 4-a in the left hand, in addition to the upbeats of 1-and, 2-and, 3-and, and 4-and in the right hand. In other words, it’s playing every 16th note except the downbeat.
The low-mid-forward tone of the organ adds a beautiful complementary texture to the high-mid-forward percussive sound of the guitars and the full-bodied tone of the piano. The bassline also tastefully weaves in and out, outlining the root note and fifth of Gmin (D), and then pedaling off of the D to F.
If you’re looking to incorporate the vi – V chord progression into your own music, this sample can be a solid starting point.
How to apply reggae chord progressions in your music
If your ears aren’t used to picking apart each sound, trying to analyze each instrument in a reggae mix can be difficult. Thankfully, the Toolkits: Reggae Chord Progressions collection is a great resource, with over 50 sounds of jammin’ reggae music recorded with a live band. You’ll find skanking guitars and pianos, bubbling organs, and heavy basslines to study. Check it out and delve deeper for yourself!
Incorporate reggae chord progressions into your own music:
December 17, 2025
