Several years back, some old college friends of mine asked if I wanted to play in a roots/reggae cover band. Of course, I happily agreed. What's better than playing feel-good music with old friends? While I was excited to play music for the pure fun of it, I also looked at the new experience as an opportunity to learn something, to expand my horizons as a keyboard player. I had dabbled in reggae here and there, but never took the time and effort to really study it. Early on in checking out this new style, I made a discovery that completely changed how I played reggae keyboard. The discovery was a technique called "The Bubble."
The key to the bubble is, of course, the rhythm. The right hand plays predictably on beats two and four (think of the classic reggae-guitar "chick - chick"). The spiciness is in the left hand, which plays all up-beats (or the "ands"). You'll mostly hear the bubble played on organ, but it also sounds great on piano as well as a Rhodes or Wurly patch.
Once I started using The Bubble in reggae music, I found it extremely useful in other styles as well, including funk, jazz, and Afro-Cuban music. I noticed master jazz pianists like Herbie Hancock and Danilo Perez playing similar types of rhythms when they were comping.
Check out the video tutorial below, it's a technique much more easily demonstrated than written-out.
And last, it's only appropriate to end with my favorite Bob Marley lyric: "One good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain."
Happy Shedding!
The key to the bubble is, of course, the rhythm. The right hand plays predictably on beats two and four (think of the classic reggae-guitar "chick - chick"). The spiciness is in the left hand, which plays all up-beats (or the "ands"). You'll mostly hear the bubble played on organ, but it also sounds great on piano as well as a Rhodes or Wurly patch.
Once I started using The Bubble in reggae music, I found it extremely useful in other styles as well, including funk, jazz, and Afro-Cuban music. I noticed master jazz pianists like Herbie Hancock and Danilo Perez playing similar types of rhythms when they were comping.
Check out the video tutorial below, it's a technique much more easily demonstrated than written-out.
And last, it's only appropriate to end with my favorite Bob Marley lyric: "One good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain."
Happy Shedding!
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