Rastafarians are a Jamaican group that honors Haile Selassie, a former emperor of Ethiopia. Rastafarianism began in the 1930s in poor sections of cities in Jamaica. It was inspired by the teachings of Marcus Garvey (1887–1940). He taught that people of African descent will find peace, dignity, self-expression, and self-reliance by embracing Africa as their ancestral home, even though they may live somewhere else. Rastafarian groups use three drums—large, medium, and small. The large (bass) drum is a barrel with heads at each end that are struck with a soft-headed stick. The medium drum just touches the ground when held between the player’s legs and is played with two hands. The small drum is held like the medium drum, except it doesn’t touch the ground; intricate rhythms are played on it with fingertips. These drums are often painted green, red, and gold to symbolize the flag of Ethiopia.
Reggae music is often associated with Rastafarians. Reggae has been influenced by the music of West Africa as well as a style of Jamaican dance music called ska. Its heavy accents on beats 2 and 4 are like the accents in rock music, except for a gap in the rhythm caused by the unpredictable bass line. The most famous reggae performer was Bob Marley, who died in 1981. Marley is credited with bringing the style to international fame. After Marley’s death, a harder-hitting reggae style, called dance hall, emerged. In all of these styles, drums, guitar, and bass are prominent as well as electronic instruments such as synthesizer. |
