Why create a reggae metronome?

There’s a common misconception about reggae music being easy to play. This couldn’t be further from the truth. While it is made up of simple elements, it is not simple to play.
I’ve heard a lot of people that haven’t studied reggae music try to play it, and there’s always tell tale signs. The feeling is off. Reggae is not simply the addition of piano and guitar banging at the same time. It is all about the right feeling.
- But how do you explain a feeling? Well, you can’t really… So the next best thing I thought of was a metronome that included the most important elements to dictate the groove. It’s a good balance between technical and practical, leaving room for the required artistic elements of a song.
I’ve always made it my goal to share my knowledge of reggae music based on my own studies and experience play and recording it.
DM Kahn’s Reggae Metronome is going to be a tool that will help a lot of people understand what makes reggae music special and differentiate it from other types of music.

What it is and what it’s not:

It is a 2 dimensional blueprint of some my favourite grooves in reggae music.
It is not a 1 to 1 recreation of the reggae groove, that would be like somehow accurately describing a feeling with words. That is impossible.
It is akin to a hand sketch or a basic guideline to help get you close to understanding what the reggae groove is. The only way to understand the feeling of the reggae groove is by studying the music, experimenting by playing and recording. Playing with other people who understand reggae can help fast track your progress.
That said, this tool will be invaluable to showcase where the critical elements exist in the reggae groove (hi hat, organ bubble, and riddim guitar) and at different amounts of swing.

What’s included:

388 Quick-start Wav files with various styles and tempos ranging from 105 to 150bpm, in each of the included 16 swing types (from 100% straight to very swung. These can be dropped into any DAW and looped however long your song requires.
Full Logic file with the pre-programmed sampler and over 400 midi blocks with 16 varying amounts of swing. Includes multiple hi hat patterns, bubble patterns, and a scratchy chicka guitar. Since it’s all midi, you can fully customize your tempo and choose which hi hat and bubble patterns you like (or just have the hi hat pattern playing, or just the bubble, etc).
Over 400 midi blocks you can drop into any sampler. 16 swing types, various patterns.
The 4 samples required to set up your own sampler in any DAW. I made this as easy as possible. YouTube tutorial will be available showing how to set this up in Logic, which should be similar in any other sampler.
Kontakt Full .NKI with pre-programmed sampler. All you need to do is drag the midi into you DAW of choice and use the Kontakt sampler to trigger the metronome.

Who is this for?

Anyone who wants to get a better understanding of the reggae groove.
Anyone who records reggae in an “overdub” style. It’s a really helpful tool to set the groove to record on top of.
Anyone who wants to practice their reggae instrumentation without a real drummer. Learning how to play reggae music with a lot of swing takes time and practice. This will really help in that scenario. This includes bass players, pianists, guitarists, drummers, horn players, and percussionists.
Anyone who plays reggae live with in-ear monitors. Creating custom reggae metronomes for your live set would be an ideal use case!
Anyone who produces reggae music in the box. The included hi hat patterns are an excellent starting point for creating your own drum patterns.
Reggae players of all levels will find value in DM Kahn’s Reggae Metronome - from reggae beginners to reggae veterans.

Key Takeaways:

It’s a highly practical tool for reggae musicians and producers.
It is easy to use.
It can be set up in any sampler in any DAW easily because it’s only 4 samples that are pitch stretched.

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