Guitar Atlas: Jamaica

Your passport to a new world of music.

Jamaican music is loved throughout the world for its laid-back feel as well as its intense, lively rhythms. Its influence is apparent across many musical styles, from reggae rhythms in the songs of popular bands like The Police, to ska beats in the music of groups such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Toasters. Even rap music evolved from the Jamaican vocal style called “toasting,” and the influence of Bob Marley is evident throughout the world of music and pop culture.

Guitar Atlas: Jamaica teaches many of the styles that make Jamaican music so unique, from early movements like mento (the calypso-inspired style popular in the 1950s) to modern styles like dub (an electronic form of reggae). You’ll learn about the spiritual influence of the Rastafarian religion and explore the work of numerous Jamaican musicians, including Lord Flea, Count Lasher, The Maytals, The Skatalites, Lynn Taitt, Bob Marley, Black Uhuru, Ernest Ranglin, and many others. With a wealth of chordal and melodic ideas for the guitar, this book will improve your technique, increase your knowledge, and make you a more well-rounded musician.

The CD demonstrates all the examples and compositions featured in the book.

• Alphabet Soup
• Color Me Calypso
• Rasta Farewell