The reggae skank

What it’s for

In reggae, the guitar stays off the beats: it leaves them to the bass and drums. Instead, it drops a short, dry chord on every offbeat, the “and,” and cuts it off right away. That strum is called the skank. It’s the sound you hear in Bob Marley’s music and across Jamaican reggae, and, faster, in ska.

The pattern is easy to read: four upstrokes, on the “ands.” The hard part is what isn’t written: how short the strum is. A skank that rings on isn’t reggae anymore.

Cutting the chord

Right after the strum, release the pressure in your fretting hand: your fingers stay on the strings but stop pressing. The sound stops dead. On open chords like G or C, the open strings keep ringing: also rest the edge of your strumming hand on the strings right after the strum. Barre chords, which are easier to cut, are used a lot in reggae; open chords are fine to start with.

How to practice it, step by step

1. Muted strings first. Fretting hand flat across the strings. Your strumming hand does the full pendulum: it swings down past the strings on the beats and only hits on the way up, on the “ands.” Count “1 & 2 &,” leaning on the “ands.”
2. On one chord. G. Play the upstroke, then cut the chord immediately. Listen to the silence: it should last longer than the chord.
3. With a chord change. G, then C. You have all of beat 1 to change, since nothing sounds on it.
4. Up to tempo. G, C, D, C at 66, then up to 90. Reggae is often laid back: no need to go fast.

Common mistakes

• The skank isn’t short enough. Mistake number one. If the chord rings into the next beat, the groove disappears. Always cut it.
• Your hand stops on the beats. Without the silent downswing, the upstroke comes in early or late. The pendulum keeps going, even if you only play half the strums.
• You play on the beats. Out of habit, your hand hits on beat 1. Count out loud and play only on the “ands.”
• Too many strings. The top three or four strings are enough. The low ones muddy the sound.
• You rush. Reggae sits back. Play the skank right on time, never ahead.

You’ve got it when…

• every skank is short, with real silence before the next beat;
• you never touch the strings on the beats, even when changing chords;
• you can hold G, C, D, C at 76 with a steady groove for a full minute.