Reggae on electric guitar

Reggae on electric guitar: the strumming patterns “one-drop double skank” and “single chop on 2 and 4”, in 4/4, and the progressions major vamp (I–IV) and minor vamp (vi–V), each with audio on its own page. In this family the electric fits country's bright twang and reggae's clean chords, which land between the main beats, while softer Hawaiian and celtic styles lean on acoustic voices.

Born in Jamaica, reggae breathes on the offbeat: the accent falls between the strong beats, creating that relaxed, hypnotic sway. Here you'll explore the major vamp and the minor vamp — a vamp, in other words, is a short pair of chords repeating in a loop, sounding open or moodier depending on the mode.

Grooves

Progressions

My Chords & Scales: Build the genre's repertoire: saving chords and scales to the Notebook is part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret

Updated October 20, 2026