What's a Reggae drum beat sound like?

Question: So the band I'm in decided to tackle a few reggae songs. I love reggae, but as a "punk drummer" I don't know how to do it - reggae is slow and deliberate, not thrashy like punk. I understand the bass drum is important; how should I incorporate hi-hat/cymbals? It always sounds too "punk," never really reggae. And what kind of fill would you use? Supposedly reggae drums don't really use the crash at the end of one. Help!

Answer: Much reggae is in 4/4 or in swing 4/4 with the bass drum only on 3. This is sometimes called "1 drop" [because the BD that would normally be on 1 has been dropped]. On the HH you can use a simple shuffle with snare accent on 3. Most fills are short. Check out this link: http://www.cultv.com/artists/rilko/drumlessons/onedropreggae/chapter1.htm Aso: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae

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