Basic Ska Skank in C Major

The ska skank is the defining guitar technique of the genre: a bright, staccato chord hit on the off-beat (the "and" of each beat, or equivalently beats 2 and 4 in 4/4 time). The chord rings for only a fraction of a second before being muted — the silence after each hit is as important as the chord itself. This off-beat emphasis creates the bouncy, forward-propelling feel of ska that makes it impossible not to move. Jamaican ska (1960–1966) moved at a moderate tempo (around 120–140 bpm), with the off-beat guitar skank complementing the horn stabs and walking bass. Bands like the Skatalites, Toots and the Maytals, and Desmond Dekker defined this sound. The guitar often doubled the horn accents, creating a tight rhythmic pocket between guitar and brass. For the basic skank, hold simple first-position major chords and practice hitting only on the upbeats (2 and 4). Use only open chords to start — the easier the chord shape, the more focus you can give to getting the rhythmic feel exactly right.