Musical Genres – Rock Music Rock Music Started in the 1950'S In
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Musical Genres – Rock Music Rock music started in the 1950’s in America and was known as Rock n Roll. Elvis Presley was one of the first and most famous rock n roll singers. Rock music is characterised by the use of amplified guitars – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocalist. The definition of rock music is that it is popular music with a loud and strong beat. Rock usually has 4 strong beats per bar and is in a verse – chorus structure. The lyrics, as with the majority of pop songs, are about romantic love but lyrics could also be about social or political ideas. Most rock bands are made up of between three and five performers – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals. Sometimes a keyboard or Hammond organ would be included. Many different types of rock music developed during the 1960’s and 1970’s in both the USA and the UK. Pop music became more commercial and pop starts became really famous and took on a celebrity status. Rock music was generally aimed at the young audience, appealing most to teenagers. Rock musicians were expected to write their own songs and not perform cover versions of previous hits. Folk rock became popular in the late 1960’s and Bob Dylan was the most famous folk rock musician. Festivals were becoming popular and Bob Dylan liked to write political songs and anti-Vietnam war songs such as ‘Blowin in the Wind’. His sound is more acoustic than traditional rock music with him playing guitar and harmonica as well as performing the vocals. Another famous folk rock group were Simon and Garfunkel who sang ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’ in 1969. One of the most famous American rock artists from the 1960’s and 70’s was Jimi Hendrix. He was a virtuoso guitarist and impressed audiences with his tricks on stage. He was popular at music festivals. He wrote the famous song ‘Purple Haze’ in 1970. He was inspired by Rock n Roll and Electric Blues. In the 1970’s Progressive Rock became more popular and rock artists wanted to play louder, use more effects and make longer songs. Concept albums were being written which means that all the songs on the album were linked by a common theme. Prog Rock musicians also liked to use different instruments such as strings, flute, harpsichord and synthesisers. A famous Prog Rock band from America were King Crimson who wrote the famous concept album ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’. In the 1970’s Glam rock also became popular where performers dressed up in extravagant costumes and make up. One of the most popular glam rock artists is David Bowie. One of his most popular hits was ‘Space Oddity’ written in 1969 to coincide with the first moon landing. In the 1980’s the rock ballad became popular and bands such as Bon Jovi, Guns n Roses and Bruce Springsteen enjoyed fame. These were more ‘typical’ rock songs with the traditional line up of amplified guitar, bass, drums and vocals. These songs followed a more simple verse chorus structure similar to the rock songs of the 1960’s. In the 1990’s rock continued to enjoy popularity and different types of rock such as Grunge and Britpop emerged. Bands like Nirvana and Red Hot Chilli Peppers from America became famous and in the UK bands such as Blur, Oasis and Pulp enjoyed popularity. These bands were again more like the typical rock band line up of guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Since the 00’s rock has enjoyed commercial success along with many other different genres of music. There is more of a mix nowadays with different genres of music appealing to different demographics of people. 1. When did Rock music start and what music did it come from? 2. Where did Rock music come from? 3. What are the typical features of a rock song? 4. What musical instruments are the most common in a rock band? 5. What instruments were also added to some types of rock music? 6. What are the characteristic features of rock music from the 1960’s? 7. What is the different between rock and folk rock? 8. What are the features of Glam rock? 9. How is Prog rock different to traditional rock music? 10. What is a concept album? 11. What happened to rock in the 1980’s and 1990’s? 12. Who are some of the main bands from the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s? .