History of Rock Final
two-beat bass
A type of bass accompaniment in which the bassist plays the root of the chord on the first beat of a measure and the fifth of the chord on the third beat of a measure
distortion devices
A well-used "Turbo Distortion" guitar effect pedal made by Boss. Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain.
Billy Cox
American bassist, best known for performing with Jimi Hendrix
Alternative Characteristics
Bands reverted back to simple guitar bands; lack of keyboards. Bands tended to play simple chord progression, but the chord progressions tended to move in whole steps and half steps (i.e., one or two frets). Guitar solos were kept relatively simple, not flashy. Rhythms were aggressive. Lyrics were addressed to disenfranchised teens, the so-called Generation X.
The Beatles Period Three
Beatles' Period Three (1968-1970): Maturity • Turn away from excessive experimentation • Hardly any use of full orchestras or orchestral instruments in general • Less use of exotic instrumentation—return back to rock band format • Experimental, but functional chord progressions • Return to rock and roll roots, but more self-assurance in playing ability (not as stiff) o Lady Madonna o Hey jude • "Rock n Roll" songs expand the basic 12 bar blues progression o get back o back in the USSR o revolution • sounds more like soloist with backing band rather than whole band o Paul McCartney vs John Lennon o White Album ♣ Horn section ♣ Lady Madonna • Even when they break up, they stick to their rock n roll roots o Partly broke up because of financial arguments o Can hear their arguments in music
John Paul Jones
Best known as the bassist, keyboardist, and co-songwriter for the English rock band Led Zeppelin
Alan Parsons
English audio engineer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including the Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, and the art rock band Ambrosia's debut album Ambrosia as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor. Parsons' own group, the Alan Parsons Project, as well as his subsequent solo recordings, have also been successful commercially.
Brian Epstein
English music entrepreneur, best known for managing the Beatles
Jimmy Page
English musician, songwriter, and record producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin.
George Martin
English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, audio engineer and musician. He was referred to as the "Fifth Beatle"
The Yardbirds
English rock band formed in London in 1963 that had a string of hits during the mid-1960s, including "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul" and "Over Under Sideways Down". The group launched the careers of guitarists Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. A blues-based band that broadened its range into pop and rock, the Yardbirds contributed to many electric guitar innovations of the mid-1960s, such as feedback, "fuzztone" distortion and improved amplification. After the Yardbirds broke up in 1968, lead guitarist Jimmy Page founded what became Led Zeppelin,
Alternative Artists
R.E.M. Nirvana Pearl Jam
standard song form (AABA)
Search Results AABA refers to the melody and harmonic progression (not the text, which can have a completely different pattern. Each portion of the form is eight bars long, with the bridge serving as the point of contrast. We can think of AABA this way: A = statement; A = repetition; B = contrast; A = return.
New Wave Characteristics
Similar to punk, but not as angry Less harsh sound than punk Frequent use of synthesizers, other keyboards Thicker polyphonic textures Dance-oriented music, hard and often mechanical beat (use of drum machines) More complex chord progressions More polished studio sound Non-political/non-social lyrics "Fun stuff", party music More philosophical lyrics (in some bands)
Art (Prog) Rock Characteristics
Sound Traditional art music instruments - violins, violas, cellos, flutes, etc. and full string orchestras. Ethnic instruments - sitar, tabla, etc. Several keyboards including organs, electric and acoustic pianos, and synthesizers. Thick, polyphonic textures (i.e., many musical lines playing simultaneously). Form More than the standard or strophic types of rock song: Ternary forms (A B A). Sonata form borrowed from classical symphonies. Rondo form borrowed from classical sonatas. Opera. Song cycles. Concept albums - entire albums based on a single idea, songs are related by this idea. (Beatles, Sgt. Pepper; Moody Blues, Days of Future Passed; Jethro Tull, Thick As A Brick) Forms or genres based on classical forms - concerto, suite (Deep Purple, Concerto for Group and Orchestra; The Nice, Five Bridges Suite; Yes, Close to the Edge) Rock interpretations of actual large-scale classical works (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Pictures at an Exhibition) Harmony Extended harmonic progressions (i.e., beyond the standard blues progression). Extended chords (9ths, 11ths, 13ths). Unusual chord progressions adapted from classical works or inspired by classical composers. Rhythm Use of odd meters - 7/8, 5/4, 7/4, etc. - rather than standard 4/4 meter. Unusual surface rhythms based on the accentuations of the text. Often incorporate intricate polyrhythmic lines. Melody Long, lyrical melodies (as opposed to brief, motivic melodies). Some melodies are taken from preexisting classical works (ELP, "Knife Edge" adapted from Janacek, Sinfonietta). Melodies are usually woven into the song texture, not the most prominent part of the song. There may be some thematic development. Often based on modes, especially Middle Eastern modes, rather than major/minor scales. Text Texts are often very poetic, usually of high quality. Texts may deal with philosophical, social, or political issues. Other Musicians are usually trained in classical music. Generally have a high level of proficiency on their instruments. Most art rock groups are from England.
Hard Rock Characteristics
Sound: Loud volumes; lead guitar-oriented bands; use of electronic distortion; thick sound in which all instruments are combined equally; vocals are generally mixed into the texture rather than being the dominant sound. Form: Mostly riff-based songs; some are based on blues structures, some on standard AABA song structures, some on strophic song structures, others are original forms based on the form of the text. Harmony: Generally simple chord progressions based on what is practical to play on the guitar; usually chord progressions of three to five chords; the bass generally plays a simple ostinato riff that is the harmonic foundation of the songs. There is also a frequent use of the power chord (see below). Time: Tempos are generally very fast, although there are some groups who record slow ballads; typically in simple duple meter; drums often provide a heavy accent on the backbeat (beats 2 and 4); the bass ostinato is also the metric foundation of the songs. Melody: The vocals are generally of limited range, sometimes shouted in a monotone; guitar solos, however, are more sweeping in range, covering the entire fingerboard to demonstrate the facility of the lead guitarist. Other: Most bands are album-oriented, though there are a few that had top twenty singles; with some groups (the so-called "occult rock" bands), the lyrics relate more negative images such as witchcraft, black magic, death, and suicide. Other lyrics deal with sex, drugs, and party attitudes in general.
heavy metal
Sound: Loud volumes; lead guitar-oriented bands; use of electronic distortion; thick sound in which all instruments are combined equally; vocals are generally mixed into the texture rather than being the dominant sound. Form: Mostly riff-based songs; some are based on blues structures, some on standard AABA song structures, some on strophic song structures, others are original forms based on the form of the text. Harmony: Generally simple chord progressions based on what is practical to play on the guitar; usually chord progressions of three to five chords; the bass generally plays a simple ostinato riff that is the harmonic foundation of the songs. There is also a frequent use of the power chord (see below). Time: Tempos are generally very fast, although there are some groups who record slow ballads; typically in simple duple meter; drums often provide a heavy accent on the backbeat (beats 2 and 4); the bass ostinato is also the metric foundation of the songs. Melody: The vocals are generally of limited range, sometimes shouted in a monotone; guitar solos, however, are more sweeping in range, covering the entire fingerboard to demonstrate the facility of the lead guitarist. Other: Most bands are album-oriented, though there are a few that had top twenty singles; with some groups (the so-called "occult rock" bands), the lyrics relate more negative images such as witchcraft, black magic, death, and suicide. Other lyrics deal with sex, drugs, and party attitudes in general.
Punk Rock Characteristics
Sound: Louder volumes; basic guitar bands (guitar, bass, drums, vocals), avoidance of keyboards and synthesizers. Form: Simple song forms, usually strophic, sometimes with a bridge. Harmony: Generally simple chord progressions based on what is practical to play on the guitar; usually chord progressions of two to three chords; the bass generally plays a simple ostinato riff that is the harmonic foundation of the songs, often repetitions of the roots of chords.. Time: Tempos are faster; typically in simple duple meter; drums often provide a heavy accent on every beat. Melody: The vocals are generally of limited range, sometimes shouted in a monotone; guitar solos are generally avoided, and when used are very simple and limited in range. Other: Lyrics are generally anti-establishment, violence-oriented, sometimes vulgar; fashion is a part of the image - safety pins (eventually evolving into multiple body piercings and tattoos), torn clothes, dark colors especially black, and sadomasochistic tendencies of the performers and fans; dances styles are typically violent - the Pogo, Slam dancing (eventually evolving into the Mosh pit); performers spit and vomit on their audiences, audiences reciprocated by throwing bottles and rocks at the band.
Hard Rock Artists
Steppenwolf Black Sabbath Deep Purple Led Zeppelin AC/DC Van Halen Judas Priest Metallica
New Wave Artists
The Cars Devo
pyschedelic rock artists
The Electric Flag The Electric Prunes The Grateful Dead Moby Grape Iron Butterfly Blue Cheer Jefferson Airplane
Prog Rock Artists
The Moody Blues Emerson, Lake and Palmer Yes Rick Wakeman
Punk Rock Artists
The Sex Pistols The Dead Kennedys The Clash The Police
Psychedelic Rock Characteristics
The recording quality of most groups can best be described as hazy or muted.This coincides with the drug-like, ethereal quality of the lyrics to many of the songs by these groups. The volume at live performances is extremely loud, so loud in fact that distortion results. There were technological advances in electronic equipment: fuzz tone, feedback, wah wah, phasing, etc. Emphasis is on instrumentalists, especially guitarists. Long improvisations in concerts were common (compare with the Yardbirds' rave-ups). A constant change of focus in the performers. Instead of the recordings focusing on the lead singer, the engineers and producers often mixed the bands so that at times the singer is in the foreground, sometime the lead guitar, sometimes the bass, or sometimes the drums. This change of focus in the listener's perception was said to have been influenced by the effects of drugs like marijuana or LSD, called "getting hung up" or "hung upedness" by practitioners, and how the user would focus for a long time on one thing (like a dripping water faucet) before moving on to another thing (like that fly crawling up the wall). Or so I'm told. Many bands were based on or inspired by the old R&B groups or the R&B-derived styles of the British groups. San Francisco bands often combined the traits of folk or folk-rock music with a hard rhythm & blues style. Drugs and drug use became an open and important element of the production and the consumption of Psychedelic Rock. Groups were identified with drugs, lyrics told about drugs and described drug trips, and, to many, the long, improvised guitar solos were both attributed to drugs (on the part of the performer) or approximated a musical trip for the listener - a feeling of timelessness.
The Glimmer Twins
The songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, known as Jagger/Richards, is a musical collaboration whose output has produced the majority of the catalogue of The Rolling Stones
melisma
a group of notes sung to one syllable of text. (think old church chorus ladies)
bend (bent notes)
a musical note that is varied in pitch. With unfretted strings or other continuous-pitch instruments such as the trombone, or with the human voice, such variation is more properly described in terms of intonation.
flat-four beat
a rhythm style in which all four beats of a four-beat measure are equally accented, as opposed to a backbeat rhythm. The flat-four beat is prominent in Motown songs. Standard song form (AABA) a musical structure that typically consists of 2 musical parts (A and B) played in four sections.
polyrhythms
a rhythm that makes use of two or more different rhythms simultaneously.
concept album
a rock album featuring a cycle of songs expressing a particular theme or idea.
fill
a short musical passage, riff, or rhythmic sound which helps to sustain the listener's attention during a break between the phrases of a melody.
riff
a short repeated phrase, frequently played over changing chords or harmonies or used as a background to a solo improvisation.
vamp
a short, simple introductory passage, usually repeated several times until otherwise instructed.
backbeat
a strong accent on one of the normally unaccented beats of the bar, used especially in jazz and popular music.
power chord
colloquial name for a chord that consists of the root note and the fifth. Power chords are commonly played on amplified guitars, especially on electric guitar with distortion.
polyphonic texture
consists of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, which is called homophony.
Pete Best
drummer for the beatles; The Beatles invited Best to join on 12 August 1960, on the eve of the group's first Hamburg season of club dates. Ringo Starr eventually replaced Best on 16 August 1962 when the group's manager, Brian Epstein, dismissed Best under the direction of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, following their first recording session at Abbey Road Studios in London.
happening
event that combined elements of painting, poetry, music, dance, and theatre and staged them as a live action. The term Happening was coined by the American artist Allan Kaprow in the 1950s
Jello Biafra
former lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys
Syd Barrett
founder member of the band Pink Floyd, Barrett was the lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter in its early years and is credited with naming the band
contrafact
is a musical composition consisting of a new melody overlaid on a familiar harmonic structure. Contrafact can also be explained as the use of borrowed chord progressions.
call and response
is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first.
aleatory
is music in which some element of the composition is left to chance, and/or some primary element of a composed work's realization is left to the determination of its performer(s).
strophic
is the term applied to songs in which all verses or stanzas of the text are sung to the same music. The opposite of strophic form, with new music written for every stanza, is called through-composed.
The Sex Pistols
lead vocals- John Lydon Guitar- Steve Jones Drums- Paul Cook Bass Guitar- Glen Matlock Bass Guitar- Sid Vicious
Malcolm McLaren
managed the Sex Pistols, for which he recruited the nihilistic frontman Johnny Rotten
Andrew Oldham
manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style
montuno
means 'comes from the mountain', and so son montuno may refer to the older type of son played in the mountainous rural areas of Oriente.
musique concrete
music constructed by mixing recorded sounds, first developed by experimental composers in the 1940s.
skiffle
music genre with jazz, blues, folk and American folk influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments.
The Beatles period one
o Brian Epstein—manager (d. 1967) o George Martin—producer o Stu Sutcliffe—original bassist (d. 1961) Pete Best—original drummer • Originals musically resemble cover models • Original song characterists: o "idyllic" or "edenic" quality of lyrics ♣ lyrics that express an underlying sense of innocence o lyrics describe the process of growing up many songs seem to be directly from performer to listener through the use of personal pronouns
Jimmy Page guitar styles
o Generally fast, repeated licks o Often approached solo with a steady ascent to high register o Strict rhythms o Even note subdivision
feedback
occurs when a sound loop exists between an audio input (for example, a microphone or guitar pickup) and an audio output (for example, a loudspeaker).
Stu Sutcliffe
original bass guitarist for the Beatles
power trio
rock and roll band format having a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the second guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music quartets and quintets to fill out the sound with chords
Jefferson Airplane
singer-Marty Balin guitarist-Paul Kantner blues guitarist-Jorma Kaukonen folk singer-Signe Anderson bassist-Jack Casady drummer-Alexander "Skip" Spence Drummer Spence was replaced by Spencer Dryden vocalist Anderson was replaced by Grace Slick
The Police
singer-sting guitar-Andy Summers Drum- Stewart Copeland guitar- Henry Padovani
Augustus Owsley
the soundman for the rock band Grateful Dead, whom he met when Ken Kesey invited them to an Acid Test party. As their sound engineer, Stanley frequently recorded live tapes behind his mixing board.
Nanker Phelge
was a collective pseudonym used between 1963 and 1965 for several Rolling Stones group compositions. When the Stones cut "Stoned" - or "Stones", according to early misprinted pressings - as the B-side to "I Wanna Be Your Man", Brian [Jones] suggested crediting it to Nanker/Phelge. The entire band would share writing royalties. Phelge came from Edith Grove flatmate Jimmy Phelge, while a Nanker was a revolting face that band members, Brian in particular, would pull.
Chas Chandler
was an English musician, record producer and manager, best known as the original bassist in The Animals. He also managed the band Slade and Jimi Hendrix
The Doors
• Aldous Huxley—the doors of perception • William Blake—the marriage of heaven and hell (c.1790) o "if the doors of perception were cleansed, all things would appear to the man as they are, infinite" • Jim Morrison—vocals o Beat poets (Allan Ginsberg) o Symbolist poets (Arthur Rimbaund) • Ray Manzarek—keyboards o Blues o Rock and roll o Rhythm and blues • Robby Krieger—guitar o Flamenco o Blues o Jazz • John Densmare—drums o Jazz o Rock and roll • Style characteristics: o Dark sound emphasized by minor keys o Morrison's voice has a flat, emotionless quality o Melodic lines are repetitive o Melodic lines have a narrow range o Lyris centered around death, violence, and sex ♣ Equates sex w death o Accompaniment has a hypnotic quality o Hammond organ gives recognizable tone color • "Not to Touch the Earth" • connect to psychedelic: o overall hazy sound o distortion o drug-related lyrics
Led Zepplin
• Background: o Jimmy Page (lead guitar) ♣ Neil Christian/Crusaders—lead guitar (1962-1963) ♣ London session—guitarist (1953-1966) ♣ Yardbirds—bass (1966) ♣ Yardbirds—lead guitar (1966-1967)—dual lead guitarists ♣ New Yardbirds—lead guitar (1968) ♣ Led Zeppelin—lead guitar (1968-1980) ♣ Influences: • Chuck berry • James burton • Scotty moore • Muddy waters • Elmore james o John Paul Jones (bass, keyboards) ♣ London studio musician, producer (1963-1968) ♣ New yardbirds—bass (1968) ♣ Led Zeppelin • Characteristics: o Fast/catchy guitar licks/riffs o Unusual rhythmic patterns o Wailing vocals (plant) o Plant often echoes page's guitar licks o Use of distortion o Use of studio in composition process o Lyrics often modal (middle eastern modes) o Lyrics often address: occult, supernatural, celtic legend (after 3rd lp)
Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Early influences: o Rock and roll—chuck berry o Blues—robert johnson, muddy waters, buddy guy o Jazz—charlie Christian o Rhythm and blues • Early groups (1963-1966) o Little Richard (1963) o Various soul, blues, and Motown groups: ♣ Solomon burke ♣ Ike/tina turner ♣ Bb king ♣ Supremes o Isley brothers (1964)—testify o Curtis knight and the squires (1965)—hornet's nest o Jimmy james and the blue flames (1965) ♣ Rhythm and blues ♣ Blues ♣ Rock and roll ♣ Dylan covers ♣ Begins to experiment more with distortion -controlled feedback, fuzz tone, other electronic effects ♣ Distorted by record producer Chas Chandler o Jimi Hendrix Experience (formed late 1966) ♣ Hendrix—guitars, vocals ♣ Noel Redding (1945-2003)—bass, vocals ♣ Mitch Mitchell (1946-2008)—drums, vocals o The Band of Gypsies (1969) ♣ Hendrix—guitar, vocals ♣ Billy Cox—bass, vocals ♣ Buddy Miles—drums, vocals • General style characteristics o Complex, polyphonic texture o Use of distortion in melodic and rhythmic improvisation: ♣ Fuzz box ♣ Wah wah pedal ♣ Vibrola bar (whammy bar, tremolo bar) ♣ Controlled feedback ♣ Manipulates tone, volume, and pickup controls/swtiches o Rapid guitar ornaments
The Rolling Stones Period one
• Influences: o Blues: ♣ Muddy Waters ♣ Elmore James ♣ Jimmy Reed ♣ Howlin' Wolf o Rock n Roll: ♣ Chuck Berry ♣ Bo Diddley ♣ Elvis Presley (Scotty Moore) ♣ Little Richard ♣ Buddy Holly • Important people: o Andrew Oldham—manager (until 1966) o Nanker Phelge—group persona as composer o The Gilmer Twins—producers (after 1974) ♣ Mick and Keith o Ian Stewart (Stu Stewart)—piano ♣ Boogie woogie, jazz, honky tonk, R+B ♣ Played for led zeppelin ♣ Eventually became road manager ♣ Never officially a member of the band • First Style Period o Covers: ♣ Rhythm and Blues ♣ Rock and Roll ♣ Blues ♣ Soul/Motown o Original songs imitated cover models o No real personal style until around 1965 o Generally stiff performances o Precise rhythms—strict adherence to the beat o Little by little (1964) o Satisfaction (1965) ♣ puts them in direct competition with American and other british artists ♣ 1st number one single
Pink Floyd
• Originally formed in 1966 as the pink Floyd sound o Named after piedmont blues singers Pink Anderson and Floyd Council o Syd Barrett—guitar and vocals (d. 2006) o Bob Klose—guitar (quit 1966) o Roger Waters—bass o Nick Mason—drums o Rick Wright—keyboards (d.2008) o Blues, rhythm and blues covers o Psychedelic rock o "Candy and a Currant Bun" • first recordings—1967 (abbey road) o barrett experiments more w LSD o music expanded in length o long, detailed improvisations o use more electronic effects o barrett is the driving force for the first album: Piper and the Gates of Down (1967) • Barrett replaced by David Gilmour—1968 • Albums continue practice of long improvisations and electronic effects • A Saucerful of Secrets (1968) o Only cut credited to full band o Long instrumental suite o Gilmour: "The aural equivalent of a war" ♣ Part one: buildup of tension ♣ Part two: the war, very discordant ♣ Part three: requiem o Didn't sell well commercially • Atom Heart Mother (1970) o Suite of six movements o Collaboration of entire band o In step with other british progressive bands of the time (Yes, ELP, etc) • Echoes (from meddle—1971) • Dark side of the moon (1973) o Floyd's most popular album o First concept album o Skillful blend of sound effects and fragments of speech with music and studio technology o Won a Grammy for engineering ♣ Engineered by Alan Parsons o Stayed on the top 200 albums chart for 15 years o "Brain Damage" o "Eclipse" ♣ list song • Wish you were here—dedicated to Barrett • Animals (1977)—critical of mankind • The wall (1979)—double concept album, made a film
The Rolling Stones Period three
• Personal change: Brian Jones out (d. 1969); mick taylor in • Many songs are still riff based • Turn from studio experimentation and use of unusual instruments • Return to a blues and rhythm and blues feel: o Use of r&b horn sections o Return of blues forms and techniques o Raw, rough-edged sound o Not stiff rhythmically (like 1st period) o Keith—mostly riffs, rhythms o Mick t—almost all guitar solos • "Honky Tonk Woman" • the last Mick Taylor album—its only rock and roll
The Rolling Stones Period two
• Second Style Period (1966-1969) o Experimental period o Almost all original songs (Jagger/Richards) o Less live performances, more studio work o Experimental characteristics: ♣ Intricate layers of sound (polyphonic) ♣ Guitar solos worked into song texture rather than solo breaks (obbligato) ♣ Use traditional orchestral instruments • Use folk, ethnic instruments: o Sitar—"paint it black" o Dulcimer—"lady jane" • Expressive imagery in lyrics • Music designed to fit the meaning and rhythm of the text • Asymmetric balance between melodic phrases, between verses and chorus Many songs based on a riff
The Beatles Period two
• Timbre (sound): o More use of acoustic instruments o Exotic instruments ♣ Sitar • "Norwegian Wood" is the first song that uses it ♣ table o traditional orchestral instruments o experiment with tape and studio production techniques: musique concrete ♣ mixture of musical and non-musical sounds ♣ continuous loop ♣ 1st used on "Tomorrow never knows" • texture: o polyphonic texture o obbligato lead guitar • text content: o influenced by Dylan mind-expanding drugs ♣ lyric imagery ♣ studio techniques • melody: o fit accentuation of text o some asymmetric phrases to follow text o songs meant to be listened to (not danced to) • harmony: o experimental chord progressions (not blues or Rock and Roll progressions)
The Grateful Dead
♣ Blues, Motown, soul, folk, Dylan covers ♣ Extensive improvisational sections ♣ Distortion, electronic effects, feedback experiments o Augustus Owsley—consulting engineer (bear) o Robert hunter—lyricist o Jerry garcia—lead guitar o Bob weir—rhythm guitar o Ron "pigpen" mckernan—keyboard o Ron lesh—bass o Bill kreutzman—drums o Mickey hart—drums
