Rock Description
Rock music, a popular kind of music since 1955, consists today of
mainly guitars and drum sets playing to either a 2/4 or 4/4 time signature. The music
is so often accompanied by singing. The tempo of the music can vary greatly,
depending on the meaning (if any) that the musician(s) is/are trying to reach.
Rock music, which originated from the often popular rhythm-and-blues (also known as
R&B) started its popularity after about 1955, when it was mostly known as
Rock 'n Roll. Singers back then included rhythm-and-blues artists Chuck Berry
and Antoine "Fats" Domino. Artists in the late 1950s, including Bill Haley and Elvis Presley,
started to incorporate certain aspects of country and
western music into Rock 'n Roll. It was also about this
time that the music started to become extremely popular to teenagers.
In the early 1960s, the music genre had reached England (by now the name of the genre
shortened to just Rock), and bands like The Beatles started to form. It was by
1964 that a concrete instrumentation had been set for the music (though by now
the genre instrumentation has changed). The instrumentation consisted of bass guitars,
a drum set, and an electric guitar. By the late 1960s, the music followed the mood
of the majority of the youth and therefore had taken a rebellious turn. The lyrics
turned out to be either raw, occult, or drug-related. Now the music (by now known as
acid rock, possibly due to the drug-induced style of the music) was centered
mainly in San Francisco, though there was one concert in 1969 New York entitled "Woodstock"
which turned out to be a major musical event (so popular that another concert just like it
was held 25 years later in 1994 entitled "Woodstock '94"). Other popular musicians
during this time were Jimi Hendrix,
The Who, The Byrds, The Band, and the Jefferson Airplane.
By the mid 1970s, a new form of rock had originated that was popular for dancing in discotechs, which is
probably why it was named "Disco". This form of rock was derived from acid rock and consisted
of mainly a loud style of hard rock. From this music originated "Funk" music from which Rap
was originated, but that is another story.
By the start of the 1980s, another kind of rock was derived.
Called "Punk Rock" because of the appearance of the musicians, the lyrics seemed more suitable for a wider
audience because the lyrics were more refined.
Today's rock music greatly varies. It could be heavy metal, a form of rock which consists of loud lyrics and music
along with often rapid drumming. Or it could be calmer, where it would fit more into the "Lite Rock/Easy Listening"
category. As time progresses, the divisions of rock will only become more complicated.
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