Class Notes - unit 1 PDF

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music history of rock and roll notes on unit 1...

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HISTORY OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL 1948-69 Introduction  The decades: o 1920s – WW1, party, roaring 20s, o 1930s – dirty 30s, WW2, o 1940s – War, employment,  The Music  “Pop” (popular) Music o Crooners and swing bands o Upper to middle class o This demographic controlled o Polished, somewhat European-flavored; o National  Hillbilly Music and Race Music o Collectively referred to as o Popular in the more economically o More indigent musical styles –Hillbilly Music was based primarily o Race Music arose from a mixture of o Hillbilly music will come to be known as o Race music will come to be known as o Regional o Hillbilly music folk and country o Race music old slave songs and upbeat “black” style 12-bar blues in C C-C-C (F)-C (Sing lyrics) F-F-C-C (repeat lyrics) G-F-C-C(G) (rhyme lyrics) Doo-Wop Progression in C C-Am-Dm(F)-G (repeat ad nauseum)  The three forerunners of rock ‘n’ roll are as follows: o o

Typical Formal Types in American Popular Music Chordal Progressions  The 12-bar blues o A pattern that is defined by o Used to build larger forms like o Some examples: _____________– Joe Turner – 12 bar blues in simple verse-chorus; o _______ – Jackie Brenston – 12 bar blues in simple verse form;  The doo-wop progression o Pattern that first became popular with o Again, this is used o Some examples:

o _____________ – The Dell Vikings; o _____________ – The Penguins – both are in AABA with a reprise

Musical Forms  Simple verse-chorus form o A single pattern is used as the basis for the verse and the chorus o _______can the circle be unbroken_______ – The Carter Family  Simple verse form o Song consists of only verses – no contrasting material that would suggest a chorus o thats alright and heart break hotel - Elvis  Contrasting verse-chorus o Verse section is distinctly different from the chorus o rock and roll music – Chuck Berry; _____________ – Buddy Holly  AABA form o Consists of verses (A) and a contrasting bridge (B) – can employ a full or partial reprise o ______hey good lookin______ – Hank Williams; _____blue berry hill_____ – Fats Domino; ________all I have to do is dream______ – The Everly Brothers The Evolution of Media Radio  Radio is reginal  First important broadcasts were from KDKA Pittsburgh and WWJ Detroit  1920s – high powered super stations would become more reglazed  Because the U.S. put a limit on the power of the transmitters, set up in Mexico X-Stations  1928 – the first coast to coast network set up by NBC using AT&T  Up until the mid-40s, real stations in real time, keep records off the air  Radio expanded  The concept of start a national popular culture  This becomes the main forum for popular music Motion Pictures  The 30s and 40s were general called golden age of movies  Motion pictures made everyone be able to hear music that wasn’t avalible to everyone Television  In the late 1940s, corp. money….  TV was thought to be more appealing than radio  As television grew, radio audience would start to diminish  These three entertainment concepts combined to establish a national pop culture: o Television o Radio o Motion Pictures Pop Music  Directed mainly at white population  Aimed primarily at adults  Enjoyed national distribution due to major labels  Followed the tin pan alley Characteristics of a Typical Pop (Tin Pan Alley) Song  Lyrics were typically non-offensive, non-controversial and most often dealt with simple emotions

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Songs had a very straight, uncomplicated rhythm that emphasized the downbeat Rhythm was kept in the background of the musical texture Melodies were important Tempos were moderate to slow Written by professional songwriters: recorded by professional singers accompanied…

Song: Music, Music, Music* Artist: Teresa Brewer  Beat is definitely on the downbeat and beat 3  Instrumental intro – piano and percussion; brass and winds enter near the end of the intro  Straight-ahead rhythm; non-offensive lyrics; melody is most important  Instrumental break is written out not improvised  Instrumentation includes: piano, percussion, brass, winds Song: Cry* Artist: Johnny Ray  Begins with harmonized backup vocals – use of falsetto  Piano, bells, guitar and drums in the background  Solo vocals enter – much more declamatory and emotional vocal style  Backup vocals and instruments sit in the back of the texture – vocals are most important  Lyrics speak of heartbreak Song: Too Young* Artist: Nat King Cole  One of the first songs directed to a new and upcoming demographic – the teenager  Begins with strings followed by a piano solo; strings take the end of the intro  Crooning vocal style – they take the forefront of the musical texture  Piano and strings play fills – between vocal entrances  Instrumental break closely follows the melody line  Instruments: piano, strings, orchestra  Lyrics about relationship Song: Blue Tango* Artist: Leroy Anderson  A hit instrumental (no vocals) and an example of the fascinations with exotic rhythms and dances  Melody goes between strings and winds; drums provide an ostinato (highly repetitive riff), setting a tango rhythm in motion  Melody is taken by strings; winds play fills; rhythm remains constant  Even here, melody is most important  Instruments: guitar strings, winds, drums – use of riff (ostinato) Song: You Belong to Me Artist: Jo Stafford  Begins with orchestral instruments – horns, marimba, drums  Vocals are scatting – imitating the instrumental line  Once vocals begin, they become the most important thing – instrumentation falls to the background  Marimba is very evident at the beginning of each line Song: I’m Sittin’ On Top of the World Artist: Les Paul and Mary Ford

 Begins with sped-up guitar line and bass  Harmonized vocals enter – fast electric guitar licks plays fills  While focus remains on the vocals, more emphasis is placed on the instrumentation – there is an extended guitar solo, showing off the new solid body electric guitar Song: Doggie in the Window* Artist: Patti Page  Example of a “novelty song” – very cutesy; designed for laughs  Piece is in 3/4 time – like a waltz  Starts with strings and winds  Harmonized vocals enter with the chorus  Verses are sung solo; winds play fills  Vocals are clear and in the forefront; instruments are relegated to an accompanying role  Lyrics are innocent and cute  Instruments: strings and winds COUNTRY AND WESTERN (C&W)  Called hillbilly music until the mid-30s  Had a relatively  Produced largely by small companies referred to as indies  Distribution consists of producer  Catered primarily to white  Instrumentation included fiddle, banjo, mandolin, steel guitar, acoustic guitar, acoustic bass – NO drums Characteristics of a Typical C&W Song  The beat is steady  In a four-beat pattern, there is a “boom-chick” feel – this is called a two-beat bass  Harmonically, songs are simpler that pop songs  Songs were generally not written down, but were passed down aurally and subjected to improvistion  Lyrics often tell a story and are intended to express emotion od some sort  Vocals have a nasal tone quality and are delivered in either a deadpan style or one with such intensity to give the impression that the singer is on the verge of tears

Country Music  Found in the southeasdt and appalachia  Derived from folk music of the british isless Song: Can the Circle Be Unbroken* Artist: The Carter Family  Begins with guitar – boom-chick rhythm  Vocals enter – nasal vocal sound  Harmonized vocals in the chorus  Lyrics are rooted in white gospel music  Instruments: vocal and strings Song: The Great Speckled Bird Artist: Roy Acuff and His Crazy Tennesseans  Begins with slide guitar soloing accompanied by acoustic guitar playing a boom-chick rhythm  Nasal vocals enter – lyrics are gospel-based  Slide guitar provides short fills between vocal entrances

Western Music and Western Swing  Found in calafornia and the southwest  Connections with Hollywood movies about cowboys  Western swing is big band with a cowboys twist – big band instrumentation with wester tilt Song: Back in the Saddle Again* Artist: Gene Autry  Begins with fiddle, accordion, slide guitar and mandolin  Nasal vocals enter – slide guitar supplies fills  Fiddle takes the solo over accordion and slide guitar  Lyrics tell a story Song: New San Antonio Rose* Artist: Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys  Begins with mariachi-style trumpets – rounded out by saxes, piano and fiddles  Boom-chick feel supplied by bass and guitar  Vocal interjections state the song title  Extended instrumental opening  Solo vocals enter  Few lyrics, mostly about a woman  Instruments: brass, sax, piano…. Country & Western  In the 40’s, Nashville becomes the center for country & western business enterprises  This was due largely to the huge impact of the grand ole opry show Song: Hey, Good Lookin’ (FORMAL ANALYSIS discussed in the text) Artist: Hank Williams  Begins with slide guitar solo over guitar and acoustic bass playing a boom-chick rhythm  AABA song form – 4/4 time signature  Other instruments include fiddle and acoustic bass  Instruments: acoustic guitars, bass, steel guitar, violin, lead vocals  Vocals enter – nasal vocal sound  Slide guitar and fiddle are the featured solo instruments Song: Hillbilly Fever* Artist: Little Jimmy Dickens  Prototype for an upcoming style called rockabilly  Starts with steel guitar solo accompanied by bass, fiddle and guitars  Solo vocals enter and take precedence over the instrumentation  Steel guitar plays fill at the end of the verse  Chorus features harmonized vocals  Lyrics speak of hillbilly style of music Bluegrass  Virtuosic instrumental aspects of the music overshadow the vocals  This music was often used as theme music for TV and movies Song: Blue Moon of Kentucky* Artist: Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys

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Begins with fiddle soloing over mandolin and guitar Song is in 3/4 – a country waltz Vocals are nasal – lyrics are of heartbreak Mandolin takes the solo

Song: Foggy Mountain Breakdown Artist: Flatt and Scruggs  Instrumental piece – focus lies in the virtuosic playing  Begins with a banjo solo – classic “chase” music  Fiddle enters and solos over boom-chick rhythm of the guitar  Solos are shared by fiddle and banjo  Harmonica enters later in the piece and solos RHYTHM AND BLUES (R&B)  Rhythm and blues emerged out of style of blues mostly played by black artists Rural Blues Song: Crossroads* Artist: Robert Johnson  Early example of the style that will influence later rhythm & blues  Based on a slightly altered 12-bar blues  Consists of just guitar and vocals – yet a driving rhythm is present  Technique of call and response occurs between the vocals and guitar  Lyrics simply tell story      

R&B was called race music until the end of the 40s Originated in Market was targeted towards The market was served almost exclusively by indies Small, well-defined audience that developed mostly in the south Instrumentation included acoustic and electric guitar, acoustic stand-up bass, drums, sax, piano, harmonica

Characteristics of a Typical R&B Song  Very rhythmic, emphasizing the second and fourth beat of each four-beat pattern – this is called a backbeat – drums play a larger role  Quite frequently patterned around a musical scheme called a twelve-bar blues (or some variaition of the pattern)  Characterized by a very energetic stage show – vocals were shouted, forming the basis of thevocal style found in much of fifties  Lyrics contained  Songs were often  Vocals and instruments were Gospel-Based Blues  Church large part of black  Sacred song lyrics changed to secular  Caused controversy – the blastfamy would be seen to the audience Ray Charles  Ray Charles Robinson was blinded by glaucoma at the age of 6

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Orphaned Dropped his last name to avoid being associated with robinson Hit the charts for the first time in Song combines heavy chords of church piano

Song: I’ve Got a Woman*  Starts with vocals – drums, piano, sax and horns enter  Horns play fills at the end of the vocal line  Strong emphasis on backbeat  Vocals improvise over the instrumental accompaniment  Instruments: drums, piano, sax, horns  Lyrics speak about a woman (based in gospel)  Charles based a number of his tunes on  Another example is Song: This Little Girl of Mine  Starts with a sort of call and response between sax/horns and vocals  Instrumentation: piano, drums, bass, horns and sax  Use of stop time  Harmonized backup vocals enter  Solo features piano and sax  Charles absorbed styles like a sponge: jazz, pop  He built up a Chess Records – Chicago Blues  Founded in 1947 by white blues fans phil and leonard chess  Specialized in solo singers back by small electric bands  Rough-edged emotion, very expressive, hearing like live  Instrumental ability  Not meant to appeal to white middle class

Song: Hard Day Blues* Artist: Muddy Waters  Instrumentation includes electric guitar, bass, piano and drums  This is a typical twelve-bar blues  Semi-shouting vocal style – lyrics are clear about losing a woman  Instrumental features the piano – there is a pronounced backbeat and a walking bass  Instruments: guitar, bass, piano, drums Song: I’m a Man* Artist: Bo Diddley  Song is based on one chord – called a one-chord boogie  Starts with a lick (riff) that is referred to as a “Bo Diddley”  Instrumentation starts with guitar; harmonica and piano interject; drums and maracas maintain a constant beat  Vocals enter over drums; instruments provide fills – this is a call and response  Lyrics are suggestive and egocentric

Song: Boom Boom Artist: Johnny Lee Hooker  This is a classic 12-bar blues  Begins with guitar – use of stop time – piano, bass, sax and drums supply the fills between entrances of the guitar – this becomes the fill for the vocal entrances, too  Vocals enter – short phrases that are interspersed with instrumental fills  Guitar is the main soloist in the instrumental section Atlantic Records – Black Pop  Founded in 1948 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson  Songs were more polished; arrangements  Singers were more Song: Mama (He Treats Your Daughter Mean)* Artist: Ruth Brown  Begins with drum riff  Sax, guitar, piano and bass enter with a riff  Lead vocals enter in a semi-shouting style – note the vocal upswing at the end of the first two lines of the verse  Lyrics deal with a woman who is fed up with the actions of her man  Instruments: drums, sax, guitar, piano, bass Song: Honey Love Artist: Clyde McPhatter  Begins with harmonized vocals, piano and percussion  Lead melodic vocals in front of harmonized vocals and instrumentation – piano, bass, sax, and percussion  Vocals are the most important – though there is a instrumental section featuring the sax Song: Shake, Rattle and Roll (FORMAL ANALYSIS discussed in the text) Artist: Joe Turner  Also referred to as “hokum blues” because of its blatantly sexual lyrics  Starts with boogie-woogie piano, acoustic bass and drums  Strong backbeat; classic 12-bar blues form  Vocals enter – handclaps join drums on the backbeat  Sexual innuendo in the lyrics  Never hit the pop charts at all – Top 5 on the R&B charts  Form is simple verse-chorus  Time signature is 12/8 (shuffle in 4) Doo-Wop  This was urban vocal music  Vocal style was mostly originated as an a cappella style  Doo-wop refers to the vocal style and the use of nonsense syllables  Greatly influenced by gospel music, particularly in terms of harmonic make-up  Characterized by a lead singer backed  Most are in an ___AABA__ form and uses what is called _______________ – triple division of the beat Song: Sh-Boom* Artist: The Chords  Went to #5 on the pop charts

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Begins with a cappella harmonized vocals Drums, acoustic bass, guitar enter; strong emphasis on backbeat Clear lead singer w/ backup harmonized vocals singing a mixture of nonsense syllables and lyrics Bass sings the bridge Intruments: Drums, guitar, bass

Song: In the Still of the Night Artist: The Five Satins  Begins with piano lead-in  Harmonized vocals enter with nonsense syllables over drums, bass and piano – triple division of beat in the piano  Lead, melodic vocals emerge over top of this opening section  The B section shows a much more active vocal background, now singing actual words (“I remember”) The Controversy of R&B  As blacks moved to more urban areas, a market for radio stations supporting black music sprang up  Because the music was now on the air, enterprising (white) teens could tune in and become familiar with these styles of music  White middle class parents disapproved of this – largely due to negative racial stereotypes  Lyrics were considered  This music gained greater respectability when...