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Introduction Introduction -Rock music was born out of controversy, and its rebellious image has always appealed to fans -Nonconformity and misbehaviour are central to the rock movement -Rock music has played an enormous role in the recent development of the Western musical tradition, and rock music has been dominant among popular styles Elements to Consider Rock History in the Media -Radio, television and the Internet are ways to learn about rock history -Cable networks often offer profiles of artists and styles I Know what I Like: The Fan Mentality -Fans of rock music listen frequently to the music of a particular artist, group, or style and gather interesting facts about both the artists and the music The Ups and Downs of Chart Positions -Charts help us draw general conclusions about the popularity of a song or album at the time it was released -Charts help us avoid fan mentality -Charts are not precision instruments for measuring a song or album’s success or popularity, and they do not accurately reflect the popularity or influence of some songs or albums -The Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) does aware gold records for sales of 500,000 units and platinum records for sales of one million units – this can be helpful in measuring the success of an album of single The Four Themes -Four themes are pursued: social, political, and cultural issues; issues of the race, class, and gender; the development of the music business; and the development of technology -These themes play an important role in the development of rock music as a musical style and a force in pop culture Tracking the Popularity Arc -Ask yourself: -How did this style arise? -When did it peak in popularity? -Does it still exist in a subculture somewhere? -How are elements of this style incorporated into current mainstream pop? What to Listen for in Rock -Musical form refers to the structure and organization of different sections in a song or piece Rocket ‘88’ -Considered to be the first rock and roll song -This is considered a simple verse form – it repeats a single section of music eight times and each section is either called a ‘verse’ or an ‘instrumental verse’ -12 mm means twelve measures in length -Measures -Beats – a regular rhythmic pulse in music is called a “beat”. Beats are organized into measures or bars to create a meter -Bar – musicians often count out a song saying “1,2,3,4”. This is a bar of music, and the numbers represent beats. These bars usually have the same number of beats in them throughout a song (though not always). The term “bar” is synonymous with “measure” Typical Formal Types in American Popular Music -The analysis of musical form is a study of the way sections are structured in a piece of music,

and the way these sections combine to produce larger structures -Formal analysis of a single work usually consists of noting its similarities to and differences from some formal design common to the style The 12-Bar Blues and the Doo-Wop Progression 12-Bar Blues -This is a common structural pattern found in rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and many styles of jazz -It is a structural pattern that consists of twelve groups of four-beat measures -The twelve measure structure of the 12-bar blues is distinctive because of the way its measures fall into three groups of four -These groups can be seen in the measure length, phrasing lyrics and chord structure Doo-Wop Progression -There is a chord on every beat, forming a harmonic pattern that repeats through the entire song except for the short section labelled “bridge” Simple Verse Form -Verse – a section with repeating music and nonrepeating lyrics -Simple verse form – a form that employs only verses AABA Form -AABA form - A song form that uses two verses (A A), a bridge (B), and a return to the verse (A) as its basic organizational pattern. Once the complete AABA pattern is presented, a song may repeat all of the pattern (full reprise) or only part of it (partial reprise). AABA form is strongly associated with the Tin Pan Alley popular song style, though it also occurs frequently in rock music. -When the entire AABA form is repeated it is a full reprise, when only part of the AABA form returns it is a partial reprise Simple Verse-Chorus -Chorus – a section that repeats the same music and lyrics intact in each presentation -When a single musical pattern is used as the basis for both verses and choruses in a song, the resulting form is called simple verse-chorus Contrasting Verse-Chorus -When the verses and choruses of a song employ different music, we call this contrasting versechorus -Forms like contrasting verse-chorus may also include a bridge, or a section that provides a contrasting, nonrepeated section of music and lyrics and returns to a verse or chorus Who’s Playing what: Instrumentation in Rock Beat it: Drums and Percussion -Instruments in rock frequently have specific roles within the music -The task of the rhythm section is to establish a solid foundation for singers, instrumental soloists, and other members of the group that focus on melody -Most rock drummers employ a set consisting of a share drum (sits on a stand between drummer’s legs), a bass drum (played by the right foot), and a high-hat (two cymbals that can be clamped together using a stand controlled by a foot pedal) -Most drummers use medium-sized drums called tom-toms -Tom toms mounted on the bass drum are called ride toms, and those on the floor are called floor toms -Drummers use multiple cymbals – a larger ride cymbal and a smaller crash cymbal -The high-hat or ride cymbal is used for faster notes and the bass and snare drums are played a slower intervals

-The drum set can be enhanced by the addition of other percussion instruments such as a tambourine, cowbell, conga drums, or hand claps The Low Down: Electric Bass -The bass player’s job is to “lock in” with the drummer rhythmically, and to provide the important bass notes to the chord progressions played by the guitar -Octave – the distance between the tuning of guitar and bass strings Harmony in Motion: Rhythm Guitar and Keyboards -The rhythm guitar fleshes out the harmonic dimension by playing full chords -Rhythm guitar can be played on either acoustic or electric guitar -The electric guitar produces little sound on its own, but can reach high volumes when connected to an amplifier -The rhythm guitar complements the bass and drum parts -Sometimes the piano, organ or synthesizer is used along with, or even in place of, the rhythm guitar -Rhythm guitar and keyboard players have to be careful not to conflict musically In the Spotlight: Lead Singers and Backup Vocals -The singer focuses on the melodic dimension of the music -The singer’s job is to create melodic interest and deliver the lyrics in a convincing manner – one that does not seem contrived or unnatural in comparison with normal speech Steppin’ Up: Instrumental Solos -In order to crate contrast in arrangements, an instrumental solo I soften introduced somewhere past the midpoint in a song -Sometimes an arrangement can feature several solos -The instrumental soloist is the central focus of the music for the duration of the solo -The instrumental solo makes the return of the vocals sound fresh, since there is usually no singing during the solo Horns and Strings: Sweetening the Sound -Adds finishing touches to a track -Horn sections include: trumpets, trombones, saxophones -Strings can make an arrangement sound bigger and more elegant – saved until late in the arrangement -They have to create a backdrop that enhances the song without drawing too much attention to itself In the Studio: The Role of Recording Techniques in Rock Music Is it Live or Is it Memorex? -An “audio snapshot” is when the recording is meant to reproduce a live performance as faithfully as possible -Another approach to recording is exploiting the possibilities offered by the studio (what John does) Reverb and Echo -Every space we enter has specific acoustic properties -Whenever a sound is made, it is the result of a series of vibration moving through the air -Engineers design concert halls to make them as acoustically rich as possible – if there’s too much reflection the sound can be too bright or boomy -It is also possible to artificially create a room sound – often referred to as ambience – via electric means and this effect is called reverb -Echo – when sound bounces back to our ears to create two sonic images of the same event River Deep, Mountain High: Equalization (EQ) -Equalizers – used to affect the quality of most sounds

-More tremble makes the sound brighter and less muffled and vice versa -Adjusting frequencies of sounds is often called “EQ” (Equalization) -EQ can help highlight certain instruments Every Breadth you Take: Stereo Placement -Rock music used to be recorded and released in mono – there was assumed to be only one speaker for playback and no possibility of stereo imaging -Stereo determines whether the sound comes out the right or left speaker Mixing -These dimensions of recorded sound – ambience, EQ, stereo placement, and overall volume – are controlled from a mixing board -A mixing board is used to record the sound to tape (now a digital recorder), and to play the recording back -“Mix down” – adjust the ambience, EQ, stereo placement, relative volume -Mixing is a complicated and creative process undertaken by highly skilled professionals who are known for their distinctive sounds Viewing Rock -Video-based media = televisions, films, music videos – have enabled rock musicians to reach audiences visually as well as aurally Rock Television -Prior to their demise in the 1980s, variety shows presented rock performances on network TV, featuring: comedy, skits, dancing, and musical performances -The bands performed alongside acrobats and musicians -Teen-oriented dance programs were popular during the 1950s and featured a room full of young dancers who demonstrated moves and fashion trends to a soundtrack of popular recordings – artists generally lip-synced in these -There have been numerous script-based comedies that features rock musicians or musical performances Rock Film -From the beginning of the rock movement, many rock music performances were features in motion pictures -Ex. Elvis made dozens of films -Throughout the 1970s and 1980s rock musicians continued to star in films -Concert films have also been important to the history of rock music -Documentary films and high-quality concert footage are now released frequently, providing fans with ongoing opportunities to experience the visual element of rock without actually attending live performances Music Videos -Since the advent of rock, artists have also used films as a vehicle for advancing their careers and increasing their popularity -The promotional video, which later became called the music video, has an extraordinary history that eventually made a massive impact on the entire popular music industry

The World Before Rock and Roll Building a National Audience for Music and Entertainment Sheet Music Publishers and Professional Songwriters -In the first half of the twentieth century, sheet music was the principal method of selling music -The business was concentrated in an informal district of NYC referred to as Tin Pan Alley -The area got its name from the high concentration of songwriters plunking out their ideas on rows of pianos -Many of these songs use a sectional verse-chorus format – the chorus is the part of the song listeners are likely to recognize, while the verse is an introduction that sets the scene for the song -Ex. White Christmas -Choruses are cast in a 32 measure AABA form – Ex. “Over the Rainbow” -The basic unit of trade was the song itself, not a specific recording of the song -More versions of the song caused the songwriter and publisher to earn more money -The songwriters themselves were barely ever performers -The usual path to popularizing a song was convincing a professional to perform the tune as part of a show -With the rise of musical theatre in the 1930s, Broadway became a way to bring songs to the public’s attention -The best way to promote a song in the 1930s and 40s was to get it on radio National versus Regional -In the nineteenth century people did not travel as much as they do now – they were in their local and regional surroundings and there was limited access to national news -Music styles were associated with particular regions of the country -Mail order catalogues made recorded performances available via gramophone and 78-rpm discs -Radio technology was developed at the end of the nineteenth century and was initially for military purposes and communications with ships at sea -Radio was first used to broadcast commercial music in 1920 when KDKA Pittsburgh and WWJ Detroit went on the air with a blend of news, local information and live music -NBC went coast-to-coast with its national radio network in 1928 The Rise of the Radio Networks in the 1920s -Under favourable atmospheric conditions, such “superstations” could reach listeners within a radius of several hundred miles -A more effective way to reach a large audience was linking a number of local and regional stations together to form a network -NBC used telephone lines to link 69 stations across the country for its first coast-to-coast broadcast in 1928 -Today the network system still exists in television -Live radio was also an important vehicle for music publishers who had to convince bandleaders and singers not only to perform a song, but also that using the song in their live shows would serve their career interests -“Career interests” meant future bookings for more money -Much of the music business during those years focused on pairing artists with songs and appropriate radio shows -Through the medium of radio, a song could become popular almost overnight -Radio in the 1930s and 40s was performed live, before 1945 it was considered unethical to play records on the air -The American Federation of Musicians took strong political steps to keep records off the airways Regional Styles of Country and Western Music “Country” Music in the Southeast in the 1930s

-Country and western music remained mostly regional until after 1945 -Country music is derived from the folk music of the British Isles -The Acuff group added the slide guitar to the mix -Most often associated with the Appalachian Mountains “Western” Music in the Southwest and California in the 1930s -Reflected the open prairie of the cowboy -Gene Autry was the first cowboy to be singing Jimmie Rodgers: The First Star of Country Music -He sang and played the acoustic guitar until he died in 1933 at the age of 36 -He was known as “The Blue Yodeler” and “Singing Brakeman” -His Blue Yodeler personality was a rustic back porch guitar picker and singer -His Singing Brakeman personality was a roving hobo, wandering the country in the back of a freight car -Neither was an accurate depiction as he often sang in stylish clothes -His legacy to country was the way he and those around him crafted its reception Rural and Urban Blues Migration Patterns from the Rural South to the Urban North -Popular music played by black musicians and intended for blacks was called “race” music -In the late 1940s Jerry Wexler coined the name “rhythm and blues” for it -Middle class white listeners were unfamiliar with this style -A great migration of African Americans from the South to northern industrial centres helped to integrate regional African-American popular styles into American cultural mainstream – they brought their music with them -Due to racism, a number of distinctive black pop styles were grouped together under one label -As African Americans migrated to urban areas, blues musicians moved into city cars and clubs, often forming combos using electric guitars, bass, piano, drums and harmonica Regional Radio and the Black Experience in 1950s America -By the 1950s, listeners were changing to television as it was now the popular choice -In order to thrive, radio stations began targeting the blacks by playing rhythm and blues and had their supporters be businesses that welcomed black clientele Independent Labels Target Regional Audiences -As radio stations devoted to rhythm and blues arose across the country, so did record labels specializing in black popular music -Ex. Sun Records, Chess Records -At their smallest, independent labels were staffed by a few people, perhaps the owner and a secretary, which meant they would have to drive themselves from store to store and distribute labels out of a car trunk -Independent labels prospered precisely because major labels were so big; and since the rhythm and blues were not nearly as profitable as mainstream pop, the majors tended to devote their resources to pop, leaving room for the independents to survive The Singer Steps Forward The Singers and the Big Bands -From 1935-1945, the big band era, much of the most popular music was created by dance bands that employed a rhythm section of bass, drums, piano and guitar, combined with a horn section of trumpets, trombones, and saxophones -Provided music appropriate for dancing -The celebrity in the band was considered the leader -Despite the general focus on bands during this era, singers like Bing Crosby perspired -Many vocal groups also became popular during the swing era – Ex. The Mills Brothers

Frank Sinatra -Frank Sinatra established a new model for the pop-music singer -For three years he was a singer with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey bands and he went solo in late 1942 -He became a teen idol immediately -He was one of the most successful singers of post-World War 2 and sold millions of records The Sound of Pop in the Early 1950s -Pop music in the first half on the 1950s is dismissed as being corny and stiff -Before rock and roll, mainstream pop music was produced for a family audience and teenagers were expected to enjoy the same music as their parents and grandparents -Pop music avoided topics that might be considered unsuitable for general audiences -Early rock and roll was directed primarily at young people, serving as a market of generational difference -In the first half of the 1950s, mainstream pop was designed to appeal to a broad, mostly white middle-class audience -Before the rise of rock, rhythm and blues and country and western were largely separate from mainstream pop, with few artists achieving popularity in more than one of these markets Recordings and Radio Further a National Sound for Country and Western Music Superstation Radio Broadcasts in Prime Time -As far back at the 1930s, mainstream pop played to a national audience, while country and western was mostly limited to regional radio exposure -Within a few years, local and regional radio stations across the nation were programming country music – WSM in Nashville and WLS in Chicago Country Music during World War II -Other important factors that led to the dissemination of country music among northerers developed due to World War II – military personnel from all over the world were living together overseas aand as people got to know one another, they naturally shared their favourite music -When the troops came home, they retained their love for country and shared it with their hometowns -As people emigrated to the north to fill the jobs created by the war effort, they worked among the blacks and spread the country music to them Nashville Becomes Country and Western Headquarters -After the war, Nashville became the centre of most of the professional activity in country and western music -Nashville also became the centre of country music recording and publishing -Musicians made their way to Nashville to record and promoters, booking agents, and record company representatives also moved their offices there -A major factor in the music industry growth of Nashville was the success of the publishing firm Acuff-Rose who was established by Roy Acuff and songwriter Fred Rose -They worked to have the firm’s songs recorded and performed by country artists The Broad Range of Rhythm and Blues The Influence of Gospel Music (Rural Southern Church Traditions) -Much like the southern white musicians who performed country music, many African Americans who would do on to sing in secular pop styles learned to sing in church -The vocal emphasis and embellishments that r...