A genre with millions of

listeners and a number of

different bands associated with

it.

Genre Overview• Rock music is a genre of popular music that originated as

"rock and roll" in the United States in the 1950s, and developed into a range of different styles in the 1960s and later, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States.

• It has its roots in 1940s' and 1950s' rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music. Rock music also drew strongly on a number of other genres such as blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz, classical and other musical sources.

How rock is formed and heard

• Musically, rock has centred on the electric guitar, usually as part of a rock group with electric bass guitar and drums. Typically, rock is song-based music usually with a 4/4 time signature using a verse-chorus form, but the genre has become extremely diverse. Like pop music, lyrics often stress romantic love but also address a wide variety of other themes that are frequently social or political in emphasis.

• Rock places a higher degree of emphasis on musicianship, live performance, and an ideology of authenticity than pop music.

Conventions• Rock has spawned many different conventions that can be

easily associated with it making it easier for people to know what type/genre of music a certain artist or band is playing.

• The sign of the horns is a hand gesture with a variety of meanings and uses in various cultures. It is formed by extending the index and little fingers while holding the middle and ring fingers down with the thumb. This gesture however in the rock genre is used as a type of “rocking out” to the music as introduced by big rock artists such as Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne

More Conventions• “Headbanging” is commonly used and seen by artists and fans, it

consists of the person shaking their head up and down quickly towards the tempo of the song. Due to the fast pace off traditional rock music, it is often seen as a way to “dance” to the music.

• Band consisting of a lead singer, guitarists and a drummer. This seems to be the usual setup for a rock band and is often true as bands like Kiss, the Beatles, System of a down etc.

• The rock band is usually performing in front of a crowd to show the hype and presence the genre has. It could be a live performance used as the premise for the music video. This is used due to rock music focusing more on the live aspects of performing.

More Conventions• Rock is widely viewed as wild, loose and carefree which is presented

by the artists through crazy performances, videos or costumes/make up. This approach is also take on-board by the fans whether it is by the clothing or way of listening to the music.

• Black is a colour associated with rock and is worn by many different rock bands either through clothing, nail polish or face paint. This could be because black is a dark and serious colour which is represented also through the music

• A guitar solo or drum solo is widely expected within a rock song which gives focus to other members of the band who are not singing or primarily the face of the band.

Sub-genres• Rock is the broad overview of the genre however they are different types

of rock, more specifically sub genres that have different styles and tones.• Heavy metal is a sub genre which has a more aggressive and fast tone. It

also incorporates much more screaming from the lead singer within the songs.

• Indie rock is a sub genre within itself as it contains different types of indie rock(indie pop, c8, lo-fi etc.). The music is much more calm compared to heavy metal and is recently a way for independent bands to garner mainstream success.

• Rockabilly is a sub genre with elements of rock, blues and country. This sub genre has a calm, jazzy tone which is quite synonymous with artists like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash

More sub-genres• Psychedelic rock is a sub genre that was hugely popular in the 1960’s

with famous bands and artists linked to it such as the Beatles, Jimmy Hendrix, Iron butterfly etc. This sub genre was also a way for people who had taken drugs to have that experience enhanced hence the psyche part of the genre.

• Arena rock is a sub genre that has the tone and presence of being in a crowd within a arena. The genre has the ability to get anybody in a more upbeat mood and is quite popular in modern times.

• Punk rock is a sub genre that is quite focused on the electric instruments to create that synth type of tone. Bands like the sex pistols are bands who broaden the reach of punk music and became mainstream for a while in the 1970’s

The Beatles• The Beatles were an English rock band that formed in

Liverpool, in 1960. • With John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison

and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the greatest and most influential act of the rock era.

• Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later experimented with several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic and hard rock, often incorporating classical elements in innovative ways.

Subvert or conform the conventions• The Beatles are perhaps the founder of the convention of having

four members in a group, with each member playing a different instrument which helps diversify the band.

• The Beatles subvert the image of crazy costumes with eye-catching make-up or tattoos. However they do conform to the group style; that every-one in the group has similar costumes or dress sense(see pictures to the right).

Guns ‘n’ roses• Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in

Los Angeles, in 1985. The classic line-up as signed to Geffen Records in 1986 consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler.

• Gun ‘N’ Roses were a band of many different sub genres such as hard rock heavy metal and blues rock.

Subvert or conform the conventions• Guns ‘N’ Roses definitely conform to the wild and adventurous

side of rock as their dress sense represents the rebellious and carefree nature of their music and the sub genre they are associated with(see 1st picture).

• Guns N Roses conforms to the convention of rock songs having guitar and drum solos (evidenced by songs such as “Sweet child O Mine, Welcome to the jungle etc.”)

• The band also consists of a lead singer, 2 guitarists, a bassist and a drummer which is a typical setup for rock bands, which provides different focuses within their songs.

Elvis Presley• Elvis Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as

one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll“ or simply, "the King".

• Presley was an early populariser of rockabilly, an up-tempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues.

• Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Commercially successful in many genres, including pop, blues and gospel, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music, with estimated album sales of around 600 million units worldwide.

Subvert or conform the conventions• Elvis Presley completely subverts the stereotypical image of rock-stars as the

image he shown was one of suave and charm. As seen in the second picture, Elvis was known for wearing smart clothing whilst performing which shows how the convention was subverted and actually produced the sub genre, rockabilly

• Elvis conformed to the convention of rock artist being able to play an instrument, which in this case was the guitar.

kiss• KISS is an American hard rock band formed in New York

City in January 1973 by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.• The band has sold more than 40 million albums in the

United States, of which 24 million have been certified by the RIAA. Their worldwide sales exceeds 100 million records, making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time.

• The original line-up consisted of Paul Stanley ,Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss .

Subvert or conform the conventions• KISS definitely conform to the conventions of rock and the

clothing. KISS are renown for their eccentrics which include their costumes and make up, which is immediately eye-catching and wild.

• KISS also conform to the convention of a band having four members who all have a different role to play; whether it be playing guitars, drums or lead singer.

• The use of the “sign of the horns” gesture is used(see 1st picture), which is also a convention of rock and is commonly used by the KISS member Gene Simmons.

queen• Queen are a British rock band formed in London in

1970, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor.

• Queen's earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works, incorporating further diverse styles into their music.Subvert or conform the conventions• Queen both conform and subvert the standard imagery associated

with Rock. Majority of the time they are seen wearing more civilian type of clothing so less eccentric. However they have also be known to wear some eye catching costumes that are more suited for a rock band.

• Queen also conform to the convention of a band having four members who all have a different role to play; whether it be playing guitars, drums or lead singer.

• Queen conform to the convention of rock bands having high octane performance and is channelled through their music. This is evident by songs such as: Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are the Champions, We Will Rock You etc.

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