Music
Pop music 1950 - 1970
Rock 'n Roll began in the 1950s. The new music used fast dance rhythms and gritty instrumental sounds. The first big Rock 'n Roll hit was 'Crazy, Man Crazy' by Billy Haley and the Comets in 1953.
Beginnings
Rock 'n Roll was a marriage between a variant of black Blues music, Rhythm 'n blues and white American folk or Country music. It also took in elements of Gospel music and Western swing. Rock 'n Roll typically used the basic Blues chord sequence, played fast on the guitar.
Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry were the biggest stars of 1950's Rock and Roll. The tempo was around 120 BPM, much faster than the blues. This music was for dancing to.
Elvis Presley
As well as the Blues chord sequence, Rock 'n Roll typically featured a repetitive walking bass line.
Rock 'n Roll bands frequently used the electric guitar, a new instrument in the 1950's, together with the piano, string bass and drums.
1960's popular music
Many new and different styles of popular music developed during the 1960s, in the aftermath of Rock 'n Roll. For example:
- Motown: a group of black singers and songwriters on the Motown record label (from MotorTown, Detroit). This was a type of soul music, lyrical and tuneful, using 'horn' sections (trumpets, trombones and saxophones) as well as the bass guitar which was now used in all popular music. Examples are Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross.
- Soul: based on the Atlantic coast of the US, soul music was also lyrical but somewhat more aggressive than Motown. Examples are Wilson Picket and James Brown.
- Protest music: the Cold War, the Vietnam war, and unrest over black civil rights gave rise to this type of angry folk song usually sung by a soloist with guitar accompaniment. One example would be Bob Dylan .
- British music: Britain developed its own distinctive style, and the two best-known bands, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, were hugely popular in the US as well as in Britain. At the end of the 60's David Bowie mixed theatrical performance with his music to create a style known as Glam Rock.
The Rolling Stones
The instruments of pop
| Instrument | How it was used |
|---|---|
| Electric guitar | Developed by Les Paul and first popularised by the American Fender company. Could be either loud and aggressive (eg Jimi Hendrix) or subdued and lyrical (much of The Beatles). Often there were two - the rhythm guitar playing rhythmic chords together with the drum kit, and the lead guitar playing solos and riffs [Riff: A short phrase that is repeated, normally with improvisation and often referred to in jazz music. ]. |
| Keyboards | Many bands used Hammond organs or electric pianos because they were easily transported while on tour. |
| Drum kit | Provided the all-important beat. Main components are the bass drum, the snare drum and the hi-hat (two cymbals on a stand that can be operated by foot pedal). |
| Strings | Beginning with The Beatles, some bands began to use violins, violas and cellos to add depth and colour to the sound. |
Music recording:
Recorded music became in many ways more important than live music during the 60's. The Beatles experimented with recording techniques to reverse, speed up, slow down and add electronic effects.
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