This document provides an overview of a college course on the history of rock music from the 1950s. It discusses various topics that will be covered in the class, including defining rock music, popular music genres, elements of rock such as instrumentation and recording techniques, and examples of early rock songs. The class will examine the origins and development of rock music through studying themes such as the music business, technology, and social issues while considering charts, media coverage, and different perspectives on artists.

1. MUS 1240:
History of Rock I
Dr. Joe Brown
brownj15@ohio.edu

2. What are we going to do?
Read
Music
Discuss
Listen
Write

3. Syllabus Overview
• Syllabus is on Blackboard

4. Rock Music!
• Born out of controversy, rebelliousness
– 1950s – Elvis’ blues based singing shocked older
people used to Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra
– 1960s – Beatles’ mop-top haircuts upset parents, but
caused a fashion trend among youngsters
– Jim Morrison, Alice Cooper, David Bowie all
challenged cultural values in the 1960s and 1970s,
Madonna and Prince did the same in the 1980s, etc.
– -Payola and obscenity in lyrics have been the subject
of congressional hearings
– Nonconformity – central to the spirit of rock music

5. Defining Rock
• Not easy…
• Some scholars use “rock and roll” to describe
the first wave of rock from 1954-1959
• Some call all music after 1964 as “rock”.
• We will use the term to describe music
produced specifically for a youth audience.
– But, what does that even mean? Is all pop music
rock? Is all rock music pop? What about soul, of
folk music? Does that constitute rock as well?

6. Popular Music—Definitions
• Music created with commercial success in mind
• Popularity measured in numbers—how many albums sold, how many
Number One hits
• Can be compared with other styles that differ in intent as well
as musical result
– Popular
– Classical
– Folk
• This definition is problematic because some music crosses the
boundaries of genre.
• “Garage bands,” which are similar to folk music
• Piano rags by Scott Joplin: “art” or “popular” music?
• The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

7. Popular Music—Definitions
• In broad terms, popular music can be used to
indicate
– music that is mass-produced and disseminated via
the mass media,
– at various times has been listened to by large
numbers of Americans, and
– typically draws on a variety of preexisting musical
traditions.

8. Elements to Consider
when studying Rock
• Rock History in the Media
• The “Fan Mentality”
• Ups and Downs of Chart Positions
• Themes
– Social/political/cultural issues
– Issues of race/class/gender
– Development of the music business
– Development of technology
• Tracking the Popularity Arc

9. Rock History in the Media
• Many of you have some exposure to artists that you
enjoy, and may even know a good bit about their
history.
• Much of this comes from general-interest publications
(ex. Rolling Stone), the internet, TV, radio, etc.
• A scholarly approach is going to be much more deeply
rooted in the artist and the music that they created,
instead of the more sensational aspects of their
biography
• Therefore, this type of information is good for
entertainment purposes.

10. “Fan Mentality”
• We listen to what we like.
• We often ignore what we don’t.
• As new scholars studying rock, we cannot
simply ignore music that we don’t enjoy.
Strive to be balanced.
– American history? Would you only study the
presidents that shared your political persuasion?

11. Ups and Downs of Chart Positions
• We will talk about chart positions a good bit.
• Most people are at least familiar with the term “#1 hit”,
even if they aren’t aware of Billboard magazine.
• Charts can give us a general sense of how popular a song or
album was at the time it was released, and can keep us
honest (the fan mentality)
• Charts are flawed instruments, because we do not know
exactly how they were put together in the past, etc.
• Ideally, we would have access to radio playlists from the
time period, and record sales. Unfortunately, playlists are
hard to find and record companies routinely manipulate
sales figures, especially in the early days of rock.

12. Four Themes
• Each theme plays a large part in the development
of rock music
• Music business changed dramatically since the
1950s (small upstarts to huge corporations)
• Technologically, the business had gone from the
radio days of the 1920s and 30s through the
advent of television and as far as today’s current
internet and cloud-based landscape
• Race/class/gender issues are essential for
learning about rock. Constant challenge of
stereotypes and search for authenticity.

13. Tracking the Popularity Arc
• A specific style may go from being relatively
unknown save for a small geographic region,
eventually break out and become part of the
mainstream, then retreat back underground.
This is a popularity arc.
– Ex. punk/new wave scene in the 1970s/early 80s
• This pattern is exhibited over and over in pop
music. As we study different genres, we don’t
always get to examine the pre-mainstream roots
or the aftermath.

14. What to listen for in Rock
• Certain musical elements will be more helpful to
your studies than others.
– Form
– Rhythm
– Instrumentation
– Recording Techniques
• Study of other musical elements can also be
useful
– Melody
– Harmony

15. Rocket ‘88
• Jackie Brenson and his Delta Cats – 1951
– #1 on R&B charts in 1951
– Produced by Sam Phillips at Sun Records in
Memphis
• Simple Verse Form
– Repeats a single section of music x times, in this
case 8.

16. Rhythm
• Generally, rhythm is the overall organization
of time within a piece of music.
– “The pattern of movement within time” – New
Harvard Dictionary of Music
• Beat or Pulse – the underlying pulse of the
music which dictates the speed or tempo.
– Regular? Irregular?
– Grouped into patterns? (2 vs. 3?)
– Accented?

17. Rhythm cont.
• Meter - The organization of musical notes in a
song, with respect to time, that a regular pulse
can be perceived and the duration of the notes
can be measured.
• Tempo – The “time” of a song, or the speed. It
can be measured in metrical units, such as with a
metronome or other means.
• Riff – repeated pattern designed to generate
rhythmic movement
• Groove – term that evokes the channeled flow of
“swinging” or “funky” or ”phat” rhythms.

18. Forms in American Popular Music
• 12-bar blues
• Simple Verse Form
• AABA form
• Simple Verse – Chorus
• Contrasting Verse - Chorus

19. 12 bar blues
• 12-bar blues and doo-wop progression 12-bar
blues
– Song repeats a pattern that is 12 bars long
• 4-bar phrase
• During the next four bars, the lyrics are often repeated
• Idea is completed in the last four bars
– Chords are played in a typical order or progression
• Doo-wop chord progression
– I - vi - IV – V
– Famous songs – “In the Still of the Night” – Five Satins,
“Sh-Boom” – The Chords

20. Simple Verse Form
• A verse is defined as a section with repeating
music and nonrepeating lyrics.
– As opposed to a Chorus…
• A form that employs only verses is said to be
in Simple Verse Form.
• Rocket ‘88 as well as Heartbreak Hotel employ
this form.

21. AABA form
• Form most associated with pop music before the birth of rock and
roll.
• Tin Pan Alley songs
• 32-measure form combines 4 8-bar phrases
• AABA refers to the fact that the first two phrases are very similar,
the third contrasts, and the fourth is very similar to the first two.
• “Over the Rainbow” – Judy Garland, “Hey Good Lookin’” –
• Hank Williams, “Blueberry Hill” – Fats Domino
• Many songs using this form would be too short if at least some of
the song didn’t repeat, so:
– Full Reprise – when entire form comes back
– Partial Reprise – when part of the form comes back
• Some AABA forms also may expand certain sections
– “Great Balls of Fire” –Jerry Lee Lewis B section is 12 bars

22. Simple Verse-Chorus
• Chorus – section that repeats the same music
AND the same lyrics
• When a single musical pattern is used for the
basis of both the verses and the choruses, it it
said to be in Simple Verse – Chorus form.
• Mostly refers to harmony…the melody can
change from verse to chorus
• “Can the Circle Be Unbroken” – Carter Family

23. Contrasting Verse - Chorus
• When verses and choruses employ different
music, then the song is in Contrasting Verse –
Chorus form.
• May also include a bridge
• “That’ll Be the Day” – Buddy Holly

24. Instrumentation in Rock
• Drums and Percussion
• Electric Bass
• Rhythm Guitar/Keyboards
• Lead Singers and Backup Vocals
• Instrumental Solos
• Horns and Strings

25. Drums and Percussion
• Part of the rhythm section (along with the electric bass
and rhythm guitar/keyboards)
– Provide a strong foundation for the other members of the
band that focus on melody (singers, lead guitars, etc.)
• Drummer establishes tempo and meter, but also the
“feel” of each song.
• Set usually includes a snare drum, bass drum, high-hat
cymbal, tom-tom drums, several other cymbals (ride,
crash)
• The different instruments of a drum kit work like gears,
all having a different role. High hat – faster notes,
Bass/snare – slower, in conjunction with one another.

26. Electric Bass
• Bass Player locks in with the drummer
rhythmically, and provides the important bass
tones that are crucial to the song’s harmonic
structure.
• Early rock music used acoustic upright bass
amplified, but by 1960s the electric bass was
king except for jazz and country.
• Bass has four strings that are an octave below
the bottom four strings on the guitar.

27. Rhythm Guitar/Keyboards
• Fleshes out the rest of the songs harmonic
progression
• Locks in with the bass and drums to fill in the
rest of the rhythmic drive of a song

28. Lead Singers and Backup Vocals
• Focus on melody, can be as free as they wish
rhythmically with how they place notes
• Sometimes, there are no backup vocals (That’s
All Right – Elvis), sometimes the backup vocals
follow the lead singers lyrics (Surfer Girl –
Beach Boys)

29. Instrumental Solos
• Early rock used a lot of saxophone solos, but
guitar and piano used as well, guitar and
piano became more common, then mostly
guitar

30. Horns and Strings
• Can add finishing touches to a track
• Horn sections – trumpets, trombones,
saxophones ( Chicago)
• Strings – can make an arrangement sound
bigger and more majestic (Beatles)
– “Long and Winding Road” – difference between
original version and edited version w/added
orchestra

31. Recording Techniques
• Live or Studio?
• Reverb and Echo
• Equalization
• Mono vs. Stereo
• Mixing
• Put it together: “Josie” – Steely Dan

32. Live or Studio
• “Audio Snapshot”
– Many early rock records fit this description. An
audio representation in a studio of a live
performance
• Exploit the studio
– Les Paul’s records are early examples of this, and
of course bands like the Beatles and Pink Floyd
took this to new levels in the 60s and 70s.

33. Reverb/Echo
• Reverb – electronic recreation of acoustic
spaces
• Echo – used on certain rock recordings (Phil
Spector recordings, certain Beach Boys
recordings, early Motown, etc.
– Elvis’ slap back echo at Sun Records

34. Equalization
• EQs can manipulate the timbre of any sound
recorded.
• Can also help to highlight certain instruments
• Also can help to create a crisper, clearer, more
defined sound

35. Stereo vs. Mono
• Early rock and roll was recorded in mono – all
sounds were designed to come through one
speaker. Phil Spector, original Beatles
recordings, Beach Boys, Motown, Elvis, etc.
• Stereo gave engineers the ability to assign
certain sounds, instruments, etc. to either of a
set of two speakers, thereby changing the
entire experience and creating “sonic
landscapes”

36. Mixing
• Until 1960s, pop music was recorded using a single
performance.
• With the advances in technology, multiple tracks could be
stored on tape, and bands took advantage of that.
• In recent times, DAWs (digital audio workstations) have
become the standard in most studios, like Logic Studio
(Garageband) or Pro-Tools.
• After all the tracks are recorded, the audio engineers then
“mix down” the recording, adjusting reverb, EQ, stereo
placement, volume, etc. to create the polished recordings
we are used to today
• Most bands since the 1960s have spent more time mixing
down songs than they did recording the tracks.