This is a brief analysis of the rock music genre.

1. ROCK
Artists
History
Conventional Features Evidence of Hybridisation
Examples include The Beatles, David
Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Who,
Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Black
Sabbath, Beach Boys, Aerosmith,
Guns N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones
and AC/DC
Originatingin1950s America,Rockmusic
became a populargenre thatdevelopedinto
differentstylesinbothparticularlythe USA and
UK.
‘Rock andRoll’itself isheavilyinfluencedby
blues,rhythmandbluesandcountrymusic.
Thisform of expressioninspiredyouths,
particularlywhite, butangeredadultsas
theywere usedtomore mellowformssuch
as the style of Frank Sinatra. Thiswould
thenbegintoexpandin1960’s with‘a
change in rock music’;thusexpandingthe
definitionof rock.
Traditionally,the soundof rockis built
aroundan electricguitaras it was
influencedbythe soundof electricblues
guitarists.Anelectricbassguitaristhen
usedas support,pioneeringfromjazz
musicand percussionproducedadrumkit
whichcombineddrumsandcymbals.
The basic rock instrumentationwas
adaptedfromthe bluesband
instrumentation,withalead
guitarist,secondchoral instrument,
bass anddrums.The term‘rock
band’ consistsbetweena‘power
trio’or five members.
Rock lyricshave beenknownto
deal withthemesrangingfromlove,
sex,social concernsandrebellious
attitudes.The genre itself hasbeen
recognisedas a white,youngand
male dominatedstyle.
Hybridisationreferstothe convergence of types
of mediaproducts. Inthiscase thisrelatestoa
varietyof sub-genresinrelationtorocksuch as
SoftRock, ChristianRockand JazzRock.
GlamRock – Thisemergedfromthe English
psychedelicandart rock scenesof the 1960s.
Visuallythiswasameshof variousglamour
stylesof outrageousclothes,makeup,
hairstylesandplatform-soledboots.Besideits
use of theatrics,glamwasnotedforitssexual
and genderambiguity.Examplesinclude David
Bowie.
Punk Rock – Developedinthe USA andUK
between1974-6, artistscreatedfast,hard-edged
musicwithtypicallyshortsongsandstripped-
downinstrumentation.Lyricsusuallyfocuson
political andanti-establishmentissuesand
overall embrace aDIY ethic;producingtheirown
recordingsanddistributingthemthrough
informal channels.Examplesinclude the Sex
Pistolsandthe Clash.
Jimi Hendrix – IconicAmerican
rock guitarist,singerand
songwriterJimi Hendrix.His
mainstreamcareerspannedfour
yearsbut isstill regardedasthe
mostinfluential electricguitarists
inhistory.
Bon Jovi – Formedin1983, thisAmericanrock
band,consistingof leadsingerJonBonJovi,
pianistDavidBryan,drummerTicoTorres,
guitaristPhil XandbassistHighMcDonald. Their
line-uphasremainedstaticthroughouttheirtime
and have become one of the world’sbest-selling
bandsof all time.