Introduction to Studying Rock PDF

Introduction: Studying Rock 1) ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER Rock History in the Media Familiarity with Rock Music: Studying rock music is not a new phenomenon; many fans already have some background knowledge of artists and their music. Sources of Information: Fans who haven'...

Introduction: Studying Rock 1) ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER Rock History in the Media Familiarity with Rock Music: Studying rock music is not a new phenomenon; many fans already have some background knowledge of artists and their music. Sources of Information: Fans who haven't studied rock academically typically gather historical information from various sources, including: ○ General interest publications ○ Radio broadcasts ○ Television programs ○ The Internet ○ Biographical films and documentaries. 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  ○ as fans, it is normal to ignore artists, groups, or styles we do not interest us but as students of rock music, we cannot simply ignore music we do not like The Ups and Downs of Chart Positions Popularity Insights: ○ Charts provide general insights into the popularity of a song or album at the time of its release. Comparative Analysis: ○ Charts allow for comparisons of how songs performed across different genres (pop, rhythm and blues, country) and even on British charts. Avoiding Fan Mentality: ○ Charts help maintain objectivity, preventing the "fan mentality" that may skew perceptions of an artist's success. Skepticism Among Scholars: ○ Scholars often view charts skeptically due to historical issues regarding their compilation and potential manipulation. Valuable Tool for Trends: ○ Despite their flaws, charts remain the best available tool for analyzing changing listener tastes throughout rock history. The four themes Chapter Organization: ○ Each chapter covers a three-to-ten-year period of rock history. ○ The music is organized along stylistic lines and raises interpretive issues. Insight into Music: ○ The chapters provide insights into scholarly and critical details about music and its historical context, aesthetic impact, and value. Themes Explored: ○ Four important themes are pursued throughout the book: 1. Social, Political, and Cultural Issues: Examining how rock music reflects and influences societal dynamics. 2. Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender: Investigating the intersection of these identities in the development and reception of rock music. 3. Development of the Music Business: Analyzing how the music industry evolved alongside rock music. 4. Development of Technology: Exploring how technological advancements influenced the production and distribution of rock music. Tracking and popularity arc. 2) What to listen for in rock “Rocket ‘88.’ ” Jacki Brenston and his Delta Cats, 1951 single, recorded in Memphis and produced by Sam Phillips first rock and roll song to show how the song is laid out there is a formal diagram that provides an overview of the formal design of the song or how different parts of the song fit together to create what is often a familiar pattern, these are organized into the five songs forms described in the introduction this is what is called a simple verse form: consists of a series of verses, all of which use the same underlying music, contain no chorus or bridge sections, through the verse may contain a refrain Repeats a single section eight times in verse 2, each section is labeled either ○ verse: a section that most often features new lyrics with each repetition within a song, unlike a chorus, often used to tell a story or describe a situation. In an AABA form, is the focal point of the song and may also include a refrain. In a verse-chorus form, the verse sets up the chorus which is the focus of the song  ○ instrument verse: a verse section that repeats the music of the verse, without the singing and with the instrument soloing. Guitar, saxophone, and keyboard solos are common although every instrument can solo 12 mm indicates that the section is twelve (measures (bar): count one, two, three, four, this is a measure of music and the numbers represent beats, usually having the same number of beats throughout the song) in length beats: regular puls in music, organized into measures or bars to create a meter, count in groups of four 1951: Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, "Rocket '88'"  3) TYPICAL FORMAL TYPES IN AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC The 12-Bar Blues and the Doo-Wop Progression. 12-Bar Blues Structure Definition: A common structural pattern in rock music, consisting of twelve groups of four-beat measures. Grouping: Distinctive organization into three groups of four measures. Lyric Structure: ○ The first phrase's lyrics are often repeated in the second phrase. ○ The third phrase introduces new lyrics, following a question/question repeated/answer model. Chord Arrangement Chords: Specific arrangement of chords that underlies the 12-bar blues, commonly found in 1950s rock and rhythm & blues. Repetition: Once established, the 12-measure pattern typically repeats throughout the song, with new lyrics and instrumental solos added for variation. Phrase Definition: A short passage of music, often four measures in length. Lyric Repetition: The first line in each verse is repeated in the second phrase, with the third phrase providing a concluding line. Vocal Phrasing: Corresponds to clear points of division and articulation in the sung lyrics. Rhythm: The organization of musical sounds over time. Beat: A regular rhythmic pulse. Measures: May consist of two or three beats, counted as:  ○ Duple Meter: “one two, one two” ○ Triple Meter: “one two three, one two three” Meter: The organization of beats and rhythm in music. Divisions: A single beat can be divided into two or three equal parts: ○ Duple Division: “one & two & three & four &” ○ Triple Division: “one & uh, two & uh, three & uh, four & uh” Time Signature: Indicates the organization of rhythm for a song or passage, given in parentheses next to each meter classification. Common Time Signature: Represents the most frequently used signature in written music for the corresponding meter. Shuffle Rhythm Definition: A way of playing 4/4 that resembles 12/8. Characteristics: Often silent on the second of the count, resulting in a pattern of “one (&) uh, two (&) uh, three (&) uh, four (&) uh”. Tempo Definition: The speed of the music, determined by the pace of beats in each measure. Fixed or Flexible: Tempo can be either consistent throughout a piece or adaptable to changes. Structural Properties of 12-Bar Blues Repetition: The 12-bar blues format allows for creative repetition and variation within the song structure, forming a foundation for many rock and rhythm & blues songs. Roman numbers: music theorists to identify chords within a key chords: a combination of three or more notes placed simultaneously.  Chords in any key can be organized by the scale for that key, and the Roman numerals show which note of the scale the chord is based on. If we are in C, for instance, the scale goes C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C. doo-wop progression: a structure that can form the basis for the verse, chorus, and bridge section in rock music ○ Though it can occur in many styles of pop, this chord progression is most often associated with the doo-wop of the 1950s. ○ Bridge: a section of the song that provides contrast to other, more salient sections of the same song, such as the verse of the chorus never the focal section of the song The cords“Sh-Boom”, 1954 employs a common variant of the doo-wop progression, I – vi – ii – V Elvis Presley heartbreak hotel, 1956 simple verse form reactive structures like the 12-bar blues and the doo-wop pogression often combine to form larger structural patterns a form that employs only verses AABA Form the song form most associated with mainstream pop before the birth of pop and roll when the entire AABA formed is repeated it is a full reprise and when the only part of the ABBA form returns, it is a partial reprise. Jerry lee lewis, Greater balls of fire (1958) Simple verse chorus A chorus is a section that repeats with the same music and lyrics intact in each presentation, the focus of the song  simple verse chorus: the verse and chorus sections employ the same underlying musical material though the lyrics and sung melodies of each section are different. The verses and choruses are presented in alternation, though more than one verse may occur before the chorus ○ built in the same 16-bar progression The carter Family, can the circle be broken (1935) Contrasting verse chorus the verse and the chorus employ contrasting musical material. The form consists of these contrasting verses and choruses presented in alternation, though more than one verse may occur before the chorus Verse, chorus, or bridge? rhetorical priority: if the section is the main focus of the song it has high rhetorical priority (chorus) and if a section functions mostly in the subordinate manner often introducing contrast only to make the return of the more important section sound fresh again, it has low rhetorical priority (bridge) ○ in simple verse and contrasting verse forms, the chorus has a higher rhetorical priority ○ In AABA, the verse has a higher rhetorical priority than the bridge Holly and the crickets “that I’ll be the day (1958) Billie Holiday and her Orquestra:” A Fine Romance” Abac Form American popular music before the rise of rock and roll it is similar to AABA but employs a verse (A) followed by B and then returns to verse(A) and concludes with (C that provides an overall sense of musical building ○ employs for 8 bar phrases totaling 32 bars 4) Who’s playing what instrumental in rock Beat it: drums and percussion  musical instruments used in rock music, and especially the ways these instruments are combined, are central to the myriad musical styles rhythm section: an instrument ensemble that accompanies vocal and instrumental soloists. In rock, the esse,ble commonly compromises ○ drum, the heart of the rhythm section whose role is to establish not only the tempo and meter but also the feel of each song, employs a set consisting in snare drum(sits and stand between the drummers legs), the bass drum ( played by the right foot high-hat(two cymbals that can be campled together using a stand controlled by a foot pedal) most drummers use tom-toms, those which are mounted on the bass drum are ride roms the rhythmic patterns drummers play work something lie the geras of a cock ○ kitt, electric bass, and several guitars, and keyboards may also be used 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 and or keyboards within the rhythmic section, the bassist is a kind of bridge between the rhythmic and harmonic dimensions of music The bass usually has four strings that match the bottom four strings of the guitar ○ the distance between tuning in a guitar and bass strings is what musicians call octave:( an interval of eight notes) a lower or higher version of the same note. Bass is normally tuned an octave below the guitar, allowing it to assume a lower position in the sonic space Harmony in Motion: Rhythm Guitar and keyboards while the bass usually provides a foundation for a song’s harmony within the rhythm section, the rhythm guitar fleas out the harmonic dimension by playing full chords and can be played on either acoustic or electric rhythm guitar parts complement the ass and drum parts, and these three work together to establish the harmonic and rhythmic basis for the song  has to be careful to fit his part in with the bas drm, will lock in with the snare emphasizing the snare art while filling in the training space between beats If keyboards and organs are used with the rhythmic guitar they may play the same rhythmic figure as the guitar or simply sustain chords while the guitar palsy its most rhythmic part but must careful not to conflict musically In the spotlight: lead singers and backup vocals with the rhythmic and harmonic dimensions of the piece firmly secured by the rhythmic selection, the singer focuses on the melodic dimension of the music ○ are sometimes very free with the rhythmic placement of their melody notes, which translates into a lively dialect tensión with the tightly structured grid of the rhythm section the singer's job is to create melodic interest and deliver the lyrics in convince ways Many listeners attend as closely to the lyrics as to the melody that projects them, so a vocal performer has to be sure that the words come across effectively are also accompanied by background vocals ○ may have no backup ○ accompanied by harmony vocals that follow the melody or support of echo for some part of it usually coordinated to avoid conflict between parts Steppin’ Up: Instrumental Solos. in order to create contrasts in arrangement an instrument solo is often introduced somewhere past the midpoint of the song: piano, guitar, or saxophone The rhythm section remains the same as it was during the other sections of the song, supporting the soloist Horns and strings: sweetening the sound some arrangements use horns or strings to add finishing touches to a track horn sections often consist of a combination of trumpet, trombones, and saxophones used to give the tune a little more punch strings can make the arrangements sound elegant and bigger, saved until the end, and are employed to give the end of the track or a convincing lift ○ backdrop that enhances the son without adding too much attention to itself How it all fits together: smoke on the water Deep Purple Smoke on the Water is a prime example of how rock music from the mid-1960s is organized in terms of instrumentation  ○ the track follows the contrasting verse-chorus formal pattern: after a lengthy introduction there are four verses, with a coda, rounding the tune off ○ the song begins with an electric guitar alone, playing for measure blues blues-inflected riff (not a complete melody) that is then repeated 5) In the studio: the roll of recording techniques in rock music rock repertoire is not simply a collection of songs, but a collection of specific recordings of songs Is it live or is it Memorex there are two principal approaches to thinking about what a recording represents. 1) is to think of the recording as an audio snapshot, the recording is meant to reproduce a live performance as faithfully as possible, and the listener should be unaware that a recording process is involved, should seem natural and indiscernible, and is frequently used in classical jazz and folk music 2) exploit the possibilities offered by the studio, this often creates sounds that would be impossible to recreate in a live setting, the recording studio also allows instruments to be combined in ways that would not easily work in a natural acoustic setting Reverb and Echo every space we enter has specific acoustic properties, whenever a sound is made it is the result of a series of vibrations moving through the air. Some of these vibrations reach our ears directly from the source, while others bounce around the room and reflect back to us ○ architects who design concert halls are keenly aware of this, and they devote considerable energy to determining the balance of harder and softer surfaces in a hall and how these surfaces will be angled When taking the audio snapshot approach, it is crucial to find a space with “good acoustics” it is also possible to artificially create a room sound- ambience ○ via electronic means called reverb, offer settings that reproduce the sound of small rooms, medium-sized rooms, large rooms, auditoriums of various sizes, churches, and a number of “unnatural” spaces. reverb is different from echo, in the natural world an echo occurs when sound bounces back to our ears to create two sonic images of the same event- we hear the original and then its reflection. ○ In Rock Echo is used exclusively and often on voices ○ together with reverb, echo can make the singing sound much richer and even make certain imperfections in tone or intonation ○ the most famous echo can be found in Elvis Presley's sound recordings  the more echo or reverb, the further away the sound seems to be River Deep, mountain high equalization Frequency also plays a major role in recording techniques, as equalizers, effects that change the quality of sound by increasing or decreasing certain frequencies, often used to enhance or reduce treble, midrange, or bass sounds in recordings and live performances Each note played by an instrument is called its fundamental, but along with his note, every note also subtly produces other, higher notes that hep form the none or timbre of the instrument In the process of recording instruments, an engineer has a significant amount of control over the Timbre of the recording sound, adjusting frequencies of sound is often called EQ, short for equalization. Every breath you take: stereo placement Most rock music was recorded and released in monographic sound or mono, assumed to be one-speaker for playback, and no possibility of stereo imagining- Phil sector on of the most successful producers the Beatles records that were originally released in mono. Then they went to stereo, a method of sound reproduction that produces two discrete sound signals, allowing listeners to create a sense of horizontal space. FM radio is broadcast in stereo and became a popular playback form during the late 1960’s and 70’s. ○ in music that is recorded in stereo, the engineer can control the weather the sound comes of the right or left speaker, or some combination fo the two Mixing these dimensions of recorded sound- ambiance, EQ, stereo placement, and overall volume are controlled from a mixing board ○ mixing board is controlled in two ways: first two record the sound to tape and second to play the recording back  The use of tape after World War II allowed engineers to begin experimenting with multi-track tape, creating recordings from multiple performances ○ early recording tape could store three tracks of music but as the ’60s and 70’s progressed tapes could contain four, eight, sixteen, twenty, forty-eight… as computer hardware and software have become less expensive in the last decade, more musicians have turned to digital audio workstations, a category of software that allows computers to serve as recording and editing devices for music creation, including GarageBand, ProTools, and logic Regardless of the process used to capture the sounds once all the tracks are recorded, the engineer is ready to mix down: a creative stage of recording when multiple tracks are combined into mono or stereo masters, volume levels are manipulated and effects are often added during the stage Putting it all together: Josie most sophisticated recorded sounds in rock were created by Steely Dan ○ structured according to the compound AABA form, each section is made up of smaller verse and chorus sections ○ after an angular introduction featuring the electric guitar, there are several measures vamp, usually a section of instrumental music that repeats one or two chords, often to set up the entrance of the vocals In terms of instrumentation, the track uses a fairly standard rhythm guitar, electric piano, bass, and drums The vocals are mostly solo, with some backing vocals added during both the verse and chorus sections. The stereo aspect of the record can be heard most readily in the drums: note that the snare and bass drums are in the center, the high-hat is panned right, and tom-toms and cymbals are panned both right and left 6. Viewing rock formal structure, instrumentation, and studio techniques are among the most important aspects of recorded sound Rock music became popular after World War II when images of musicians were often inextricable from sound Although an average listener often has experience with the visual aspects of rock when studying rock in an academic setting it is informative to consider the relationship between music and images Steely Dan, “Josie” Rock television variety shows presented compelling rock performances on network television ○ comedy, skits, dancing, and musical performances important variety shows: Ed Sullivan Show and the Hollywood Palace Although some might find it odd to celebrate variety show appearances, the shows are often historically valuable because they include real-time musical performances while variety shows were often marketed to adults in roime slots, teen-oriented dance programs, became extremely popular during the 1950s: shows like American Bandstand and The Arthur Murray Party both of which became nationally syndicated ○ often featured a special guest performance but most artists did not perform live mucis lip synching instead Television has also been an important forum for artists starring in musical sitcoms, beginning with The monkey in the 60’s ○ The Partridge Family was a fictional musical group, popularized during the 70s in a self-named television series, and then came fame that offered a similar musical dramatic construct that included notable elements of theatre and dance and lastly glee Rock film many rock music performances were featured in motion pictures like Rock Around the Clock and Blackboard Jungle characterized rock musicians and  fans as “hoodlums,” rock performances were increasingly common in major motion pictures only a few years later. ○ Presley's move into motion pictures helped usher rock and roll into Hollywood and during the 60s ○ It became common for low-budget teen-oriented films to feature musicians and rock performances, the most popular WAS BEACH PARTY FILM produced in 63 and 67 70 and '80s rock musicians continued to star in films ○ KISS famously starred in the cult classic KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park in 1978, a made-for-television film that is best known for its embarrassing and campy acting. concert films have also been important to the history of rock music, most important film was T.A.M.I show a feature film shot at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium that included performances by many of the most popular rock stars of the time, ranging from British invasion groups to James Brown Music videos since the advent of rock, artists have also used films as a vehicle for advancing their careers and increasing their popularity ○ Short films made to promote singles date back at least to the 1960s, although these were more a part of the European market than the American one. the promotional video later called the musical video has an extraordinary history that eventually made a massive impact on the entire popular music industry Visual and contextual aspects of nowhere to run video elements of rock, a famous performance is Martha and the Vendellas for their single Nowhere to go ○ lop linked video, features martha and the vendellas in the car factory in Detroit riding down the assembly line in a ford mustang as it is being assembled image from this footage have been associeed with motown the Vandella record company ○ from this clip, we learn several things about the connection between video and musical performances in the early rock era First, we see how the government was attuned to the power fo musical performances to inspire youth to action specific setting can enhance religious and cultural stereotypes of musical sounds we witness how a larger context of a video can be lost over time, and reconnecting those settings is valuable to the study of rock music and its history