🤘🏼 Rock Music Guide 🤘🏼
▶︎What Is Rock Music? 🎸
Driving, intense, energetic, and almost always loud, rock music was
the most popular form of music for decades before hip-hop went
mainstream. Dominating the airwaves for nearly 50 years, rock spawned
dozens of sub-genres – everything from intricate, lyrical folk-rock to
the most brutal forms of extreme death metal. It’s played in small
bars and sold-out arenas, garages and concert halls, and has made its
mark all over the world.
Because its subgenres are so diverse, rock is defined more by its
overall aesthetic than any specific musical features (though, as we’ll
explore in the next section, nearly all subgenres use electric
guitars). Rock is about electrifying energy, especially the youthful,
rebellious energy of its founders. Over the years, generations of
musicians have found their own ways of capturing that energy, but the
same spirit inspires them all.
▶︎4 Popular Subgenres of Rock Music
✦ Rock 'n' Roll
The emergence of rock ‘n’ roll is often associated with youth revolt
and rejection of social norms and gender discrimination. Rock ‘n’ roll
songs are full of energy, have catchy melodies, and usually integrate
elements from other music genres, like country and R&B.
Rock ‘n’ roll is one of the earliest subgenres of rock music,
spreading throughout the late 1940s to early 1950s in the United
States. AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones are some of the
rock ‘n’ roll giants that heavily contributed to its development.
The early works of rock’n’roll music typically used the saxophone or
piano as the lead instrument. However, later on, these instruments
were either replaced or used alongside the guitar.
✦ Indie Rock
Indie rock is all about using simple instruments and a clear melody.
This type of rock music emerged in the 70s-80s period in the United
Kingdom and the United States. The whole point of indie rock was to
combat the heavy commercialism of rock music.
The term “indie music” may refer to either independent artists or
those within the indie rock genres. The term can be sometimes
misunderstood, many artists fit into both categories. They are
different but not mutually exclusive!
Some of the most popular indie rock bands include Arctic Monkeys, Yeah
Yeah Yeahs, Kaiser Chiefs, and The Killers.
✦ Alternative Rock
Alternative rock had its breakthrough in the 80s as, you guessed it,
an alternative to rock as people knew it at the time. The subgenre has
many of the characteristics of classic rock, in addition to elements
from other rock subgenres or even totally unrelated genres like
hip-hop.
Alternative rock is defined by edgy lyrics and experimental use of
instrumentation. However, the subgenre remains loosely defined, to the
point that it’s used to refer to any music that sounds “similar to
rock ‘n’ roll”.
Some of the most popular alternative rock bands include Nirvana, Red
Hot Chili Peppers, and Sonic Youth.
✦ Progressive Rock
Progressive rock is an experimentation-driven subgenre of rock that
emphasizes musical virtuosity, wild compositions, and conceptual
lyrics. The subgenre first gained popularity back in the late 1960s
with the formation of bands like Pink Floyd, Rush, and Dream Theatre.
This type of rock music is characterized by odd time signatures and
long songs. Progressive rock bands also like to utilize complex
compositions and instrumentations.
