Today we meet for a recognizable and inevitable genre!

I’ll get you in the mood.

Imagine: you go into a club, the lights are dimmed, there’s a pool table in one corner, people are sitting at tables drinking their whiskies, we’re going to avoid the cigarette smoke because it’s disgusting and smells so bad 😂 and in another corner of the room, there is this little scene with a guitarist/singer who plays this beautiful and plaintive melody.

Got it ? We’re obviously going to talk about Blues Rock !

Let’s go !

WHAT IS BLUES ROCK ?

Blues rock, if you don’t already know what it is (let’s be honest, you don’t have to be Sherlock), it’s a very marked mix between rock and blues.

Although these two are intrinsically linked (yes, sometimes I manage to put more complex words in my posts 😁), it became a genre only at the end of the 60s!

BLUES ROCK ORIGINS

Blues Rock, as explained above, is the mix of blues and rock n’ roll (which itself is already influenced by the blues. If you want to know more about it, you can find the history of rock n’ roll creation and origins right here and there!)

So, you could say that the basis of Blues Rock was already present at the beginning of the appearance of Rock n’ Roll with Elvis or Chuck Berry.

Then the British Invasion took place, and with it the development of this genre. It must be said that the majority of these groups were influenced by the blues:

• Many artists have been involved with Alexis Korner and his band the Blues Incorporated. We can name in future members of bands such as Pentangle, Free, Cream, Led Zeppelin, or The Rolling Stones

• With the success of the Rolling Stones, a whole stream of such bands will be brought to light. Among others:
  • the Bluesbreakers (created by John Mayall and where you can find Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie – Fleetwood Mac if ever for the last two),
  • the Yardbirds (or you can find Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck or Jimmy Page)
  • the Animals (House of The Rising Sun it means something to you? Well, the most famous version is them!)

It’s with all those beautiful people that will «really» start the genre.

BLUES ROCK CHARACTERISTICS

Music and instrumentation

We keep the 12-bar base and the three-chord grid of the blues, the guitars play riffs and we leave a strong place for improvisation (for example: solos). We also turn the sound up (mainly using electric guitar) and use distortion.

Singing

We use clean vocals with the growling of the blues (which is not the same as that of metal at all – which, in the theory, is not called growl but nevermind, I digress). It is a kind of rolling part of the throat that produces a rolled sound (as if one were in pain). This is also called epiglottic distortion in the singing jargon.

If you want to know more about singing in rock and metal, it’s here!

Lyrics

The themes covered are the same as blues: society’s problems, love and its problems, spirituality also at times. Everything that can be found in a blues song, is found in a blues rock song.

BLUES ROCK BANDS / ARTISTS

We can mention : The Rolling Stones, The Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, The Animals, Free, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers Band, Bad Company, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gov’t Mule, Santana, The Black Keys, The White Stripes, Joe Bonamassa, Canned Heat, Rival Sons, Beth Hart, Robin Trower, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., 4 Non Blondes, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, between so many others.

EVOLUTION

Blues Rock has had a colossal impact on ALL genres. Whether it’s the current pop, rock, hard rock or heavy metal (yes, because without hard rock and all that stuff, metal would not exist as it is today). Each style has borrowed something from the latter.

Conclusion

Blues Rock is undeniably a key rock genre! It’s rooted in the very place where it found its inspiration.

It has also been important in the evolution of so many other genres. It’s a must !

So, without further ado, I invite you to listen to the dedicated playlist below.

Feel free to share and like the article if you liked it!

I also remind you that if you want to discover all the caricatures/ drawings of artists on the blog you can access them right here!

See you soon !

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Sources :

Une Histoire musicale du Rock – Christophe Pirenne

Histoire du Rock – Denis Legault – 21/11/21 : https://histoiredurock.com/2021/11/21/le-blues-rock/

Chronique Rock – L’histoire fascinante du blues rock et son influence sur la musique moderne- 5/10/24 : https://chroniquesrock.fr/histoire-du-rock/lhistoire-fascinante-du-blues-rock-et-son-influence-sur-la-musique-moderne/

Medium.com – Exploring The History of Blues Rock: A Journey Through the Genre’s Roots (Part 2) – Ana Speaks – 23/01/23 : https://medium.com/@anaspeaks/exploring-the-history-of-blues-rock-a-journey-through-the-genres-roots-part-2-4797ed177cd1

Claire Abe

The post Blues rock : Back to the roots appeared first on Rock N' Roll World.

Let’s go right now.

WHAT IS GRUNGE?

Grunge is a musical genre that appeared in the USA in 1985 and became popular in the early 1990s. The grunge scene is mainly in the vicinity of Seattle and Olympia (not the Olympia in Paris (France), but the city of Olympia in Washington). This genre, counterculture, is closely associated with:

• A “mother” band: Nirvana. Grunge became popular with their album Nevermind.

• The independent label Sub Pop created by developer Jonathan Poneman and journalist Bruce Pavitt.
• Generation X. That is the generation that grew up in the late 1980s, early 1990s. The gender will become the expression of the anxieties and anger of the youth of the time. The latter, living in an economically depressed period, have a rather pessimistic and defeatist vision of the future.

Grunge then becomes more than music, it is also a way of life and a philosophy linked to generation X.

In addition, grunge will revive this «rivalry» between the USA and England. The style will be in «competition» with English Gothic rock. The latter have the same root: punk.

GRUNGE ORIGINS

The genre comes directly from the underground. He is one of the genres derived from alternative rock and draws his inspiration from heavy metal, indie rock, hardcore punk, blues rock, garage bands and pop rock.

Mark Arm (singer of Green River and Mudhoney) is considered the first to use this term to describe this style of music. He will later state, that the use of the term «grunge» was already common in Australia to qualify groups like King Snake Roost, The Scientists, Beast of Bourbon, etc. It was later taken over by one of the creators of the Sub Pop label to define the music of Green River precisely.

The term “grunge” comes from “grungy” which means “dirty”. It can also refer to fungi between the toes (bon appétit!).

GRUNGE CHARACTERISTICS / FEATURES

Grunge is a mixture of melancholy, pessimism, disenchantment, and savagery. We sail between energy and despair.

Counterculture:

Grunge is a sleek kind of genre. When I say sleek, I mean there are much fewer frills. It’s rawer. It opposes all that’s represented by glam rock and glam metal, very popular at this period.

Music and instrumentation:

We can hear very saturated guitars with the use of fuzz, the Larsen effect, and the wha-wah pedal. However, grunge guitarists are considered antiheroes.

Virtuosity (shred) is no longer present in the music. If there’s a solo, it’s only to serve the music. In addition, some guitarists are not interested in mastering, even more, their instrument. Grunge is known for «killing guitar solos».

We also note the use of alternative tuning (Drop D, Open E, E minor, etc.)

The structure of the songs is relatively simple. As for the melody, there are regular changes in nuances within it.

For me, grunge is more about the messages and emotions to convey than about the music itself. Music is just a medium for messages.

Band’s formation :

A grunge band generally consists of:

• The singer,
• A guitarist (who can also be the singer),
• The bass player,
• A drummer.

Lyrics :

We can mention the themes of depression, drug use, ecology, or “anti-social” lyrics. The themes are the expression of the anxieties and anger of the young people at the time. The bands are the spokespersons of generation X.

Production :

The production of grunge works is minimalist. It goes back to a less digitized sound, less worked, and more «conservative».

GRUNGE BANDS / ARTISTS

In the grunge bands, we can mention Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Alice In Chains, Melvins, Stone Temple Pilots, Hole, L7, Temple of The Dog et Green River, among others.

GRUNGE LIFESTYLE

The philosophy of the young people of this period is “I don’t care about anything” (being polite). Some will say that it is felt in their everyday looks. However, it must be remembered, the economy is going badly (as a little in all decades).

The grunge style that we define as a “I don’t care” kind of style, well, depends on what young people can afford at the time. And when I say afford, I mean buy, recycle, mend, etc.

In fact, the style and lifestyle of grunge is the reality of these young people at the time. They had almost nothing, managed to live, and expressed their emotions thanks to this music.

However, with the success of the style, the fashion industry and other marketing companies took over the imagery of grunge.

In addition, we talk about counter-culture because grunge, is opposed to the theatricality, the somewhat macho spirit, and the dress code of glam rock and metal.

EVOLUTION

Of course, the death of Kurt Cobain was a trigger for the gender decline. Subsequently, several groups split up and grunge gradually withers away. However, some bands of the movement continue to produce albums and tour around the world.

In addition, other bands heavily influenced by the genre will be categorized post-grunge like Foo Fighters (with Dave Grohl – former drummer of Nirvana), Seether, Puddle Of Mudd, Creed or Nickelback.

Conclusion

Grunge represented the state of mind and reality of the young adults of the time. Mix of desperation and anger, rock and metal. This style may not have lasted long in time, but it has left its mark on memories and music forever.

You can now find the playlist dedicated to the article just below

And feel free to share a maximum or leave a comment.

Also, you can see all the drawings / caricatures right here !

See you soon !

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Sources :

Une histoire musicale du rock – Christophe Pirenne

Cadence info – La musique grunge et son histoire , un style éphémère des années 80 : https://www.cadenceinfo.com/la-musique-grunge-et-son-histoire.htm

Larousse – grunge (encyclopédie) : https://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/divers/grunge/46796

Wikipédia

Comme un camion – le style grunge : histoire, tips et pièces incontournables : https://www.commeuncamion.com/2022/07/23/le-style-grunge-histoire-tips-et-pieces-incontournables/

Claire Abe

The post Grunge : the dirty energetic music appeared first on Rock N' Roll World.

Let’s dig to discover this underground genre!

What is alternative rock ?

It’s a movement that emerged in the 1980s that comes directly from the underground field. It will be very popular in the 1990s.

If you don’t know, “underground” means all forms of art made outside of ordinary commercial circuits.

The alternative term is used to describe bands inspired by punk (and its derivatives), which are under contract with independent labels and rejecting the mainstream. (It is like, we are not bought, we do not want to do the shit you want! It’s a bit of the mindset. You add in the rebellion of punk and here we are)

It’s a movement that has several subgenres, including:

• Grunge,
• Independent rock,
• Britpop,
• Gothic rock,
• Independent pop,
• And shoegaze.

Origins of Alternative rock

Alternative rock, initially, refers to any form of underground music that has appeared as a result of the punk movement. He is influenced by the latter, the garage band and the new wave.

In addition, we can consider that some bands of it are garage bands. These are young people who gather around their love for music in their garages or other places where they can practice their art.

At the same time, some subcategories are also inspired by other musical styles such as folk music, reggae, electronic music or jazz.

But one band can be considered the founder of the genre: Hüsker Dü

Coming from punk – hardcore punk, they paved the way for all the big names of alternative rock in the 90s. With their albums Metal Circus or Zen Arcade, they will influence bands such as Nirvana, the Pixies, Dinosaur J., Sonic Youth, Green Day, Foo Fighters and more.

Thanks to Hüsker Dü:

• We start talking about rather morbid facts in the songs, instead of just talking about politics. Especially with their song Diane, where they recount the murder of Diane Edwards (true fact) from the point of view of the murderer.
• They played a major role in convincing the underground scene that melody and punk rock were not opposed.
• It’s one of the first bands in the underground scene to give credit to university stations and to sign with a major (Warner Bross).

Alternative rock characteristics

Diffusion

Alternative metal is defined with the rejection of commercial success in popular culture. Although a few were successful, at first, alternative rock bands were all underground. They performed in small clubs and were broadcast on university radio. The latter were very important in their dissemination role. Moreover, these radio stations gained credibility when they broadcast bands that later became famous.

Their popularity also depended on word of mouth.

All of this changed with the signing of some bands in majors as well as the worldwide success of grunge which will allow different alternative rock bands to be successful. Moreover, some will consider the end of alternative rock at this very moment, when this genre becomes popular.

Bands

We generally find:

• A guitarist,
• The bass player,
• A drummer,
• And a singer.

In addition, bands include the presence of women, usually on bass and/or singing. Although the majority remains male.

Production

It’s simplified to the maximum. There is a rejection of digitization and a return to a more «raw sound».

Lyrics

We can hear lyrics about drug use, depression, or ecology. All these themes aim to respond to the social tensions of the time.

Alternative rock bands

We can mention : REM, the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More, Pavement, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, Jane’s Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Go-Between, Muse, Radiohead, U2, Placebo, The Cure..

EVOLUTION

Several events should be noted for this part:

On the one hand, the genre began to die out for some during its popularization.

On the other:

• The death of Kurt Cobain in April 1994

• The trial between Pearl Jam and TicketMaster: The group found that the tickets were too expensive, but the latter having a monopoly on the larger venues, Pearl Jam had to bow.

• The cancellation of the Loolapalooza festival in 1998, for lack of headliners.

However, a resurgence of the genre appeared in the 2000s with influenced bands or «heirs» of alternative rock such as Whites Stripes, The Killers, Linkin Park, Modest Mouse or Franz Ferdinand.

In addition, from alternative rock, alternative metal and all its derivatives developed and continue to exist to this day!

Conclusion

A parent genre to many others, as popular as he is, alternative rock has helped shape current music.

Although its popularity is the beginning of the end for some people, I personally find that its popularity has proven the creativity and talent of underground artists compared to mainstream ones. Be careful, I’m not saying that mainstream artists don’t have talent.

If you want a taste of alternative rock, you can listen to the dedicated playlist right here.

In the meantime, feel free to share the article as much as possible.

Also, you can see all the drawings / caricatures right here !

See you soon !

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Hey there ! Today we meet for a recognizable and inevitable genre! I’ll get you in the mood. Imagine…

Sources :

Larousse : https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/underground/80529

Une histoire Musicale du Rock – Christophe Pirenne

Histoire du rock – alternative rock : https://histoiredurock.fr.gd/Alternative-Rock.htm

Trash talk – Hüsker Dü and the Birth of Alternative Rock : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjbGAX72JYw

Claire Abe

The post Alternative rock, from darkness to light appeared first on Rock N' Roll World.

Loved or hated, hard rock marks a turning point in rock music.

Let’s discover together its history and what composes it!

What’s hard rock ?

If we look at Collin’s dictionary, it says: “Hard rock is a type of very loud rock music with a fast beat.”

Let’s dive a little deeper than that.

Hard rock is a style of rock that appeared in the middle of the 60s. It comes after the psychedelic rock movement, flower power, etc.

Bands, tired of these musical genres, began to look for a more powerful and heavy sound. Sound that, until that time, was unprecedented.

The origins

Hard Rock draws its roots from:

Blues and Blues rock musics

Blues-rock was imported by the artists who were part of the British invasion. The latter contributed to its dissemination to the white population with covers of Howlin’ Wolf or Muddy Waters. It was then taken over and tamed by Power Trio (group of 3 people) and garages bands.

We can mention as groups of the British invasion: the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, the Faces, the Kinks, or the Beatles.

In addition, the blues impregnated by jazz and rock n’roll by Jimi Hendrix will greatly influence hard rock.

Rock n’ Roll

If you want to know more about it, you can read this post.

African-American elements

Runs-in with the devil of Robert Johnson and Howlin’ Wolf opened the doors of Satanism. (Or at least stories with the devil. Because, a small reminder for those who do not know, but all rockers and metalheads are not satanists. But this is another debate…).

With his stage performances (screaming and gestures), James Brown uninhibited generations of white singers. Extroverted postures, moans and screams become essential elements of a performance.

Baroque music

It is important to note the beginning of the link between (hard) rock and baroque writing music techniques.
Now some of you will say that I have completely lost my mind. But no!

The Highway Star solo from Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple) is a perfect example.

It contains a majority of ingredients specific to Bach’s music:

• Repetition of melodic figures (in this case they are arpeggios),
• Very square sentence structure,
• The virtuoso approach of the instrument,
• Typical harmonic progression.

The main rules of hard rock

The riff

It’s generally composed of “power chords” and is influenced by the early rock n’ roll. The novelty comes from the use of chords in sharp (increased) and flat (decreased). These allow to create more complex harmonic progressions.

A riff that alone represents hard rock is Smoke On The Water from Deep Purple. Simple, unforgettable, powerful. With its syncopated passages, it will form the basis of thousands of songs of this kind.

Rhythmic

The hard rock takes back the bases of the rock n’roll of the beginnings, namely a rhythm in 4/4 with the 2nd and 4th beats scored. But from now on, the beating of drummers is much heavier! This gives rise to a particular pulsation, prompting us to shake our heads. This is the famous “headbanging”.

It is also possible to hear shuffle beats from blues rock on occasion.
The blues rhythm or «shuffle» is a division into 3 parts from which we would have skipped the 2nd beat. This gives a “shuffling” effect to the melody.

THE best rhythm that describes hard rock is Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll (played by John Bonham). The latter hammers all the time: the 1st and 3rd at the bass drum and the 2nd and 4th at the snare drum. It’s heavy, strong, and visually impressive.

Bonham becomes the archetype of the hard rock drummer: banging his drums, drenched in sweat, and completely in his music.

The omnipresence of distortion

Distortion is the transformation/distortion of the sound between the moment it’s emitted by the instrument and its diffusion by the speakers.

One of the very first ways to produce saturation is to maximize the amp.

In 1958, Link Wray introduced the distortion pedal. However, experiments by guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Dave Davies (Kinks), Pete Townshend (Who), Eric Clapton (Cream) or Jeff Beck (Yardbirds), as well as technological advances, pave the way for new methods (including phasing, feedback, and distortion).  One of them is the fuzz pedal. Marketed in the mid-1960s, it offers better control. You just have to insert it between the instrument and the amp.

Sound saturation creates two main effects:

The harmonic stability

It comes from the fact that the distortion extends the sonorities of the guitar as much in the bass as in the treble. The high-pitched harmonics add brilliance to the sound and the low-pitched tones create sounds below the usual range of the instrument. Which makes hard rock one of the MOST STABLE music, harmonically speaking!! Hell yeah, in your face haters!

Sustain

It’s the ability to maintain sound. When a note is pinched on the acoustic or electric guitar without saturation, it declines rapidly. With a strongly distorted signal, the sound is compressed and forms a kind of loop that can be maintained indefinitely.

Hard rock and then heavy metal will change the quality of the distortion. From parasite, it becomes synonymous with strength and power.

Lyrics

They talk about themes that are found in the blues. That is to say, broken loves, loneliness, drugs, alcohol, women, and even sex with much innuendo.

It should be noted that many groups have been accused of misogyny. (Well on this level, we can see that, at the moment, misogyny is found a little in all styles of music).

Group formations

Hard rock will as much triumph thanks to:

Power trio

With bands like Cream, Grand Funk Railroad, Mountain or Rush.

Quatuors

With Led Zeppelin, or Black Sabbath for example.

Quintets (with keyboard)

We can mention here, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Steppenwolf or MC5

Hard rock has continued to develop. In the 70s, alongside the aforementioned bands, a second wave of hard rock artists such as Judas Priest, UFO, Thin Lizzy, and Scorpions were added.

However, this second wave is also considering itself in the HEAVY METAL category.

In the next post, we will see what this genre is, whose border with hard rock is very fine, but still present.

In the meantime, you can listen to the playlist dedicated to this post right here. And feel free to share it if you like it, or if it might interest someone you know.

Here are caricatures of artists belonging to this Hard Rock

Also, you can see all the drawings / caricatures right here !

See you soon !

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Posted on April 25, 2025 by Claire Abe

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Posted on February 28, 2025 by Claire Abe

Hey ! Today, we meet to discuss a topic that I find very interesting: What makes a good rock/metal s…

Uncategorized

Blues rock : Back to the roots

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Claire Abe

Hey there ! Today we meet for a recognizable and inevitable genre! I’ll get you in the mood. Imagine…

Sources :

Une Histoire musicale du rock – Christophe Pirenne

Histoire du Rock : https://histoiredurock.fr.gd/Hard_Rock.htm

La (petite) histoire du Rock #4 : Le Hard Rock et le Heavy Metal – Raff de HGuitare – Hguitare https://www.hguitare.com/communaute/blog/conseils/histoire-du-rock-hard-rock-heavy-metal

Histoire du Hard Rock, l’arrivée d’une musique lourde et saturée – Dominique Mesmin – Cadence Info: https://www.cadenceinfo.com/le-hard-rock-histoire-et-evolution.htm

C’est quoi un shuffle ? Le rythme du blues expliqué aux débutants – Alexis – Guitar School Garden : https://guitarschoolgarden.fr/techniques/shuffle-blues-debutant/

Apprendre le solfège – Binaire et ternaire (temps): https://www.apprendrelesolfege.com/binaire-et-ternaire

Collins Dictionary: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/hard-rock

Claire Abe

The post Hard rock: Everything you need to know about it appeared first on Rock N' Roll World.

Last time, we saw that from the creation of rock’n’roll there were 4 different genres.

We already discussed the characteristics of mainstream rock n’roll and rockabilly in the article right here. Today it’s the turn of the last two genres: soft rock and doo-wop!

So let’s dive in!

Soft rock music

If rockabilly has caused controversy over its authenticity, soft rock represents the UNACCEPTABLE at the time.

That rock music – which is rebellion music – could be soft is simply unthinkable and impossible. Many consider it either as not composable, or as a sham, or both at the same time.

Soft rock music characteristics

Characteristics are :

• Use of slow tempos, even boring,
• The absence of marked backbeats,
• An almost exclusive focus on the search for «beautiful» melodies,
• Frequent recourse to ternary rhythms (pulsation probed in 3 notes of equal duration)
  E.g : I Want You, I Need You, I Love You – Elvis Presley
         Love Letter In The Sand – Pat Boone

• Use of 4 successive chords in a loop.

However, some can have the features of rock music like:

• Some have a faster tempo.
  In example, Wonderful Time Up There of Pat Boone. This song has a tempo of 185 beats per minute with a very slight accent on the backbeats.
• Many «beautiful» melodies have blue notes in them,
• They also contain ways of singing directly from rhythm and blues (falsettos, onomatopoeias, etc.). As well as a timbre that anchors even more firmly soft rock in rock n’roll music.

Other characteristics, this time concerning the production of soft rock music, are present as:

• An Italian-American influence in certain aspects of music (even if we can say that all Euro-American influences are at equal levels). Besides, many figures in soft rock are Italian-American.
  Example : Frankie Avalon (Francis Avalon), Bobby Darin (Walden Robert Cassotto) or Connie Francis (Concetta Franconero). All have Americanized their names by retaining some of their cultural references.
• Its geographical anchorage: a large part of the artists of this kind come from the northeast of the USA. And especially in Philadelphia where there are 3 independent firms named Chancellor Records, Cameo and Swan.

Soft rock complementary to mainstream rock n’roll?

Yes! Soft rock music is a natural and necessary complement to the existence of rock n’roll mainstream music.

First, you have to know that the different genres of rock are also styles of dance! For some teenagers of the time, it was one of its main attractions. And whether it was at any party, it seemed essential to balance the “hard and fast” music with the slower and softer ones. And this is for two reasons:

1. For a physical reason: dancing on a tempo of 180 (and more) for hours requires good physical ability. (Personally, I love to dance, but in these conditions, I pass my turn, thanks!)
2. For more sentimental reasons: teenagers love slows. It allows them to approach the “target” they squint at – more or less discreetly – for a few minutes (or hours) and to try to kiss her (or him).

Soft rock was such a necessity that many rockers got into it. We can give, as example, Love Me Tender from Elvis.

However, while some occasionally recorded soft rock titles, others specialized in the field, including Paul Anka and Pat Boone.

Pat Boone has, moreover, had successes by covering rock n’roll mainstream hits and making them discovered to his audience. He served as a bridge between mainstream rock music (a musical genre that was forbidden to listen to by parents) and the teenagers and young adults of the time.

Doo-Wop music

The latter is a derivative of rhythm and blues and rock n’roll.

It’s the soft rock of African-Americans if I can call it that way, except it’s been around for a longer period of time.

This genre has existed since the late 1940s, but it will only be named many years later (like 40 years later, which is rare!). And again, it’s a term that was used earlier to define white rock’n’roll bands from the late 1960s.
When the term Doo-Wop is fixed in the 80s, it designates a vocal repertoire produced in the 40s-50s by predominantly black groups and almost always composed of men. (I will avoid making a comment on this last point)

Moreover, doo-wop refers to onomatopoeias sung by the choirs. The « shabada bada », « sha-na-na-na-na » or else « doo-be-doo-be-doo” or « doo-wop ». We could say that they really sprang to find the name of the genre…

Its roots come from the so-called barbershop harmonies (a practice dating back to the second half of the 19th century). Barber shops were the overall rallying point for a capella using harmonies in quinte, quarte and third.

Two bands were successful in the 1930s and 1940s with this kind of music: The Mills Brothers and The Ink Spots. They will influence doo-wop groups and surf groups that will then appear, especially with their use of close harmony.

Other links are to be added to complete the doo-wop:

• Gospel: for the dramatic aspect of interpretations
• Rhythm and blues: for rhythm and instruments.
• Soft rock: for soft tones, moderate or slow times and the same time cutting.

The idea of Doo-Wop is to strengthen the solo vocals with vocal harmonies and syncopated choruses.

Those groups are often nicknamed « bird groups », « car groups » or « V groups ». These groups often baptize them with birds names, car names, and it can also be seen that many groups have a name starting with a V.

We can mention : The Crows, The Ravens, The Penguins, The Falcons, The Wrens, The Cadillacs, The Lincolns, The Imperials, The Impalas, The Valentines, The Veltones, The Velons or The Velvetones.

Features of the doo-wop

Features are :

• The multitude of records without geographical anchorage,
• The presence of onomatopoeia (but I think you already suspected it),
• Romantic and cheesy lyrics,
• Beautiful harmonies,

Another characteristic of the genre is the choreography. The singers in suits/ties line up and dance in coordination with small leg movements, arm movements, head movements, and even a little hip swing.

Even if we don’t usually remember their names, two bands are emblematic of the doo-wop genre and have most of the above-mentioned characteristics: The Coasters and The Platters (and there’s a girl in this last band!).

The group The Drifters can also be named as an example of which Clyde McPhatter (founder) and Ben E King were singers.

You now know the first 4 genres of rock n’roll present since the 50s. These genres will evolve and continue to make other genres to create the sounds we hear today.

Now you have all the cards in your hands. Tell me if you are more of a rock n’roll mainstream, rockabilly, soft rock or doo-wop?

We are coming to the end of this post. You can find the playlist dedicated to this one right here! Also, feel free to share if you liked it or if you think it could interest someone you know.

Also, you can see all the drawings / caricatures right here !

See you soon !

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Sources :

La noire, la blanche et la ronde – Les figures musicales – Apprends les rythmes – Cours de musique : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxU1g4w7Jvshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxU1g4w7Jvs

Une histoire musicale du Rock – Christophe Pirenne

Wikipedia

Bookwiki – encyclopédie libre : https://boowiki.info/art/doo-wop-2/doo-wop-4.html

Claire Abe

The post The early genres of rock: part 2 appeared first on Rock N' Roll World.

However, this diversity of genres goes back to the creation of rock n’ roll. We’ll see about that right away.

First, rock n’ roll appeared in the 1950s. If you haven’t read the post about rock music’s creation and its creators, I put the link here. But as soon as it appears, we can see that there are 4 different kinds of rock!

Let’s see the characteristics of each of them in 2 posts (I take care of our brains ;))

Mainstream Rock n’Roll

Mainstream rock n’roll refers to the rock n’roll we hear on the radio. Its characteristics are:

The dominant influence of Black music.

Almost everything in this style brings us back to Rhythm and Blues. The most direct link is formal and harmonic.

–What’d I Say : Ray Charles

– Whole Lotta Shaking Going On: Jerry Lee Lewis

– Ain’t That A Shame: Fats Domino

– Rock Around The Clock et Shake, Rattle and Roll: Bill Haley

– Johnny B. Goode: Chuck Berry

– Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock et I Got Stung: Elvis Presley

– Tutti Frutti, Lucille et Good Golly Miss Molly: Little Richard

It is a non-exhaustive list of examples of blues whose initial form was not always respected. Whether it’s the measurements or the construction of the songs.

The accompaniment is often played on the double bass

This is one of the most emblematic elements. Its main characteristic is to be more melodic and to play a more active role in rock n’roll and blues than in variety and country and western.

A fast tempo

Even very fast. It’s possible that a song has a black pulse far greater than 180.

For those whose musical notions are very distant, if not zero, a black equals a time.

Treatment of accentuation is different

In popular music, on 4 bars, the 1st and 3rd beats are generally more pronounced than the 2nd and 4th. In many rock songs, the usual approach is reversed. This would be one of the reasons for the attraction for rock music.

Vocal performances inspired by Rhythm and Blues as well

Part of the rock reputation comes from the name given to singers: shouters. The latter are more used to spit their words than to singing. This practice will become established in rock. A typical example is Little Richard.

Others simply change their tone of voice to make it harder and/or rougher. However, the majority of rock singers sing like those of variety.

Also, sometimes in songs, when the singer doesn’t sing/shout:

• Either a soloist takes over with his instrument,
• Either the choirs sing/shout in response to the latter.

This practice refers us, once again, to the African-American practices of work songs, blues, and jazz.

Nevertheless, mainstream rock n’ roll (and all forms of rock after it) is much more than music. They are also texts, attitudes, clothes, hair trends, and so on.

Lyrics

If you look at the lyrics of rock n’ roll, there is nothing revolutionary. Most of them talk about love. It’s the sonorities and the turn of the texts that mark.

Gender doesn’t get worked up, teach lessons or wish to deliver a coherent message. They claim that love, friendship, and other entertainment are the priority of teenagers.

This observation is surprising when we know that the majority of rockers come from difficult social backgrounds and that their biographies testify to the dysfunctions of the USA at the time (segregation, poor white trash).

They have no demanding messages, but a desire to touch the hearts and guts of young people.

Rockabilly

Rockabilly is a portmanteau word for rock and hillbilly. The latter designates traditional white music (or the stereotype of the uneducated peasant attached to his land, but we will stay on the first option).

Some set his “date of birth” at the time of Elvis’s release of that’s All Right Mama in 1954.

It is also, originally, the work of small independent labels such as Sun Records. But other labels will mark its existence like Meteor Records, King Records, CBS or Chess Records.

The big difference between mainstream rock n’roll and rockabilly is the dosage of country and western music in them.

Its characteristics are complicated to define like that. It’s by comparing it to mainstream rock n’roll that it is easier to spot its features.

More restraint

Rockabilly is more in restraint. There are fewer raw sounds, savagery, and abruptness.

Processing of backbeats

There is also less emphasis on the backbeats (2nd and 4th beats of a measure). This will be worth the first controversy in the field of rock between authenticity and trade.

We find, in rockabilly, a majority of white people from the south of the USA who work in the same studios and with the same musicians as the stars of rock n’roll mainstream. More than that, some will oscillate between the two genders. Examples include Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Bill Haley.

Other features of rockabilly are:

Lyrics

They refer to the recurring themes of the time, that is to say: cars and sentimental relationships.

The construction of melodies

Songs often follow patterns in 8 or 16 bars directly inheriting the country and western.

Here are examples:

• Peggy Sue, Not Fade Away and That’ll Be The Day: Buddy Holly
• Wake Up, Little Susie and Bye Bye Love: Everly Brothers
• Susie Q.: Dale Hawkins
• Great Balls On Fire: Jerry Lee Lewis

The occasional use of the blues form

We can sometimes see the presence of the blues form in the melodies. However, it does not give this style to the song.

For example :

• Oh boy !: Buddy Holly
• Bird Dog: Everly Brothers
• Be-Bop-a-Lula: Gene Vincent

The bass line

The latter is much more influenced by country and western than rhythm and blues.

Instrumentation very similar to Rhythm and Blues

However, with some changes:

• A saxophone that “screams less”
• More frequent use of acoustic guitar and double bass. The latter is played in a “slapped” way. (that is to say, pulling the rope to hit the key. This produces a more percussive sound.)
• Melodies are sung with a natural voice and in an understandable way.

Rockabilly became an acceptable alternative to the rock n’ roll mainstream.

Especially as the rockabilly singers often seem more reasonable than their “savages” colleague screaming their rock n’roll. Moreover, most have an ideal son-in-law look that works best with parents.

We just discovered what the rock n’roll mainstream and rockabilly genres were. Next time, we will see the 2 other genres that existed from the beginning of rock.

Now, if you had to choose, would you be more team rock n’roll mainstream or rockabilly?

That’s for now! You can listen to the artists and songs mentioned in the article in the playlist right here. And feel free to share if you liked it or if you think it could interest someone you know.

Also, you can see all the drawings / caricatures right here !

See you soon !

Uncategorized

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Posted on April 25, 2025 by Claire Abe

Hey ! We meet today to talk about a genre that marked a turning point in the world of metal when it …

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Posted on February 28, 2025 by Claire Abe

Hey ! Today, we meet to discuss a topic that I find very interesting: What makes a good rock/metal s…

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Blues rock : Back to the roots

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Claire Abe

Hey there ! Today we meet for a recognizable and inevitable genre! I’ll get you in the mood. Imagine…

Sources :

Une histoire musicale du rock de Christophe Pirenne

Wikipédia

Musical Notation – Learning Music for Kids – The quarter note, the half note and the whole note – Smile and Learn : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y46FuaUMtBw

Artiste Audio :https://artisteaudio.fr/histoire-du-rockabilly/

Claire Abe

The post The first genres of rock music: part 1 appeared first on Rock N' Roll World.