Chapter 1: Antecedents of Rock and Roll

Question 1

Ragtime

Answer 1

• piano genre
• name refers to the “ragged” time syncopations in the RH
• AABBCCDD
• influenced by John Philip Sousa

Question 2

Stride

Answer 2

• what ragtime evolved into
• similar pianistic practices + improvisation
• Thomas “Fats” Waller (1904-1943)

Question 3

American Folk Music/Popular Music

Answer 3

• Stephen Foster (1826-1864)

- minstrel shows

Question 4

Tin Pan Alley/The Great American Songbook

Answer 4

• Cole Porter (1891-1964): “Night and Day”
• George Gershwin (1900-1939): “Summertime” (this song was sampled in Sublime’s song)
• Irving Berlin (1888-1989): “Blue Skies”

Question 5

New Orleans Jazz

Answer 5

• “hot” band influenced by gospel, blues, West African rhythms
• front line = trumpet, clarinet, trombone
• rhythm section = guitar, bass, piano, banjo
• Louis Armstrong (1901-1971): singer, trumpeter, band leader; “Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?”

Question 6

Swing

Answer 6

-Glen Miller (1904-1944): trombonist; “In the Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade”

Question 7

Paul Whiteman

Answer 7

• (1890-1967)
• “King of Jazz”
• racially integrated band
• moved jazz to the concert hall
• influenced Duke Ellington, Gershwin
• first band to have a lead singer; first to have a lead singer use a microphone
• “San”

Question 8

The Blues

Answer 8

• West African griots/polyrhythm
• introspective/blatantly sexual lyrics
• call-and-response/work songs
• delta blues
• “slide” guitar
• “new” scales
• form I-IV-I-V7-IV-I “12-Bar-Blues”
• Son House (1902?-1988): “Preachin’ Blues,” “My Black Mama”
• Robert Johnson (1911-1938): Life/Faust (there are legends that he sold his soul to the devil to get success); Ike Zinnerman
• Bessie Smith (1894-1937): influenced by Ma Rainey; pitch bending and expression; “Empress of the Blues”; “Lost Your Head Blues”

Question 9

Technology

Answer 9

• microphone
• radio
• 33 1/3 rpm albums
• 44 rpm singles
• overdubbing