(Pop) - Rock ‘n’ Roll 1950/60s Flashcards
how would you describe the lyrics as?
Simple, repetitive and easily
memorable – teenage concerns:
love, relationships, cars, school life
and holidays.
what is the tempo?
Fast (Allegro) – ideal for dancing.
165-185 bpm
what is the metre?
4/4 Time Signature
what is the tonality?
Major tonality using mainly simple
and repetitive Primary Chords – I,
IV & V
what is the harmony?
slow Harmonic Rhythm (often a chord lasting the whole bar)
often in the 12-Bar Blues Structure:
I, I, I, I, IV, IV, I, I, V, IV, I, I. Close
Harmonies used in the vocals.
what is the melody? 3 things:
1)Often uses ‘blue notes’ which are “outside” the ‘normal’ notes of the scale and consist of the first, fourth and fifth notes of the “normal” scale along with the : flattened 3rd, 5th and 7th against a major chord
2)“Catchy” Melodies have a
narrow vocal range.
3)Vocal and
guitar melodies use repeated
phrases, riffs and hooks.
what are the dynamics like?
Consistent loud volume – Forte (f)
often louder in the choruses –
Fortissimo (ff) achieved through
amplification.
what sort of bassline does it have?
Often features a Walking
Bass Line.
what sort of rhythms are used?
1) Backbeat (accenting 2nd and 4th
beats of the bar on the snare
drum).
2) Syncopation, Swung
Rhythms (developed from jazz) and Boogie-Woogie (separate flashcard)
rhythms also used
what texture does it have?
1) Homophonic (Melody &
Accompaniment) Texture – a solo
singer accompanied by
instruments.
2) Some textural variety
within songs e.g. instruments
‘dropping out’ for a line or two,
3) backing vocal ‘aahs’ added to fill in the chords and
thicken the texture and sometimes the accompaniment stops completely before crashing back in
what is the articulation like?
Harsh, brash and raw sound
possessing energy and drive.
Accents on the 2nd and 4th beats of
the bar provide the Backbeat.
how do you create a backbeat?
accenting 2nd and 4th
beats of the bar on the snare
drum
what is the accompaniment like?
1) Sometimes Call and Response
between solo voice and
accompaniment (band or backing
singers).
2) Lead singers and/or
instrumental solos backed by band.
what is the form and structure of the music like?
1) Verse-Chorus Form with a short
Introduction (often instrumental
but sometimes vocal),
2) solo verses,
chorus, instrumental section
(improvised solos or shuwaddy
section featuring Scat singing)
3) ending with a Coda/Outro.
is the lead singer mainly male of female?
mainly men
what are male singers vocal performance and technique like?
1) high-pitch
vocals and Falsetto giving an untrained or
shouty tone/timbre with screeches, jeers
and cheers.
2) Portamentos (sliding
from one note to the next) and Scat Singing
often used - a type of
jazz singing where nonsense syllables are used e.g. “doo-wah”,
“do-wop”, “bam-boom”, “shoo-be-do”
what venues would they perform in?
Dance Halls, Clubs (live), Concert Halls, Juke
Boxes, Coffee Bars, Radio and to buy on
Record/Vinyl
how did technology affect Rock ‘n’ Roll in the 1950s + 60s? (5 things)
1) Amplifiers for Electric Guitars used for the
first time.
2) Basic effects such as Reverb and
Echo.
3) Clean guitar sounds (not overdriven).
4) Double-track lead and backing vocals for
richer sounds.
5) “Raw” sound of recordings,sounds like live performance
Artists, Bands & Performers:
Little Richard, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Bill
Haley & The Comets, The Beach Boys,
Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly,
Chubby Checker, The Doors
what is Rock ‘n’ Roll made up of?
Rock ‘n’ Roll combines elements of Rhythm and Blues and Country and Western Music
when did Rock ‘n’ Roll emerge?
emerged in the mid-1950’s.
why was it easier to learn Rock ‘n’ Roll music?
Repetition is an important feature of Rock ‘n’ Roll meaning untrained composers and performers could quickly and easily
learn music and then improvise over the basic structure.
what did Rock ‘n’ Roll help establish?
Rock ‘n’ Roll helped establish the typical pop music instrumental combination of Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Bass Guitar
and Drum Kit.
what were the typical instruments in early Rock ‘n’ Roll?
Early Rock ‘n’ Roll – lead vocalist accompanied by a small group of acoustic instruments – piano, drum kit, saxophone, trumpet, harmonica, trombone and double bass.
backing singers/vocalists are also frequently used
when was the electric guitar introduced?
The Electric Guitar
soon became an essential part of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Backing Singers/Vocalists were frequently used in Rock ‘n’ Roll songs.
how was the walking baseline formed?
often performed by the Double Bass using the notes of the chords, along with some extra notes called Blues Notes
what does it mean if Rock ‘n’ Roll songs aren’t based on the 12 Bar Blues (in the harmony) ?
then it’s likely that the harmony will be based on a simple repeated chord sequence using primary chords
what is a C blues scale?
C, E Flat, F, G Flat, G and B Flat
what are boogie-woo how rhythm patterns?
BOOGIE-WOOGIE rhythm patterns are often played by the piano in Rock ‘n’ Roll songs, is based on the 12-BAR BLUES but uses notes of the BLUES SCALE and other extra notes within the pattern.
