Rock band
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rock group (or later rock band) is a generic name to describe a group of musicians specializing in a particular form of electronically amplified music. Deriving its name from the musical style which was its immediate progenitor, rock and roll, the type of music played by rock groups has its roots deeply steeped in both rock and roll, and its immediate forebear, rhythm and blues. In Britain of the early 1960s the term rock group was in universal use, but as psychedelia approached the name band came into vogue, typified by The Band. A rock group or band tends to have a heavy focus on certain instruments, principally electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums (prime examples of this are The Kinks, The Who, Cream, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience), with keyboard instruments such as electronic organs being featured from the outset by groups such as Manfred Mann and The Animals. Later in the 1960s, rock bands such as The Who, Pink Floyd and Hawkwind experimented with electric organs and synthesizers. Other instruments deployed within the context of a rock band include the electric violin (as used by Curved Air, Dave Matthews Band or Yellowcard) and the flute (as played by Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, among others).
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[edit] Structure
A rock group or band usually consists of at least four musical roles:
Sometimes, however, a lead singer can be replaced or joined by a lead guitarist, who plays counter melodies and performs most of the solos. In many instances, the singer may play an instrument (usually guitar or Bass guitar), creating a trio.
Many rock bands also include a Rhythm guitarist and a keyboardist, who work with the bassist and the drummer in the rhythm section. The role of these instruments is to identify and play chords and chordal accompaniment for the soloist and to merge with the overall groove of the rhythm section.
The lead singer may also play an instrument while singing, most commonly the guitar, bass guitar, or keyboard. When the lead singer role is taken by one of the other primary musical roles, the group is termed a trio or a power trio (such as The Police, Rush, Cream or more modern examples such as Nirvana, Green Day, Muse, The Living End, Better Than Ezra or Alkaline Trio).
Some bands may have multiple lead singers (such as Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, The Beatles, KISS as well as more modern bands such as blink-182, the Hush Sound, or the Goo Goo Dolls). Still others will add background vocals, sung by other instrumentalists or dedicated singers.
Also some bands may have multiple guitarists (such as The Beatles and Pavement with two guitarists each, and Radiohead with three guitarists). One of two or more guitarists in a band may usually play either rhythm or lead exclusively, especially when performing live, however when they are in the studio they may switch roles. Another way band members switch roles in the studio is when none of them play their usual instrument (such as "Back in the U.S.S.R." by The Beatles).
If there is an addition of instruments from other areas of music, such as stringed instruments like a violin or cello, or horns like trumpets or trombones, the band is seen as diverging too far from the main four roles, this creates a tendency to classify the group not as a rock band, but with a genre seen as more specific than "rock" (e.g. ska or progressive rock).
While some rock bands may add several additional singers and instrumentalists, they hardly ever lose the four primary roles. Some notable exceptions are The White Stripes, Local H, (who consist of only a drummer and a guitarist/singer) and Ben Folds Five which only consists of drums, bass, piano and vocals.
[edit] Image
Rock bands rely heavily on their image, or appearance both on and off stage. They often dress in a nonconventional or otherwise notable style. In the late 1960's, rock bands would dress in non-conformational fashions, with bright colors and other garb associated with the hippie movement, both on-stage and in everyday life (Jimi Hendrix wore an authentic 1800s British Army Officer's jacket). See KISS.
Each member of a band typically has an on-stage role; usually, the lead singer is the "frontman," who addresses the audience in between numbers, while the other members take a back-seat role. Another common setup is to have the lead guitarist and lead singer both act as frontmen, or to act as onstage foils (see Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin or Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend of The Who.
