- Instrumentation in rock
- How the instruments function in a rock context
- The ways in which instruments are combined are the essence of how stylistic textures are created
- Distinguishing one instrument from another is easy for most listeners
- It is important also to understand how instruments used in rock are used with each other
- The rhythm section provides a foundation of rhythm and harmony
- Drums and percussion—the heart of the rhythm section
- Establish the tempo and meter
- Establish the "feel" of a song
- The drum set:
- Snare drum (which sits on a stand between the drummer's legs)
- Bass drum (played by the right foot) usually referred to as the "kick" drum
- High-hat (two cymbals on a foot pedal stand that allows them to be clamped together)
- Tom-toms mounted on the bass drum are called ride toms
- A floor tom (not fixed to the drum kit; it is free-standing)
- Cymbals mounted on floor stands
- The number of tom-toms and cymbals used depends on the drummer's taste and style of playing
- Drummers play rhythmic patterns that incorporate the entire drum set
- High-hat or ride cymbals are used for division of beats and provide a steady stream of notes
- The bass (kick) drum and snare drum play on strong beats or syncopated points for accents
- Drummers usually play one pattern for verses and a different one for bridges or choruses
- Tom-toms break the pattern to lead from one section into another section
- Bass
- The role of the bass is to provide the link between rhythm and harmony
- Bass part is derived from kick drum rhythm pattern—"locking in" with the drummer
- Other notes are filled in to create an interesting part
- Walking bass line is common: even rhythmic pattern in a scale-oriented set of pitches
- Emphasis is put on the root note of the chord by playing that note on the first beat of the measure
- Early rock music used acoustic bass
- From the 1960s on electric bass has been the primary bass instrument
- Jazz and country still continued to use acoustic bass
- Electric bass is tuned the same way as acoustic bass
- One octave below the four lowest strings of a guitar
- Rhythm guitar
- Function is basically to provide full chords in rhythmic alignment with the drums and bass
- Frequently the rhythm guitar enhances the snare beats while bass locks in with the kick drum
- Can be either acoustic or electric guitar
- Acoustic rhythm guitar in early rockabilly actually replaced the drum kit
- Keyboards
- Keyboard instruments can also be used as rhythm instruments
- Acoustic piano
- Electric piano
- Organ (also capable of providing a long sustaining tone if needed)
- Synthesizer (capable of an unimaginable array of sounds) can provide long or short tones
- Their musical function in that case is the same as rhythm guitar
- Filling in notes that outline chords with a rhythmic pattern fitting in with drums and bass (and guitar)
- Organ and synthesizers can balance sustaining notes against rhythm instruments as well
- Rhythm instrument players must be careful not to get in each other's way
- Sweetening and soloing instruments
- Horns and strings
- Additional auxiliary instruments add interesting timbral elements to the music
- The term used in recording is "sweetening"
- These tracks must be written carefully not to detract from the vocal tracks
- These parts usually center on harmonic or melodic concepts
- Horn sections consist of brass instruments and/or saxophones
- Trumpets
- Trombones
- Saxophones (commonly alto and tenor)
- Horns add punctuation accents to the music—"punch"
- They are also used to emphasize chords
- Strings fulfill the same roles as horns, with less emphasis on "punch"
- Violins
- Celli
- Viola (though not as common as the violin or cello)
- The instrumental solos
- Any instrument can have a solo in a song, but certain instruments are used more than others
- Saxophone solo (as in the Coasters' "Yakety Yak")
- Guitar solo (Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze")
- A piano solo (Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls of Fire")
- Usually occurs past the midpoint of the song
- This is the focus of the song when it is happening
- Rhythm instruments maintain their same supporting role
- Solos can add excitement to the return of the vocals, making them sound fresh again
- The singers
- The vocals
- The sung parts of a song are either the lead vocal or backup vocals
- The lead vocal part has two functions
- Provide the main melody to the song
- Convey the lyrics in a convincing and effective way
- Singers can be relatively free in relationship to the rhythm parts
- That can either be successful or not—depending on the song
- The highly structured aspects of the rhythm parts can present a need for contrast from the vocalist
- Some songs have only one singer
- Some songs have a lead singer providing all of the lyrics and main melody and additional singers as well
- The additional singers sing the "backup" vocal parts
- This is usually a combination of harmonic pitches and melodic material
- Backup vocal parts can also be similar to the "sweetening" aspects provided by strings and horns
- Backup vocals can have lyrics or neutral syllables ("ooh," "doo-wop") or both
- They can accompany the lead vocal at the same time the lead vocal is being sung
- An example of this would be the Beach Boys' "Surfer Girl"
- They can function as responses to the lead vocal
- As in the Beatles' "Twist and Shout!"
- How it all fits together
- "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple
- Form: verse-chorus pattern:
- Introduction, four verse-chorus pairs (the third of which is instrumental) with a coda to end the song
- Introduction
- Four-measure blues-inflected riff on electric guitar with overdriven amplifier distortion
- That is repeated
- On the third pass the drums enter, beginning with high-hat
- Snare is added on the fourth time through along with distorted organ doubling the guitar part
- Bass guitar is added on the fifth occurrence of the riff
- Bass drum (kick) is added on the sixth time through the riff
- Verse begins with the entrance of the vocal
- Drummer plays regular rapid notes on the high-hat with snare and kick on strong beats
- Cymbals crash at the beginnings and ends of phrases
- Guitar and bass play very similar parts
- Organ takes the role of rhythm instrument playing chords against drums and bass
- Chorus has changes in what the instruments are playing
- Organ, guitar, and bass play more sustained notes
- More cymbal crashes on the drums
- Vocal harmony parts are added
- The next verse and chorus are very similar to the first verse-chorus section
- The third verse-chorus section is a guitar solo
- Bass is more active during the solo
- Snare becomes the busiest part of the drums—reversing the role with the high-hat
- The chorus is more dynamic than in previous vocalized choruses
- The guitar introduction material returns at the end of the chorus section to link back to the verse
- "Bye Bye Love" by the Everly Brothers
- Begins with acoustic guitar without distortion
- Dual acoustic guitars playing rhythm strumming
- The acoustic guitars set the rhythmic pace for the song
- Drums are light: brushes on the snare drum—no other drums or cymbals are used
- The song begins with the chorus
- Duo vocals are the Everly Brothers' trademark
- Both sing lyrics together in rhythm
- Vocals are high with little or no vibrato
- Electric guitar is present, but subtle—providing only accents with a lick between chord changes
- Bass is played on an acoustic bass
- Vocals are accompanied by rhythm guitars, electric guitar, snare, and acoustic bass for the whole song
- Verses are sung by a solo vocalist, choruses are sung by both singers
- Comparison between the two songs
- There are obvious differences between the styles of these two songs but they also share common aspects
- Singing is placed in front and in the center of the mix
- Rhythm instruments combine to form a coordinated accompaniment, though in different ways
- Deep Purple use more forceful playing on all instruments
- Deep Purple use distortion on guitar and organ
- Everly Brothers use their acoustic guitars to drive the rhythm
- Both examples use solo vocals in the verses and duets in the choruses
- "Smoke on the Water" features an instrumental solo; "Bye Bye Love" does not
- The combinations of musical elements played in the songs cause the difference between the songs
- When examining rock songs, it is important to listen to individual aspects as well as the overall sound
- It must be understood that each song has many layers that contribute to the final product
- The accompaniment parts must all combine to form a tapestry that supports the vocal melody
