Blog post 12: Rock

While rock music is one of the prevailing music cultures today, it used to be a sign of rebellion, especially punk rock, rather than today's mainstream alternative rock. Rock has elements of music which are shared with other music cultures, such as an emphasis on drums and voice. However, in Rock music, the drums are not simple hand drums, as they may be in other music cultures, but rather an elaborate set of drums typically played by only one person, rather than many people. Also, rock music incorporates technology as a mandatory part of its culture. Unlike blues or country music, where acoustic guitars and voices may suffice, rock necessitates the use of amplification, because loudness is just as much a part of rock music as the guitar. This shapes rock music performances, as I wrote about in my first music performance blog entry. Volume is key in rock music, which is why amplified voice and guitar play a major part in it, as well as crashingly loud percussion. All these things together begin to sum up this subgenre of rock. Anger, at least in today's rock music, is a common thread in the lyrics and music styles of rock. Punk music was angry at "institutions" or government, but alternative rock tends to be angry at the world in general. This subject of anger is not universal, but rather, simply a stereotype with many exceptions.