Rock band

Rock band (or rock group) 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 bands has its roots deeply steeped in both rock and roll, and its immediate forebear, rhythm and blues. A rock band tends to have a heavy focus on certain instruments principally electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums (prime examples of this are The Who, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, or more recently U2). Later in the 1960s, rock bands such as The Who, Pink Floyd and Hawkwind experimented with electric organs and synthesisers. Other instruments deployed within the context of a rock band include the electric violin, as used by Curved Air and the flute played by Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. Another instrument common in some rock bands is the musical keyboard, as pioneered by Yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

Many early rock bands were in the vanguard of psychedelic music and the complexities arising largely led to rock music becoming a generic term broader than "rock and roll".

Structure

A rock band usually consists of at least four musical roles:

• A lead singer.
• A guitarist.
• A bass guitarist.
• A drummer or percussionist.

These four may be joined by other instrumentalists, limited only by the creativity of the band; most popular are the addition of a keyboardist or rhythm guitarist. More experimental bands might try instruments from other ares of music; stringed instruments like a violin or cello, or horns like trumpets or trombones. When a band is seen as diverging too far from the main 4 roles, there is a tendency to classify the group not as a rock band, but with a gentre seen as more specific than "rock" (e.g. ska or prog rock).

The lead singer may also play an instrument while singing, most commonly the guitar. Some bands may have multiple lead singers (such as Pink Floyd and The Beatles). Still others will add background vocals, sung by other instrumentalists or dedicated singers.

While some rock bands may add several additional singers and instrumentalists, they hardly ever lose the 4 primary roles.

Many rock bands include two types of guitar players, a rhythm guitarist and a lead guitarist. The rhythm guitarist often plays chords and works closely with the bassist and the drummer as they drive both the beat and rhythm. The lead guitarist plays the second accompaning melody and plays most of the solos.