Special Focus 2014

Heavy Rock

Revision Notes

These are some broad stereotypes from the genre and artists that were prevalent. Dont forget that you may be given an example that doesnt meet these and asked how it is different Remember to use your ears and dont make assumptions.!

! Instrumentation:! !

Vocals (usually male)! Two guitarists Lead and Rhythm! Keyboards (usually monophonic lead synths or big pads)! Bass! Drums!

! Performance and Arrangement:! !

Powerful vocals usually delivered in a high register (sometimes falsetto) at a screaming level! Guitars play riffs using Power chords (Root and Dominant chords)! Soloing-fast and with a high degree of technical ability! Pentatonic and blues scales used regularly for riffs and solos, also the prominent use of modal scales and chromaticism! Driving rhythms called Chugging used by the guitar, drums and bass.! Keyboards are not used in a prominent / lead role! Drum parts feature lots of cymbals and toms and can be very technical.! !

Technology and Production:!

Distortion and Valve amp sound create a huge guitar sound.! Fuzz, Wah-Wah and Phaser are the main effects used! Feedback and Finger Tapping techniques used! Drums and bass create a thick and heavy texture! Use of large reverbs notably on lead guitars! ! Production and musical inuences:!

Blues Music! British Blues! R&B! Prog Rock! Psychedelic Rock!

! ! Notable artists! ! !

Here are some brief points on the main Heavy Rock artists. You should be able to condently answer the following questions about each of these as a minimum for your exam.! What inuence the had on other artists and why?! Which artists inuenced them and why?! Years of prominence! Any social contexts! Hit Albums! Hit Songs! What was their typical instrumentation?! What are they best known for and how did it change the music scene?! What technology are they associated with?!

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Special Focus 2014

! ! Jimi Hendrix - 1967 - 1970! ! -

Heavy Rock

Revision Notes

! Led Zeppelin - 1968-1980 with reunions 1985, 1988, 1995, 2007! ! Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. ! Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham.!

In his brief four-year reign as a superstar, Jimi Hendrix expanded the vocabulary of the electric rock guitar more than anyone else, combining his technical prociency with frequent blasts of noise and dazzling showmanship! Known for pioneering many guitar performance techniques! Musical inuence taken from Blues and Jazz with elaborate and extended virtuosic solos! Songs were very simple melodically and lyrically with the focus being on improvisation and live interpretation! Heavy use of pentatonics and blues scales in both riffs and solos! During the early and mid-'60s he developed his musical identity touring with R&B/soul legends Little Richard, the Isley Brothers, and King Curtis as a backup guitarist! Most popular songs - Voodoo child, Hey Joe, Purple Haze ! Notable albums - 1967 Are You Experienced?, 1968 Electric Ladyland, Pt. 1! He has inuence a whole generation of guitar players and groups including Brian May, Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Van Halen etc.! During the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival Hendrix played a 5-minute version of the star spangled banner. The end result was a remarkably realistic imitation of several war sounds, sending out an anti-war message for the Vietnam War! Hendrix died on September 18th, 1970, from drug-related complications.!

- The band consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John - Their sound is hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock and folk rock.! - Led Zeppelin have been inuenced by American blues and country blues styles. They have been inuenced by British, Celtic and American folk revivals. Scottish folk guitarist Bert Jansch helped inspire band member Jimmy Page.! Most Popular songs include Stairway to Heaven, The Battle of Evermore, Black Dog.! Most Popular albums include 1971 Led Zeppelin IV, 1973 Houses of the Holy and 1975 Physical Grafti.! They have inuenced other artists such as Deep Purple, Aerosmith, Judas Priest, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Nirvana.! Many of the bands songs dealt with themes of romance, unrequited love, sexual conquest and mythology. !

! Deep Purple - 1968-1976, 1984 to present! ! -

- They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although - Other genres such as blues, folk, jazz and classical have inuenced Deep Purple. They took inspiration from artists such as Cream, Jimi Hendrix, The Moody Blues, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.! Most Popular songs Smoke on the Water, Highway Star, Machine Head.! Most Popular albums 1968 Shades of Deep Purple, 1971 Fireball, 1969 Deep Purple. ! They have inuenced many artists including Metallica, Queen, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Alice in Chains, Bon Jovi and Motorhead.! Ian Paice drums and percussion, Rodger Glover bass, Ian Gillan vocals, harmonica and percussion, Steve Morse guitar , Don Airey organ and keyboards , Jon Lord organ, keyboards, backing vocals and string arrangements, Ritchie Blackmore guitar.! their musical approach changed over the years.!

Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. !

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Special Focus 2014

! Black Sabbath - 1968 -2006, 2011 to present! ! The Who and The Beatles.!

Heavy Rock

Revision Notes

- They were inuenced by Blues-rock from the late 60s and artists such as Cream, Jimi Hendrix, - Most Popular songs Iron Man, Psycho Man, Paranoid, Children of the Grave.! - Most Popular albums 1970 Paranoid, 1971 Master of Reality, 1975 Sabotage.! - Black Sabbath have inuenced many artists including Iron Maiden, Metallica, Nirvana, Judas - Tony Lommi lead guitar, Geezer Butler bass guitar, Ozzy Osbourne lead vocals! - The group took the blues-rock sound of late 60s acts like Cream, Blue Cheer and Vanilla Fudge
Priest, Foo Fighters and Guns N Roses.!

Black Sabbath is a band from Birmingham in the UK and their sound is heavy metal. !

! Motrhead - 1975 to present! ! -

to its logical conclusion, slowing the tempo, accentuating the bass and emphasising screaming guitar solos and howled vocals full of lyrics expressing mental anguish and macabre fantasies.!

! ! Iron Maiden - 1975 to present! ! -

Motorhead is a band from London and their sound is heavy metal, speed metal, hard rock and rock and roll! They were inuenced by a genre called punk rock and other artists such as The Damned, Ramones, Deep Purple, Hawkwind and The Sex Pistols! Most Popular songs 1980 Ace of Spades, 1979 Bomber, 1979 Overkill.! Most Popular albums Overkill, Bomber, Ace of Spades, No Sleep til Hammersmith! Motorhead have gone on to inuence bands such as Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Guns N Roses.! Ian Lemmy Kilmister lead vocals and bass guitar, Phil Wizzo Campbell guitar and backing vocals, Mikkey Dee drums.! Their lyrics typically cover such topics as war, good versus evil, abuse of power, promiscuous sex, and substance abuse and gambling.!

- They have stated that other heavy metal artists such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led
Zeppelin have inuenced them. Also Jimi Hendrix, Richie Blackmore and blues rock have had an inuence. ! Most Popular songs 2 Minutes to Midnight, Aces High, Bring Your Daughter.to The Slaughter.! Most Popular albums 1982 Number of the Beast, 1983 Piece of Mind, 1984 Powerslave! Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Accept have all been inuenced by Iron Maiden ! Iron Maiden along with Black Sabbath and Def Leppard were one of the driving forces for the British heavy rock movement. Their heavily distorted guitars and rough and ready appearance with a no care attitude inspired a generation of youth rock music.! Steve Harris bass, backing vocals and keyboards, Dave Murray guitars , Adrian Smith guitars, backing vocals and keyboards, Bruce Dickinson lead vocals, Nicko McBrain drums and percussion, Janick Gers guitars.! Their music is energetic with heavily distorted guitars, drums feature a lot of cymbals and toms, the inclusion of riff based patterns played on the guitars and a powerful vocal style.! Their production techniques include lots of reverb and distortion effects to help make the sound feel as full as possible. The dynamic range is also very narrow like most typical heavy rock track, which helps achieve the loudest possible output.!

Iron Maiden is a band from London in the UK and their sound is heavy metal.!

! ! !

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Special Focus 2014

! Saxon - 1976 - Present! ! -

Heavy Rock

Revision Notes

! ! Def Leppard - 1977 to present! ! -

Saxon is a band from Barnsley, South Yorkshire in the UK and their sound is Heavy Metal and Hard Rock.! They were inuenced by artists such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC.! Most Popular songs include 747 (Strangers in the Night), Denim And Leather, Princess of the Night.! Most Popular albums include 1980 Strong Arm of the Law, 1980 Wheels of Steel, 1981 Denim And Leather.! Like many of the heavy rock bands from Britain around this time they were average working class individuals who worked in factories and other industrial manufacturing facilities. Becoming a Heavy rock musician gave them the way out that many of them wouldnt have had otherwise.! Biff Byford Vocals , Graham Oliver Guitar, Paul Quinn Guitar , Steve Dawson Bass , Pete Gill Drums, Nigel Glockler Drums, Nibbs Carter Bass, Doug Scarratt Guitar.!

! ! Metallica - 1981 - Present! ! -

Def Leppard is a band from Shefeld, South Yorkshire in the UK and their sound is hard rock and heavy metal. ! Rock and heavy metal were very much their inuence from artists such as Led Zeppelin, Queen, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Kiss, The Beatles, Van Halen and The Rolling Stones.! Most Popular songs include When Love & Hate Collide, Bringin On the Heartbreak, Photograph, Pour Some Sugar on Me.! Most Popular albums include 1983 Pyromania, 1987 Hysteria, 1992 Adrenalize.! They inuenced Guns N Roses, Skid Row and The Darkness to name a few.! Def Leppard was one of the driving forces for the British heavy rock movement. Their heavily distorted guitars and rough and ready appearance with a no care attitude inspired a generation of youth rock music! Rick Savage bass and backing vocals, Joe Elliott lead vocals, Rick Allen drums and backing vocals, Phil Collen guitar and backing vocals, Vivian Campbell guitar and backing vocals.! Their music is energetic with heavily distorted guitars, drums feature a lot of cymbals and toms, the inclusion of riff based patterns played on the guitars and a powerful vocal style.! Their production techniques include lots of reverb, delay and distortion effects to help make the sound feel as full as possible. The dynamic range is also very narrow, which achieves the loudest possible output.!

Metallica is a band from Los Angeles, California in the US and their sound is heavy metal and thrash/speed metal.! Metallica are inuenced by early heavy metal and hard rock bands such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Queen, AC/DC and Aerosmith.! Most Popular songs include Hangar 18, Paranoid and Symphony of destruction! Most Popular albums include 1986 Master of Puppets, and 1984 Ride the lightning.! Metallica inuenced Alice in Chains, Slayer, Evanescence and Deftones to name a few. ! James Heteld lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Lars Ulrich drums and percussion, Kirk Hammett lead guitar and backing vocals, Robert Trujillo bass and backing vocals! Early Metallica releases contained fast tempos, harmonized leads and nine minute instrumentals. ! Metallica expanded the limits of thrash, using speed and volume to enhance their intricately structured compositions. !

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Special Focus 2014

! Megadeth - 1983 -2002, 2004 to present ! ! -

Heavy Rock

Revision Notes

! Bon Jovi - 1983 - Present! ! -

Megadeth is a band from Los Angeles, California in the US and their sound is thrash metal and heavy metal.! Traditional heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, members of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal like Motorhead and Iron Maiden, along with punk rock bands like Sex Pistols and Ramones played a signicant role in shaping and inuencing Megadeths sound! Most Popular songs include Holy WarsThe Punishment Due, Hangar 18 and Angry Again. ! Most Popular albums include 1986 Peace Sells.but Whos Buying, 1992 Countdown to Extinction, and 1990 Rust in Peace.! They have inuenced artists such as Biohazard, Overkill, Sepultura and Dream Theater. ! Dave Mustaine lead vocals and guitar, Dave Ellefson bass and backing vocals, Shawn Drover drums and percussion, Chris Broderick guitar and backing vocals ! Megadeths music is characterised by its distinctive instrumental performance, featuring fast rhythm sections and complex arrangements. Frontman and guitarist Dave Mustaine has a snarling vocal style.! Gloomy lyrical themes focusing on death, war, politics and religion. Occasionally deals with topics like alienation and social problems.! Megadeth are one of the few American underground metal bands from the 1980s that achieved mass commercial success. Along with their fellow contemporaries Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, Megadeths music is considered essential in creating the core of thrash metal.!

! Van Halen - 1972 - Present! ! -

Bon Jovi were one of the rst heavy rock groups to put a commercial glitzy spin on the style. Their dominance in the style remained strong over three decades.! Bon Jovi is a band from New Jersey in the US and their sound is rock, hard rock and glam metal. ! They are inuenced by main stream rock genres which includes ballad, soft rock and Glam! The album slippery when wet is one of the bands most commercial pieces of work including songs You give love a bad name and Living on a prayer. The hardcore rock press slammed it whilst the rest of us rocked our heads lightly.! Living on a prayer, Its my life, Always, Wanted dead or alive, plus many more.! With their third album Slippery When Wet Bon Jovi deed conventional heavy rock characteristics by become a clean and polished act that became a commercial entity / brand selling millions of records worldwide.!

Van Halen is a band from Pasadena, California in the US and their sound is hard and heavy rock. ! Other heavy rock artists inuenced Van Halen such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Cream and Kiss. Also famous guitarists such as Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix inuenced them.! Most Popular songs include Jump, Runnin with the Devil, Eruption! Most Popular albums include Van Halen, 1984, Women and Children First, Fair Warning. ! David Lee Roth lead vocals, Eddie Van Halen lead guitar, keyboards and backing vocals, Wolfgang Van Halen bass and backing vocals, Alex Van Halen drums! The band is very much dened by the Van Halen family and their virtuoso playing skills. Eddie Van Halens exceptional lead guitar playing and solos gave a level of depth to the group that was unheard of at the time.! Guitars are a large part of Van Halens overall productions. The layering of multiple guitars and various techniques and effects including double tracking, tremolo, reverb, delay, string bends, hammer ons and pull offs etc.. All of which utilize and show off Eddies exceptional playing qualities.

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