Research Into Genres

Rock - 

• Rock originated as 'Rock and Roll' in the 1950's, mainly throughout the United Kingdom and America, key musicians of this genre were Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Buddy Holly
• When the Rock and Roll genre first appeared it was seen as very bold and therefore originally it was not taken to very well
• It is a mix of Rhythm, Blues, Gospel and Country and Western, many artists used and still use scales such as the Blues Harmonic scales when composing music
• The popularity of the Rock genre has increased considerably since the days of the first 'pioneer' artist such as The Beatles, In modern times, some of the biggest bands in the world classify themselves as Rock artists, such as the Foo Fighters, ACDC, Kiss and Iron Maiden
• There are also many sub-genres of Rock such as Classic Rock, Folk Rock, Punk Rock, Progressive Rock, Glam Rock and Metal.
• The basic foundations of a successful Rock band are a drummer, a charismatic bass player, a lead guitarist, a rhythm guitarist and a lead singer, although many modern bands play around with other instruments such as keyboards and synthesizers (such as Linkin Park) or Violins (such as Yellowcard)
• The basis of the majority of Rock songs is the electric guitar, first introduced and familiarised during the 1950's when Rock and Roll music was just beginning to emerge
• Many Rock musicians see their music as a way to rebel against 'The Establishment' referring to the grip that large companies had over the world, they would do this by incorporating propaganda in theirs lyrics

Alternative -

• Bastille, the creators of the piece of music that I will be using for my music video, are classified as an Alternative band, Alternative is a branch of the Rock genre, generally Alternative bands cross over between two genres, such as Lostprohpets, who are a Rock band, but also a Metal band
• Alternative Rock originated from underground independent music(not signed to major labels) in the 1980's and 1990's
• An example of a major Alternative Rock band is 30 Seconds To Mars, who rely more on a electronic feel to their music, as well as incorporating guitar riffs into their music
• Bastille also have a large reliance on drum beats, loops and electronic riffs in their music, they use harmonies associated with Soul and Gospel in their back up singing, which is synonimous with the Rock genre as a whole
• As their lead singer originated as a music producer, their songs have a very electric vibe, their song are produced highly, etc the adding in of extra sounds and instruments to add to the harmonies
• Alternative Rock has a very Punk Rock heart, 'New Wave' and 'Grunge' bands weren very common in the late 80's and early 90's
• During the 21st century the biggest Alternative bands were bands like The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and Interpol, who all tried to move away from the formal structure of Rock songs, whilst still maintaining a Rock feel to their songs

Pop -

• Pop is an abrieviation of Popular music, it refers to the artists who are formally known to many people throughout the world
• It began in the 1950's and is cery 'eclectic' in the way it uses conventions from all sorts of genres, such as Dance, Rock and Urban
• Pop music is often very highly produced, uses simple song structures, such as Verses, Chorus' and Middle 8's and tends to stick to simple chords and chord patterns, Gary Barlow, who is a household name and synonimous with Pop music, suggests that most pop songs use simple chords rather than complex and 'strange' chords such as the ones enveloped by the likes of Coldplay
• Modern Pop music often has a very electronic feel, extra sounds are added in, loops are used, keyboard and synthesizers are used throughout and drum loops are used, although when bands play live they will often have a drummer instead of using electronic beats, this is to appeal to the audience who want a more 'Live' experience
• There was a larger use of guitars in the early years of Pop music, artist such as Tom Jones would have used guitars on his tracks because at the time, guitars were very popular instruments, whereas in modern times, Pop songs are expected to crossover to dance slightly, so they can be used in clubs and bars, therefore reaching a wider audience
• Often Pop artists such as 'One Direction' do not write their own music, they merely perform songs written by specialist writers, taking away from the original feel

Quote from Lead Singer Dan Smith from Bastille - 'It varies a bit I guess, from darker cinematic pop to indie with no guitars, and there's a bit of electronic stuff as well. And lots of harmonies.'

Bibliography - 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_music#Rock_and_roll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock#Alternative_rock_in_the_21st_century

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music