Rock is clearly an highly exciting music genre and it appeals to people of all age. Even older people were already exposed to early forms of rock during their teenage years in 1960’s and 70’s. Among music lovers, rock have attained great adulation and recognition among them. Rock is also known for its unique style and variety. They use not only high tech instruments and equipments, but also characterized by great skills of rock musicians. Guitars, bass and drums are three major instruments of rock music, but there are also other equipments, such as keyboard, synthesizers and others. Compared to other music genre, such as folk, pop and classic, rock is generally louder and faster. Musicians and singers are able to experiment with different styles of music. The soul of a band may revolve around the singer or guitarist. The young and old simply adore this kind of music. Many rock musicians also experimented with banjo, melodic, harmonica, mandolin and sitar; making rock a flexible form of music.
Rock evolved from music styles developed in 1940’s and 1950’s, which were influenced by blues and country. At the time, blues were known for their fast music styles. It is allows characterized by heavy use of musical instruments, just like rock. Elvis Presley was considered as the biggest star in rock and roll. Although it isn’t considered as pure rock, we could see that there are already some similarities. Jimi Hendrix showed us in 1960’s how guitars should be used in rock music. He is known for his astounding and incredible guitar solos that influenced so many other guitarists in subsequent years. The Beatles has also influenced the rock music with some of their faster tracks. In the 1970’s, we started to get real rock bands, like Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and AC/DC. In the 1980’s, two primary forms of rock became popular, the glam metal and the louder, heavy metal. Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Metallica, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden were quite popular at the time.
There were also some guitar players known for their impressive skills. Grunge appeared in early 1990’s and Nirvana was the most popular band in the genre, followed by Foo Fighters after the death of Kurt Cobain. This type of rock is known for iits extensive use of guitar and heavy tunes, as well the use of fuzz. The Brit rock and alternative rock also quite popular in the era. Oasis was clearly the most popular Brit rock band in the 1990’s, as well as Blur, Radiohead and U2. Alternative rock is known for its experimentation and many would consider that it sounds less loud than heavy metal or even glam metal. In fact, alternative rock is often appealing for people who enjoy pop music in 1990’s. Some bands, like Linkin’ Park, were known for their effort to combine rock and hip hop. This appeal to people who also listen to rap and hip hop music, although less desirable for people who insist on the distinction between rock and hip hop.