Band (rock and pop)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Rock band" redirects here. For the video game series, see Rock
Band.

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 The Beatles were a four-piece rock-pop
band from Liverpool in England. They are pictured here in 1965,
celebrating their Grammy win.
A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that
performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece
band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In
the early years, the configuration was typically two guitarists (a
lead guitarist and a rhythm guitarist, with one of them singing lead
vocals), a bassist, and a drummer (e.g. the Beatles and KISS).
Another common formation is a vocalist who does not play an
instrument, electric guitarist, bass guitarist, and a drummer
(e.g. the Who, the Monkees, Led Zeppelin and U2). Sometimes,
in addition to electric guitars, electric bass, and drums, also a
keyboardist (especially a pianist) plays.
Additionally, rock and pop bands can also include boy bands
or girl bands, which many times have bands where the members
do not play any instruments but sing and dance instead. Such is
the case of Menudo, the Spice Girls and K-pop bands, for
example.
Etymology
[edit]

The usage of band as "group of musicians" originated from 1659

to describe musicians attached to a regiment of the army and
playing instruments which may be used while marching.[1] This
word also used in 1931 to describe "one man band" for people
who plays several musical instruments simultaneously.[1]
Two members
[edit]

The Black Keys are a two-part band

consisting of drummer and a vocalist/guitarist lineup.
Two-member rock and pop bands (such as the White
Stripes, Tenacious D, the Black Keys, Twenty One Pilots,
and Royal Blood) are relatively rare because of the difficulty in
providing all of the musical elements which are part of the rock or
pop sound (vocals, chordal accompaniment, bass lines, and
percussion or drumming). Rock and pop duos typically omit one
of these musical elements. In many cases, two-member bands
omit a drummer, since guitars, bass guitars, and keyboards can
all be used to provide a rhythmic pulse.[2]
Other examples of two-member bands are MGMT, WZRD, Pet
Shop Boys, Hella, Flight of the Conchords, the Ting Tings, They
Might Be Giants (from 1982 to 1992) and T. Rex (until shortly
after scoring their UK breakthrough hit, at which point they
expanded to a four-piece and more).[3]
When electronic sequencers became widely available in the
1980s, they made adding in musical elements easier for two-
member bands to perform. Sequencers allowed bands to program
some elements of their performance, such as an electronic
drum part and a synth bass line. Two-member pop music bands
such as Soft Cell, Blancmange, and Yazoo used programmed
sequencers. Other pop bands from the 1980s, who were
ostensibly fronted by two performers, such
as Wham!, Eurythmics, and Tears for Fears, were not actually
two-piece ensembles, because other instrumental musicians were
used "behind the scenes" to fill out the sound. Modern bands that
use this format include Ninja Sex Party.[4] In the 1990s, Local
H continued on as a two-piece when their bassist departed, with
guitarist/singer Scott Lucas modifying his guitars by adding a bass
pickup for the lower strings.[5]
Starting in the 2000s, blues-influenced rock bands such as the
White Stripes and the Black Keys used a guitar-and-drums
scheme. Death from Above 1979 featured a drummer and bass
guitarist. Tenacious D is a two-guitar band; One Day as a
Lion and the Dresden Dolls both feature a keyboardist and a
drummer. Ratatat comprises a two-guitar band that uses a drum
machine for beats. W.A.S.P. guitarist Doug Blair is also known for
his work in the two-piece progressive rock band Signal2Noise,
where he acts as the lead guitarist and bassist at the same time,
due to a special custom instrument he invented (an electric guitar
with five regular guitar strings paired with three bass guitar
strings). Heisenflei of Los Angeles duo the Pity Party plays drums,
keyboards, and sings simultaneously. Royal Blood and The
Garden are two-piece bands that uses bass and drums along
with electronic effects.[6]
Three members
[edit]

Main article: Power trio

 The Jimi Hendrix Experience, a power trio,
performing for Dutch television in 1967: From left to right: singer-
guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch
Mitchell
The smallest ensemble commonly used in rock music is the trio
format. In a hard-rock or blues-rock band, or heavy-metal rock
group, a "power trio" format is often used, which consists of an
electric guitar player, an electric bass guitar player, and a
drummer, and typically one or more of these musicians also sing
(sometimes all three members sing, e.g. the Bee Gees or Alkaline
Trio).[citation needed] Some well-known power trios with the guitarist on
lead vocals are the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Green Day, Stevie
Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Nirvana, and Muse.

Green Day, a power trio, at 2009 MTV Video

Music Awards: From left to right: Bassist Mike Dirnt,
singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, and drummer Tré Cool
A handful of others with the bassist on vocals include Thin
Lizzy (from 1970 to 1974), Primus, Rush, Motörhead, the Police,
and Cream.
Some power trios feature two lead vocalists. For example, in the
band Blink-182, vocals are split between bassist Mark
Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge, or in the band Dinosaur Jr.,
guitarist J. Mascis is the primary songwriter and vocalist, but
bassist Lou Barlow writes some songs and sings, as well.
An alternative to the power trio is an organ trios formed with an
electric guitarist, a drummer, and a keyboardist. Although organ
trios are most commonly associated with 1950s and 1960s jazz
organ trio groups such as those led by organist Jimmy Smith,
organ trios also exist in rock-oriented styles, such as jazz-rock
fusion and Grateful Dead–influenced jam bands, for
instance Medeski Martin & Wood. In organ trios, the keyboard
player typically plays a Hammond organ or similar instrument,
which permits the keyboard player to perform bass lines, chords,
and lead lines. A variant of the organ trio is a trio formed with an
electric bassist, a drummer, and an electronic keyboardist
(playing synthesizers) such as the progressive
rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
A power trio with the guitarist on lead vocals is a popular record-
company lineup, as the guitarist and singer usually are
songwriters. Therefore, the label only has to present one "face" to
the public. The backing band may or may not be featured in
publicity. If the backup band is not marketed as an integral part of
the group, then the record company has more flexibility to replace
band members or use substitute musicians. This lineup often
leads to songs that are fairly simple and accessible, as
the frontman has to sing and play guitar at the same time.
Four members
[edit]
 Red Hot Chili Peppers is a four-part band
with a lead vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and drummer lineup.
The four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock
and pop music. Before the development of the electronic
keyboard, the configuration was typically two guitarists, a bassist,
and a drummer (e.g. The Beatles, KISS, Metallica, Rise
Against, Weezer, the Clash, and the Smashing Pumpkins).
Another common formation is a vocalist, electric guitarist, bass
guitarist, and a drummer (e.g. Van Halen, the Who, Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Led Zeppelin, and Blur). Instrumentally, these bands
can be considered as trios.
In some bands, the guitarist could also be an occasional
keyboardist, like the Who, the Smiths, and Joy Division. And
some bands might have a keyboardist instead of a guitarist,
like Bastille and Future Islands. In some rock bands, bassists
could be occasional keyboardists like Led Zeppelin
and R.E.M. Keyboardists are used in place of bass, performing
with a guitarist, singer, and drummer, for instance the Doors.
Some bands have a guitarist, keyboard player, bassist, and
drummer, for example Talking Heads, the Small Faces, and Pink
Floyd.
Some bands have the bassist on lead vocals, such as Thin
Lizzy (a four-piece from 1974 onwards), Pink Floyd, Motörhead
(as a four-piece 1984–1995), NOFX, Skillet, or even the lead
guitarist, such as Dire Straits, Megadeth, Weezer, and Creedence
Clearwater Revival. Some bands, such as the Beatles, have a
lead guitarist, a rhythm guitarist, and a bassist that all sing lead
and backing vocals, with those three playing and composing on
keyboards regularly, as well as a drummer. Others, such as the
Four Seasons, have a lead vocalist, a lead guitarist, a keyboard
player, and a bassist, with the drummer not being a member of
the band.
Five members
[edit]

The Strokes are a five-part band with a

lead vocalist, two guitarists, bassist, and drummer lineup.

Cairokee are a five-part band with a lead

vocalist, two guitarists, bassist, and drummer lineup.
Five-piece bands have existed in rock music since the
development of the genre. The Beach
Boys, Aerosmith, AC/DC and Oasis are examples of the common
lineup of vocalist, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, and drums. An
alternative lineup replaces the rhythm guitarist with a keyboard–
synthesizer player (examples being the bands Yes, Dream
Theater, Marilyn Manson, and Deep Purple). Another alternative
replaces the rhythm guitarist with a turntablist, such as
in Deftones,[7] Incubus,[8] or Limp Bizkit.[9]
Further alternatives include a keyboardist, guitarist, drummer,
bassist, and saxophonist, such as the Sonics, the Dave Clark 5,
and Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. Three guitarists may be
present with a bassist and a drummer, such as in the
bands Radiohead, Pearl Jam, and the Byrds. Some five-person
bands feature two guitarists, a keyboardist, a bassist, and a
drummer, with one or more of these musicians (typically one of
the guitarists) handling lead vocals on top of their instrument
(examples being Children of Bodom, Styx, Tally Hall, and White
Reaper). The four-piece arrangement can be augmented to five
with a second drummer playing a separate full drumkit, such
as Adam and the Ants from 1980 onwards, although other
formations can also be expanded using two drummers such
as Pink Fairies (1970–1971), the Glitter Band, Wizzard, Sigue
Sigue Sputnik, Add N to (X), and Rialto.
Other times, the vocalist brings another musical "voice" to the
table, most commonly a harmonica or percussion; Mick Jagger,
for example, plays harmonica and percussion instruments such
as maracas and tambourine in the Rolling Stones. Ozzy
Osbourne played the harmonica on some occasions with Black
Sabbath. Flutes may also be used by vocalists, most notably Ian
Anderson of Jethro Tull and Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues.
Larger rock ensembles
[edit]

Iron Maiden is a six-part band with a lead

vocalist, three guitarists, a bassist, and drummer lineup. (Not
shown in this image are Bruce Dickinson and Nicko McBrain.)
Larger bands have long been a part of rock and pop music, in part
due to the influence of the "singer accompanied with orchestra"
model inherited from popular big-band jazz and swing and
popularized by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. To create larger
ensembles, rock bands often add an additional guitarist, an
additional keyboardist, additional percussionists or second
drummer, an entire horn section, and even a flautist. An example
of a six-member rock band is Toto with a lead vocalist, guitarist,
bassist, two keyboard players, and drummer. Other examples
include Australian band INXS and American Blondie; both consist
of a lead vocalist, two guitarists, a keyboard player, a bassist, and
a drummer. The American heavy-metal band Slipknot is
composed of nine members, with a vocalist, two guitarists, a
drummer, a bassist, two custom percussionists, a turntablist, and
a sampler. Brazilian band Titãs, currently a three-man band, had
as many as eight members in the late 1980s, with three lead
singers, two guitarists, bassist, keyboard player, and drummer.
In larger groups (such as the Band), instrumentalists could play
multiple instruments, which enabled the ensemble to create a
wider variety of instrument combinations. More modern examples
of such a band are Arcade Fire and the Edward Sharpe and the
Magnetic Zeros. More rarely, rock or pop groups are
accompanied in concerts by a full or partial symphony orchestra,
where lush string-orchestra arrangements are used to flesh out
the sound of slow ballads. Rhys Chatham and Glenn
Branca started doing performances in the late 1970s with
orchestras consisting of 10 to 100 (Branca) and even 400 guitars.
[10]
Some groups have a large number of members who all play the
same instrument, such as guitar, keyboard, horns, or strings.
Role of women
[edit]

This section contains too many or overly lengthy

quotations. Please help summarize the quotations.
Consider transferring direct quotations
to Wikiquote or excerpts to Wikisource. (June 2024)
 Suzi Quatro is a singer, bassist, and
bandleader. When she launched her career in 1973, she was one
of the few prominent female instrumentalists and bandleaders.
Main articles: All-female band and Mixed-gender band
Women have a high prominence in many popular music styles as
singers. However, professional women instrumentalists are
uncommon in popular music, especially in rock genres such
as heavy metal. "[P]laying in a band is largely a male homosocial
activity, that is, learning to play in a band is largely a peer-based...
experience, shaped by existing sex-segregated friendship
networks.[11] As well, rock music "...is often defined as a form of
male rebellion vis-à-vis female bedroom culture."[12] In popular
music, a gendered "distinction between public (male) and private
(female) participation" in music has existed.[12] "[S]everal scholars
have argued that men exclude women from bands or from the
bands' rehearsals, recordings, performances, and other social
activities."[13] "Women are mainly regarded as passive and private
consumers of allegedly slick, prefabricated – hence, inferior – pop
music..., excluding them from participating as high-status rock
musicians."[13] One of the reasons that mixed-gender bands rarely
exist is that "bands operate as tight-knit units in which homosocial
solidarity – social bonds between people of the same sex... –
plays a crucial role."[13] In the 1960s, pop music scene, "[s]inging
was sometimes an acceptable pastime for a girl, but playing an
instrument...simply wasn't done."[14]
"The rebellion of rock music was largely a male rebellion; the
women—often, in the 1950s and '60s, girls in their teens—in rock
usually sang songs as personæ utterly dependent on their macho
boyfriends...".[15] Philip Auslander says that "Although there were
many women in rock by the late 1960s, most performed only as
singers, a traditionally feminine position in popular music".
Though some women played instruments in American all-female
garage rock bands, none of these bands achieved more than
regional success. So they "did not provide viable templates for
women's on-going participation in rock".[16]: 2–3 In relation to the
gender composition of heavy-metal bands, it has been said that
"[h]eavy metal performers are almost exclusively male"[17] "...[a]t
least until the mid-1980s"[18] apart from "...exceptions such
as Girlschool."[17] However, "...now [in the 2010s] maybe more
than ever–strong metal women have put up their dukes and got
down to it",[19] "carv[ing] out a considerable place for
[them]selves."[20] When Suzi Quatro emerged in 1973, "no other
prominent female musician worked in rock simultaneously as a
singer, instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader".[16]: 2 According
to Auslander, she was "kicking down the male door in rock and
roll and proving that a female musician ... and this is a point I am
extremely concerned about ... could play as well if not better than
the boys".[16]: 3