What defines rock music?Can rock be rock without heavy guitars?
I have always wondered that.
I used to think rock = heavy guitars
But i have heard songs form rock bands that don’t actuality include guitars.
So what defines rock music? What separates it from pop?
Don’t tell me pop is pop because it’s popular.
Rock bands are as popular too.
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I used to think rock = heavy guitars
But i have heard songs form rock bands that don’t actuality include guitars.
So what defines rock music? What separates it from pop?
Don’t tell me pop is pop because it’s popular.
Rock bands are as popular too.
By: 3
About the Author:

March 27th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
this defines rock….
pop music is a couple decades older than rock. when rock and roll came on the scene it was included on the pop charts, it wasn’t seperated from the pop charts until the late 60′s early 70′s. led zeppelin, pink floyd, the beatles, and many other bands considered the greats all charted on the pop charts. there is a fine line between rock and pop, and often the terms are interchangeable when talking about music.
March 29th, 2010 at 7:54 am
Sure it can be.. why not?
March 31st, 2010 at 5:01 am
Even when they sound similar, pop music tends to be more safe than rock music.
And no, rock doesn’t have to have heavy guitars, of course not. When rock was younger, artists like Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Elvis, and Jerry Lee Lewis characterized different varieties of rock n roll with steady rhythms, emphasis on the downbeat, and tons of energy. Look at well-known tracks like Johnny B Good and Jailhouse Rock for example… lots of energy, and nary a distorted guitar in sight. Although they aren’t Three Days Grace or AC/DC, they still rock. Even later bands, like the Beatles, didn’t use distorted guitars.
Rock music, to me, is dangerous, edgy, and energetic. Rock artists have tended to be a little wild and crazy and pushed the boundaries in their day… from Elvis shaking his hips on national tv to heavy rock artists like Eddie Van Halen partying and trashing hotel rooms.
Its worth mentioning that punk rock, a subgenre of rock, had a few artists who didn’t use a lot of distortion – the Clash didn’t use much distortion at all, for instance.
While pop music can be controversial and push some boundaries (Madonna, Michael Jackson etc) and can be energetic and well-written (Elton John), it just isn’t rock… where is the danger? Where is the rebelliousness?
Yeah. My two cents, at least.
Saul