Conventions of Rock

Rock

I will be discussing the conventions of the rock music genre. It is a popular mainstream genre and became mainstream in the 1960s, it has been around since the 1940s and 1950s with the rock and roll, rhythm and blue (R&B). The sound of rock often revolves around a guitar. This has become a conventional prop to have in a typical rock music video, whether it is being used or not it is part of the iconography. It is an iconic instrument of the genre and can include a electric guitar or acoustic guitar although acoustic guitars are more typically associated with the country music genre.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s rock music developed different sub genres such as folk rock, blues rock and jazz-fusion rock. In the 1970s sub genres such as soft rock, glam rock, heavy metal and hard rock had emerged. These sub genres changed the conventions of the rock genre and it became more about loud distorted guitars, dense bass and drum sounds and vigorous vocals.

Visual imagery played a big role in heavy metal, acts such as Alice Cooper, Kiss and Gwar became famous for outrageous performances and persona's. They brought new conventions into the genre such as long, down-the-back hair, which took the name “heavy mental hair” and “symbolised hate, angst and disenchantment of a generation that seemingly never felt at home”.
Conventional clothes for this genre include blue jeans, black t-shirts, boots and black leather or jeans jackets. Conventional accessories included chains, metal studs, skulls, headbands and jewellery, leather and crosses, influenced by punk and Goth music to horror films. Brightly coloured instruments randomly shaped were typically used by performers. Make up was also conventional, lipstick, eye-liner, gaudy clothing, leopard skin-printed shirts/vests and tight denim, leather or spandex pants.

.

.
.
.
.

.

.

Other conventions of the genre include hand signs to make devil horns. Also stage diving where the performer would jump into the crowd from the stage. Also crown surfing in which a person is passed overhead by the audience, this is most commonly a person from the audience. Moshing or slamming is also typical of a rock concert, whit involves audience members push each other and is usually followed by other conventional acts such as instrument smashing.

Rock is largely associated with drugs. Psychedelic rock is a LSD inspired sub genre with such artists as Jimi Hendrix. Typical aspects of rock include outlandish acts for example Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off of a live chicken on stage, and artists sometime smash their instruments then light them on fire. Black clothing and heavy body piercing is conventional.