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Year 10 - Music

The origins of rock: blues into rock 'n' roll

Developing understanding of pop music: rock, blues and rock 'n' roll

Unit Summary

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Lesson Summary

You will learn to identify the key features of blues and can perform the 12-bar blues chords with an improvised melody.

Key Notes

  • Rock 'n' roll is an energetic style that developed in the 1950s.
  • It was very popular with young people and became the first successful pop style.
  • It incorporates key blues features, including the 12-bar blues.
  • This is a repeating chord sequence which uses the primary chords I, IV and V.
  • It also typically uses either a pentatonic or a blues scale (a minor pentatonic with a blue note added) in the melody.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • 12-bar blues: The 12-bar blues is the standard chord sequence in blues, based on chord I, IV and V.
  • Pentatonic scale: A pentatonic scale is a set of five notes, often used for melodies and improvisation.
  • Blues scale: A blues scale is a minor pentatonic scale with an added blue note between the 4th and 5th.
  • Blue note: A blue note is a chromatic note that isn't in the key signature. It is usually the flattened 3rd, 5th or 7th.
  • AAB structure: An AAB structure is a melodic structure commonly used in blues and rock 'n' roll where the A phrase is performed twice followed by a different (B) phrase.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Blues is an old style of music that isn't relevant anymore.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Rock 'n' roll is an energetic style that developed in the 1950s. It was very popular with young people and became the first successful pop style.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? '12-bar blues'

The 12-bar blues is the standard chord sequence in blues, based on chord I, IV and V.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Blues is an old style of music that isn't relevant anymore. Correction: While it's true that blues first developed more than a century ago, it continued to be an important style all through the 20th century and up to the present day. It shaped many different styles (including rock) that came to be incredibly important.

More Lessons In This Unit

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