The guitar has come a long way since its evolution from the archaic guitar-like instruments of Europe, Egypt, and Mesopotamia over the past centuries. Even since the development of the modern classical guitar in the 19th century, guitar technique and technology has undergone huge changes and revolutions. Perhaps most exciting are the developments the guitar has made in rock music, particularly between the 1950s and 1970s.
The rock and roll genre of the 1950s drew its influences from blues, country music, and gospel, among other American styles of music. While people may disagree about which of these musical styles had a greater influence on the development of rock, each played an important role in developing rock and roll, from basic song structures to instrument techniques.
The way the guitar was used in early rock and roll music made its roots very obvious. The guitar tone Chuck Berry got out of his archtop electric guitar on his 1958 single “Johnny B. Goode” has a warmth and jazzy tone which clearly references early guitar playing and music genres. Yet, while Chuck Berry’s guitar sound lacked later rock guitar elements such as overdrive, his unique style revolutionized guitar playing and forever changed the direction of rock music.
It was Link Wray who pioneered the overdriven electric guitar sound with his 1958 instrumental, “Rumble”, which once again revolutionized the electric guitar sound and opened a world of possibilities for future guitar greats. Yet, even Wray’s distorted guitar was a comparatively soft and polite thing; it didn’t have the aggression, dominance, or volume that came to typify later guitar music.
The 1960s saw new guitarists build onto the work of these early innovators with the emergence of important rock bands such as The Grateful Dead and The Yardbirds. The Yardbirds were an important 60s band in that they focused on guitar solos, distortion, feedback, and helped make the guitar an even more central element of rock. Members of The Yardbirds went on to form other important 60s guitar bands such as Cream, The Jeff Beck Group, and Led Zeppelin. The Grateful Dead pioneered the “jam band” sound during this period with their emphasis on long musical improvisation.
The late 1960s and early 70s saw the dominance of guitarists Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix in particular developed a unique guitar-centred rock sound, with heavy distortion, feedback, complex solos, and electric guitar virtuosity. But as new and innovative as Hendrix’s guitar playing was, it was also influenced by older music, particularly blues, as is evident in the scales he based his solos on and the chords that made up many of his songs. At the same time, Led Zeppelin, with their focus on complex songs and musical virtuosity, became one of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s.
The 1970s continued its focus on over-driven guitar-centered music, with an emphasis on guitar solos and virtuosity, and a further development of psychedelic effects and techniques. Rock music of the 1970s continues to influence the music of today. Indeed, it can easily be argued that today’s rock music is created in a continuous reference to the benchmark music of the 1960s and 1970s Golden Age of Rock.
- Axel
Learning how to play acoustic guitar can be a great hobby. But unless learning the instrument is approached thoughtfully and carefully, the new guitarist can run into problems which might affect how enjoyable playing acoustic guitar can be. Without an understanding of how to develop good playing technique, and a basic knowledge of acoustic guitars, the new guitarist can run into snags very quickly.
Guitar tablature (tab) is the easiest and most convenient to read and write guitar music. Students taking acoustic or electric guitar lessons are usually introduced to guitar tab within their first few lessons. But some guitar tutors don’t teach tab, and many guitarists don’t take guitar lessons at all. For these guitarists, the quicker they take steps to become literate guitarists, the quicker they can become great guitarists.