Band (rock and pop)

"Rock band" redirects here. For the video game series, seeRock Band.

Arock bandorpop bandis 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 BeatlesandKISS). 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 ZeppelinandU2). Sometimes, in addition to electric guitars, electric bass, and drums, also a keyboardist (especially a pianist) plays.

The Beatleswere a four-piece rock-pop band from Liverpool in England. They are pictured here in 1965, celebrating their Grammy win.

Additionally, rock and pop bands can also include boy bands orgirl bands,which many times have bands where the members do not play any instruments but sing and dance instead. Such is the case ofMenudo,theSpice GirlsandK-popbands, for example.

Etymology

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.This word also used in 1931 to describe "one man band" for people who plays several musical instruments simultaneously.

Two members

The Black Keysare a two-part band consisting of drummer and a vocalist/guitarist lineup.

Two-member rock and pop bands (such asthe White Stripes,Tenacious D,the Black Keys,Twenty One Pilots,andRoyal 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, chordalaccompaniment,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.

Other examples of two-member bands areMGMT,WZRD,Pet Shop Boys,Hella,Flight of the Conchords,the Ting Tings,They Might Be Giants(from 1982 to 1992) andT. Rex(until shortly after scoringtheir UK breakthrough hit,at which point they expanded to a four-piece and more).

When electronicsequencersbecame 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 anelectronic drumpart and asynth bassline. Two-member pop music bands such asSoft Cell,Blancmange,andYazooused programmed sequencers. Other pop bands from the 1980s, who were ostensibly fronted by two performers, such asWham!,Eurythmics,andTears 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 includeNinja Sex Party.In the 1990s,Local Hcontinued on as a two-piece when their bassist departed, with guitarist/singerScott Lucasmodifying his guitars by adding a bass pickup for the lower strings.

Starting in the 2000s, blues-influenced rock bands such as the White Stripes andthe Black Keysused a guitar-and-drums scheme.Death from Above 1979featured a drummer and bass guitarist. Tenacious D is a two-guitar band;One Day as a Lionandthe Dresden Dollsboth feature a keyboardist and a drummer.Ratatatcomprises a two-guitar band that uses a drum machine for beats.W.A.S.P.guitaristDoug Blairis also known for his work in the two-pieceprogressive rockband 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 duothe Pity Partyplays drums, keyboards, and sings simultaneously.Royal BloodandThe Gardenare two-piece bands that uses bass and drums along withelectronic effects.

Three members

Main article:Power trio

The Jimi Hendrix Experience,apower trio,performing for Dutch television in 1967: From left to right: singer-guitaristJimi Hendrix,bassistNoel Redding,and drummerMitch 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. theBee GeesorAlkaline Trio).Some well-known power trios with the guitarist on lead vocals arethe Jimi Hendrix Experience,Green Day,Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble,Nirvana,andMuse.

Green Day,apower trio,at2009 MTV Video Music Awards:From left to right: BassistMike Dirnt,singer/guitaristBillie Joe Armstrong,and drummerTré Cool

A handful of others with the bassist on vocals includeThin Lizzy(from 1970 to 1974),Primus,Rush,Motörhead,the Police,andCream.

Some power trios feature two lead vocalists. For example, in the bandBlink-182,vocals are split between bassistMark Hoppusand guitaristTom DeLonge,or in the bandDinosaur Jr.,guitaristJ. Mascisis the primary songwriter and vocalist, but bassistLou Barlowwrites some songs and sings, as well.

An alternative to the power trio is anorgan triosformed 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 organistJimmy Smith,organ trios also exist in rock-oriented styles, such asjazz-rock fusionandGrateful Dead–influencedjam bands,for instanceMedeski Martin & Wood.In organ trios, the keyboard player typically plays aHammond organor 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 theprogressive rockbandEmerson, 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. Thebacking bandmay 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 thefrontmanhas to sing and play guitar at the same time.

Four members

Red Hot Chili Peppersis 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,andthe 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,andU2.Instrumentally, these bands can be considered as trios.

In some bands, the guitarist could also be an occasional keyboardist, like The Who,the Smiths,andJoy Division.Some bands have a keyboardist instead of a guitarist, likeBastilleandFuture Islands. In some rock bands, bassists could be occasional keyboardists like Led Zeppelin andR.E.M.Keyboardists are used in place of bass, performing with a guitarist, singer, and drummer, for instancethe Doors.Some bands have a guitarist, keyboard player, bassist, and drummer, for exampleTalking Heads,theSmall Faces,andPink Floyd.

Some bands have the lead vocalists that are also the pianist and keyboardist such asQueenandColdplay. Some bands have the bassist on lead vocals, such asThin Lizzy(a four-piece from 1974 onwards), Pink Floyd, Motörhead (as a four-piece 1984–1995), NOFX, Skillet, or even the lead guitarist, such asDire Straits,Megadeth,Weezer,andCreedence 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 asthe 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

The Strokesare a five-part band with a lead vocalist, two guitarists, bassist, and drummer lineup.

Cairokeeare 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.Aerosmith,AC/DC,Def LeppardandOasisare 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 bandsYes,Journey,Bon Jovi,Dream Theater,andDeep Purple). Another alternative replaces the rhythm guitarist with aturntablist,such as inDeftones,Incubus,orLimp Bizkit.

Further alternatives include a keyboardist, guitarist, drummer, bassist, and saxophonist, such asthe Sonics,the Dave Clark 5,andSam the Sham and the Pharaohs.Three guitarists may be present with a bassist and a drummer, such as in the bandsRadiohead,Pearl Jam,andthe 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 beingChildren of Bodom,Styx,Tally Hall,The CarsandWhite Reaper). The four-piece arrangement can be augmented to five with asecond drummerplaying a separate full drumkit, such asAdam and the Antsfrom 1980 onwards, although other formations can also be expanded using two drummers such asPink Fairies(1970–1971),the Glitter Band,Wizzard,Sigue Sigue Sputnik,Add N to (X),andRialto.

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 asmaracasandtambourinein the Rolling Stones.Ozzy Osbourneplayed the harmonica on some occasions withBlack Sabbath.Flutes may also be used by vocalists, most notablyIan AndersonofJethro TullandRay Thomasof theMoody Blues.

Larger rock ensembles

Iron Maidenis a six-part band with a lead vocalist, three guitarists, a bassist, and drummer lineup. (Not shown in this image areBruce DickinsonandNicko 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 popularbig-bandjazz andswingand popularized byFrank SinatraandElla Fitzgerald.To create larger ensembles, rock bands often add an additional guitarist, an additional keyboardist, additional percussionists or second drummer, an entirehorn section,and even a flautist. An example of a six-member rock band isTotowith a lead vocalist, guitarist, bassist, two keyboard players, and drummer. Other examples include Australian bandINXSand AmericanBlondie;both consist of a lead vocalist, two guitarists, a keyboard player, a bassist, and a drummer. The American heavy-metal bandSlipknotis composed of nine members, with a vocalist, two guitarists, a drummer, a bassist, two custom percussionists, aturntablist,and a sampler. Brazilian bandTitãs,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 asthe 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 areArcade Fireand theEdward 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 ChathamandGlenn Brancastarted doing performances in the late 1970s with orchestras consisting of 10 to 100 (Branca) and even 400 guitars.Some groups have a large number of members who all play the same instrument, such as guitar, keyboard, horns, or strings.

Role of women

Suzi Quatrois 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 bandandMixed-gender band

Women have a high prominence in manypopular musicstyles as singers. However, professional women instrumentalists are uncommon in popular music, especially in rock genres such asheavy 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.As well, rock music "...is often defined as a form of male rebellion vis-à-vis female bedroom culture."In popular music, a gendered "distinction between public (male) and private (female) participation" in music has existed."[S]everal scholars have argued that men exclude women from bands or from the bands' rehearsals, recordings, performances, and other social activities.""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."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."In the 1960s, pop music scene, "[s]inging was sometimes an acceptable pastime for a girl, but playing an instrument...simply wasn't done."

"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...".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 Americanall-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".In relation to the gender composition ofheavy-metal bands,it has been said that "[h]eavy metal performers are almost exclusively male""...[a]t least until the mid-1980s"apart from "...exceptions such asGirlschool."However, "...now [in the 2010s] maybe more than ever–strong metal women have put up their dukes and got down to it","carv[ing] out a considerable place for [them]selves." WhenSuzi Quatroemerged in 1973, "no other prominent female musician worked in rock simultaneously as a singer, instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader".According to Auslander, she was "kicking down the male door in rock and roll and proving that a femalemusician... and this is a point I am extremely concerned about... could play as well if not better than the boys ".

Variable lineups

Many bands maintain different but consistent lineups for studio recording vs. live performances.Toxic Holocaust,for instance, consisted entirely of a single member within the recording studio for the first 10 years of their existence but still toured as a band with supplementary members on stage. For decadesGenesismaintained two consistent lineups:Tony Banks,Mike RutherfordandPhil Collinsin the studio withChester ThompsonandDaryl Stuermeralways additionally appearing as band members in live performances.

See also

• Side project,a band containing a person or persons already in another band