Hard Rock |
New Era |
Funk / Disco |
Others |
Characteristics
Hard rock is a variation of rock and roll and is strongly influenced by blues music ; in fact, the most frequently used scale in hard rock is the pentatonic , which is a typical blues scale . However, unlike traditional rock and roll, which takes elements of the "old" blues , hard rock borrows elements of the so-called British blues , a style of blues played with more modern instruments such as electric guitars , drums and electric bass .
The term hard rock is often applied to many styles of rock, their only common feature being that they deviate from pop rock , though this is generally incorrect. Two such examples are punk rock and grunge . Punk rock uses a faster tempo and fewer riffs (also known as power chords ). Grunge can be classified as being much more extreme than hard rock.
The predominant instrument in hard rock is the electric guitar . Virtuoso guitarists are very prevalent in hard rock, examples of which include Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin , Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Rainbow , and Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen . Drums are also a basis of hard rock because they sustain the rhythm of the music, and create an energetic drive that keeps the music flowing.
