Introduction to Rock ’n’ Roll Styles

Rock ’n’ roll emerged with a bang onto the American music scene in the 1950s, and popular music has never been the same since. Rock ’n’ roll took elements of the blues, R&B, country, and gospel music, and fused them in a new way to create a highly rhythmic and danceable style. Although this was greatly assisted by the invention of the electric guitar in 1948, there is no doubt that the piano also played a vital part in the development of rock ’n’ roll.

Important rock ’n’ roll pianists from the 1950s include Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnnie Johnson (Chuck Berry’s piano player during the ’50s and ’60s). These pianists all developed a highly energetic playing style, with repeated right-hand eighth notes, often in a very high register on the piano, as well as an emphasis on showmanship. The rock ’n’ roll piano styles from this period have also greatly influenced later generations of rock pianists, including Nicky Hopkins (The Who), Jools Holland (Squeeze), and Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones).

Our first music example is the actual piano “comping” part used by Little Richard on the song “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” The right-hand part consists entirely of triads, in a “shuffle” rhythm at first, and then going into an “eighth-note triplet feel” towards the end of the first 12-bar chorus. Then, in the second chorus, the right-hand triads are played an octave higher, adding to the energy and excitement. Meanwhile, the left hand plays a steady root–5th and root–6th pattern on all of the chords, a ’50s rock ’n’ roll staple.

Our other tune in this chapter is a more “soulful” rock ’n’ roll example, one in the style of Wilson Pickett, whose 1960s Memphis soul sound had a significant rock ’n’ roll (and blues) influence. This mid-tempo groove has a straight-eighths feel, and again uses root-5th and root-6th intervals in the left hand, this time in a steady eighth-note pattern. In the right hand, we are using triads and dyads derived from Mixolydian modes. A Mixolydian mode is simply a major scale displaced to start on its 5th degree, so an F major scale displaced to start on C would be called “C Mixolydian” (C, D, E, F, G, A, and B♭ ). This works great over dominant chords in blues and rock styles. In measures 1–4, on the C7 chord, all of the right-hand figures (except for the grace notes and ♭ 3rd–3rd movements) come from C Mixolydian. Similarly, the pattern in measures 5–6 and the descending triads in measure 10 come from F Mixolydian (a B♭ major scale, displaced to start on F), and so on. Cool, huh?!

Listen to track 54 to hear “Rock My Soul.” This tune is recorded with a rhythm section on the left channel, and the piano part on the right channel; so you can play along with the band by turning down the right channel!

Loading audio…