An Eſſay

upon the Fundamental Principles

of Rock and Roll Muſic

by Ted A. Campbell, AA (Lon Morris College), BA (University of North Texas),
BA (Oxon), MA (Oxon), PhD (Southern Methodist University), ADHD (always)


It is meet and right that we should lay before those as yet uninitiated the fundamen-
tal principles of that musical genre that hath been called ‘rock and roll,’ revealing
thereunto the wisdom that hath been graciously apportioned unto the lore masters
of ages past, those gifted and experienced in the arts and the performance of rock
and roll music. For in truth it is upon a small number of essential or fundamental
principles that rock and roll music is based, and, once comprehended, these funda-
mental principles illuminate both the performance and the appreciation of this mu-
sical genre.


1. Of the End or Goal of Rock and Roll Performance

Our essay beginneth, then, with the most fundamental of all of these principles. The
end or goal of rock and roll performance is the evocation of passion, especially sexual
passion. To this end we should enquire: what doth the expression ‘rock and roll’
mean? And in answer thereunto may we refer to that most venerable guide to verbal
usage, the Urban Dictionary, which hath defined the immediately precedent expres-
sion ‘rockin and rolling’ in this manner:

Early Black slang for sex. Later used to express the type of dancing that was
done in the 30's, 40's and 50's that was said to simulate the sexual act.1

It is for this very reason that our grandmothers did exclaim that,

Rock and roll music is filthy.

Which saying is true and worthy of full acceptance only, of course, if rock and roll
music is performed well, which is to say, only if it is performed with that passion
that our elders took to be filthy despite the obvious fact that they did somehow
manage to propagate the human species and for which we may all render due grati-
tude.

1 http://urbandictionary.com, s.v. “Rockin and Rolling.”
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So, the character portrayed by Mr Jack Black in The School of Rock may not have
been entirely accurate in claiming that rock and roll music is all about ‘The Man.’
Sexual passion lieth at the very heart of it, even if Mr Black’s character was reluctant
to express that unto schoolchildren.


2. Of the Beat as the Fundamental Element of Rock and Roll

Rock and Roll evoketh passion by means of certain further principles that may be
discreetly described. It hath been sung that,

The heart of rock and roll is the beat,2

and of our own experience have we come to know and to trust and to believe that
this claim standeth as a preeminent truth, pointing us to the fundamental single el-
ement of rock and roll music. An early Merseyside variation of rock and roll was
simply and appropriately called ‘beat music.’

The principal beat is generally given by the bass drum within the percussion array,
though it requireth to be consonant with the bass guitar or other bass instruments
(see principle number four, below). It is the most fundamental duty of the percus-
sionist to provide a beat appropriate to the particular passion to be evoked.

We may observe, then, that the alteration or cessation of the beat provideth one of
the most dramatic means by which rock and roll music may be varied. The altera-
tion or cessation of the principal beat should never be entered into unadvisedly, but
reverently, discretely, and in the proper fear of all who hearken unto thy music.


3. Of the Off-Beats and the Drive

Second only to the importance of the principal beat of rock and roll music is the de-
lightful interplay of the principal beats with the off-beats. It is typical that if the prin-
cipal beats are performed on the bass drum, the off-beats are performed on the
snare drum, or on closed high-hat cymbals. And yet doth the percussionist have
available a vast array of instruments and other devices producing highly varied
sounds that can be utilised in the interplay of principal beats and off-beats. The wor-
thy percussionist, then, must experiment with sounds, constantly beating on objects
in the world around her or him, and thus discerning with wisdom those which offer
the richest combinations of principal beats and off-beats.


2 From the lyrics to “The Heart of Rock & Roll” by Messrs Johnny Colla and Huey Lewis.
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Now I shall reveal unto thee a great mystery wherein lieth the secret that giveth
drive and impulse to rock and roll music. Although the principal beats must be per-
formed strictly on time, the off-beats need to be performed ever-so-slightly ahead of
the moment wherein they should be expected according to precise musical timing. It is
this internal secret of the slightly precipitous timing of the off-beats that giveth unto
rock and roll music its secret and inward drive.

And yet herein lieth one of the gravest of difficulties for rock and roll percussionists.
It is very tempting to allow the impulse or drive of the off-beats to force the princi-
pal beats to accelerate. But the impulse or drive is actually lost in acceleration, and
the music doth thereby degenerate into those frenetic and illegitimate subspecies
that have been called ‘ska-punk’ or ‘thrash’ which have indeed speed but lose the
precipitous timing of the offbeats; and the very worst example of this is the most
horrendous abomination of Disco music that wanteth both speed and precipitous
offbeats and thus offendeth by a clockwork beat to which elevator music is attached.

The rock and roll percussionist, therefore, must be able to accomplish three tasks:
1) to provide the principal beat appropriate to the passion evoked, 2) to provide off-
beats that are timed just ahead of the expected position in strict temporal sequence,
and 3) to provide sufficient variation appropriate to the development of a song. And
blessed is that percussionist who can accomplish these three noble tasks simultane-
ously.


4. Of the Conſonance between the Baſs Drum and the Baſs Guitar

One of the most fundamental consonances in rock and roll music must be that con-
sonance between the bass drum of the percussion array and the bass guitar or other
bass instruments that may be employed. For ancient men of yore such as Mr William
Haley and his Comets did employ the bass viol in this manner. Since the advent of
the electric bass guitar, the latter hath generally supplied the want of a bass instru-
ment, though others yet again have employed MIDI keyboards for bass sounds and
Mr Steve Winwood doth utilise the bass pedals of the Hammond organ to great ef-
fect and—to the point here—in perfect consonance with the bass drums in his en-
semble.

This meaneth not, of course, that the bass guitarist must play only on the principal
beats. It denoteth rather, that when the bassist and the percussionist both play on
principal beats, they must be in perfect consonance. A means to attain unto this end
is to practice in such a manner that only the bass drum and the bass guitar are actu-
ally sounded, with all other sounds muted during this practice interval.

This principle is of such importance that it hath lain at the core of many disputes be-
tween able musicians. It mattereth not if the percussionist be Mr Best or Mr Starr; if

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the consonance between Sir Paul the bassist and his percussionist is not perfectly in
consonance, then one must go, even if it is Best. Far worse, of course, are those false
pretenders to rock music who completely fail to recognise the importance of this
consonance. Woe be unto them! For it would be better if they returned to their
trades and produced edifying spread sheets than producing rock and roll without
this most necessary consonance.


5. Of the Rhythm Guitar as a Percuſſion Instrument

Only now may we consider the guitar and its role in rock and roll music. And we
begin by considering the humbler role of the rhythm guitarist, who doth not intend
‘to make [the guitar] cry or sing.’3 It hath been the custom of pedagogues to teach
young children to play many-stringed chords on the guitar from the very first days
of their instruction. This in turn leadeth unto the deeply misguided impression that
a rhythm guitarist’s principal work is to strum full chords, but do not be thus fooled,
thou attentive denizen of rock and roll dives!

For the full chord is such a powerful musical device, especially upon the amplified
electric guitar, that it must be utilised only at the most dramatic points in the devel-
opment of a song, certainly not all the way through. Consider, rather, that the guitar
is yet another rhythmic, percussive instrument, but one capable of at least occasional
musical tones in keeping with the chordal structure of a song.

Place thy fingers, therefore, upon the frets as if4 thou were prepared to play chords,
but do not at all times play full chords with five or six strings. Rather, pluck the
strings playfully in a rhythm that builds upon the fundamental consonance of the
bass drum, the bass guitar, and the off-beats. At certain points it is not even im-
portant to sound notes upon the strings, but only to generate percussive sounds
from muted strings. The rhythm guitarist’s principal duty is thus to supply rhythm,
and only secondarily to supply harmonic consonance when and if it be needful. And
very often it isn’t.

A rhythm guitarist that followeth not this advice placeth his own soul and that of his
ensemble at terrible risk. It is for this very reason that wise ones of old have stated
that the aerodynamic efficiency of a guitarist’s automobile may be improved by re-
moving the pizza delivery sign from the top thereof. Beware, budding rhythm gui-
tarists! Place not thy trust in full chords, for of such are the abominations of the Dis-
conites!

3 From the lyrics to “Sultans of Swing” by Mr Mark Knopfler.
4 John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion IV.17.10–12; in John T. McNeill, ed., Calvin: Insti-
tutes of the Christian Religion (2 vols.; Library of Christian Classics series; Philadelphia: The
Westminster Press, 1960), 2:1370–73.
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6. Of the Uſe of the Voice

Although the solo voice employed in rock and roll music may engage a multiplicity
of vocal styles, it may not be sweet or mellifluous in a sustained manner, as was the
vocal style of Mr Gary Puckett, whose musical ensemble ‘The Union Gap’ was entire-
ly superfluous because Mr Puckett was, as all recognised, a crooner of the genre of
Messrs Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby before him. In a parallel way might we sug-
gest that such sweetness as that of the late Ms Karen Carpenter, though it doth move
the heart and excite gentle passions, doth not excite the more savage passions char-
acteristic of the genre of rock and roll, strictly defined. Mellifluity of the voice
standeth, in general, contrary to the expression and excitation of the peculiar pas-
sions to which rock and roll music doth aspire, though it is possible that it might be
employed for a short season in order to provide a notable contrast with stronger
vocal passages within the same song.

In the vocal performance of rock and roll music, appropriate passion must take prec-
edence over pitch, rhythm, and all other considerations. Imagine thou what might
have been the horrific result, if Ms Janis Lyn Joplin had always sung on pitch and in
perfect rhythm! O Lord, spare thou us!

This is not to say, of course, that a rock and roll vocalist may sing consistently off-
pitch or off-rhythm. May the Lord preserve us from such a fate as well! It is to say
that control of pitch and rhythm must play a role secondary to that of the expression
of passion in the performance of rock and roll.

In fact, the challenge for the solo rock and roll vocalist lieth precisely in the attempt
to express musical passion very nearly within the conventional boundaries of vocal
performance, only violating these boundaries at precisely the right moments to
evoke the passions appropriate to rock and roll. This balance is not easily achieved
without the assistance of a vocal coach who can instil basic principles of vocal per-
formance and yet allow for the expression of intense emotion appropriate to the
genre.

It lieth well beyond the limits of this essay to discuss the use of tight harmony in
such ensembles as the Beatles (early in their careers), Crosby, Stills, Nash, and (pos-
sibly) Young, or the Vienna Boys Choir Beach Boys. The reader is referred to stand-
ard works on vocal harmony. But we may venture a thought on the role of support-
ing vocalists, and that is to observe that their role doth in many respects parallel that
of the rhythm guitarist in that they supply both rhythmic as well as harmonic con-
sonance and contrast, and their role in supplying rhythm must be underscored in
the performance of rock and roll, a role well illustrated by the famous Pips who ac-
companied Ms Gladys Knight.

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7. Of the Place of Inſtrumental Soloes

Instrumental soloes may be employed to give variety to rock and roll music, especial-
ly following a lengthy period of vocal performance. Percussion soloes, in particular,
serve the noble function of providing freedom for other members of the ensemble to
eat and drink and relax in manners befitting the genre.

In these last decadent decades, it hath become the common way to teach guitarists
to perform soloes by teaching certain scales or chords and encouraging the learning
guitarist to experiment with more or less random notes within the boundaries sup-
plied by scales or chords. But these alone do not suffice in place of melody, which
requireth a non-random selection of notes in a scale. May we rather suggest that the
soloist begin with the melodies employed in the song, then learn to alter and orna-
ment these melodies.

It is in the alteration and ornamentation of melodies that the soloist wanteth all of
the distinctive sounds available unto her instrument. For guitars, this requireth the
use of such acoustic techniques as hammer-ons, pull-offs, and bends, as well as dis-
tinctly electronic alterations of sound that might involve distortion, effects pedals
and other processors. Here indeed doth the soloist need to make the instrument ‘cry
or sing,’ as Mr Knopfler not only hath said, but hath embodied so very well. If the
crying and singing of the solo instrument can mimic the crying and singing and pas-
sion of a vocal soloist, the musicians may offer yet a richer range of consonances and
contrasts for the delight of hearers of their performance. Let aspiring lead guitarists
thoroughly acquaint themselves with the masterpiece guitar soloes of the classical
era, including the works of Mr Carlos Santana, Sir James Page, Mr Eddie Van Halen,
Mr Peter Frampton, and Mr James Orval Hendrix as well as Mr Knopfler himself.


8. Of the Ornamentation and Variation of Rock and Roll Muſic

Imagine not that ornamentation should be by any means be taken as superfluity. Far
from it! Ornamentation denoteth all of those means by which music acquireth varie-
ty and interest beyond the most fundamental elements described above. The sim-
plest manner of ornamentation is the providence of consistent sounds that build pas-
sion, for example, the consistent and extended use of the ride cymbal that builds a
sense of tension commensurate with the expression of passion in rock and roll mu-
sic. Electronically produced sounds may also be utilised in this manner, as illustrated
by the musical dexterity of the ensemble Daft Punk.

The variation of rock and roll music often followeth a pattern common to folk-music
genres which may be described by the cipher AABA (not to be confused with the
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Swedish ensemble ABBA) which denoteth two verses following a set metrical pat-
tern (A), followed by a different metrical pattern sometimes described as a break
strain (B), whereafter appeareth a verse following the metrical pattern (A) estab-
lished earlier in the song. Beyond this generally pattern, however, a rock musician
will need to exercise the divinely-given grace of creativity in delighting and occa-
sionally shocking their hearers with newly discovered patterns of variation.

The most exalted and most deeply passionate strains of rock and roll music typically
employ an extraordinary combination of deeply-layered elements and ornamenta-
tion. But do not thou dismiss the possibility of a dramatic cessation of the beat (see
principle one above), or a dramatic reduction of instrumentation as a means of
heightening certain passions.

In fact, dear reader, in the stead of a set formula, consider rather the evolution of
sexual passion as an analogy to the variation and development of rock and roll per-
formance. The only manner in which this analogy might possibly fail would be that
rock and roll music oftentimes sustaineth a prolonged climax, which might be a
phantasy applied strictly to its sexual analogue.


❖❖❖❖

These be the fundamental principles of rock and roll music which we have been
taught by the wise ones of yore who handed on this tradition unto us and which we
with trepidation do hand on unto thee and unto subsequent generations following
thee. Thy duty it is to study and learn these principles and to apply them consistent-
ly in thy performance and composition. And once thou hast mastered these princi-
ples, it shall be thy bounden duty to violate them in delightful and shocking ways. So
shalt thou bless all who hearken unto thy music, and so shalt thou shake us all night
long.5 And so in the end may thou be blessed even if thou canst not secure thy suste-
nance thereby.

... for in the end the love you take
is equal to the love you make.6

5 Alluding to the lyrics to the song ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ by AC/DC, though the precise lyri-
cist(s) remain as-yet unrevealed.
6 From the lyrics to the song ‘The End,’ by Sir Paul McCartney.
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“An Essay upon the Fundamental Principles of Rock and Roll Music”
by Ted A. Campbell
version 1.0
3 April 2018
The Commemoration of Richard, Bishop of Chichester

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