According to the Merriam Webster website, music is the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity. Music has many genres to choose from and to fit to all musical tastes. Music, being part of everyone, lives independently of culture, religion or nationality, and is a universal language. Music has the power to take you to the past and make you remember past situations or someone special.
Two of the biggest musical categories in today’s world are rock and pop. Those styles of music use the same instrumentation, the number of musicians on stage are similar, and so is the energy that they use to perform to their fans. However, they are different in many aspects and tendencies. How the lyrics are made, how long the music of the two styles of the bands last and how the bands appear and start their success are some differences between these two genres of music. Rock and pop have similarities that make the music confused between each other’s styles.
Rock and pop bands use the same amount of instrumentation on stage, which is usually two guitars, one set of drums, and one bass guitar. Another similarity is the number of musicians on stage which includes: vocals, guitar players, bass player, drum player, and back vocals. The last similarity is the way both style bands perform. Both styles perform with a strong stage presence, being very active on stage. Some examples of bands that are pop bands and are confused as rock bands are: ‘N Sync, Backstreet Boys, and Justin Bieber.
While there are similarities between the two genres, there are also many differences. First major difference between rock and pop genre bands are the way they make their music. Most of the Rock bands write their songs about anything they care about with no censure. Rock songs talk about love, emotions, sex, drugs, life, death, or suicide and the songs have a deep meaning for the musician who wrote and for the public, who relate the music with their own lives. A good rock song last forever, and it has been played on radio stations for years.
On the other hand, pop songs usually are made for record companies or someone writes silly songs and then the bands or the record companies buy it to make a profit with a song that goes to the top of the billboards for two or three months and then disappears in the same way that it appeared. Pop songs talk about a crush or something with no importance. Pop songs are seasonal, while rock songs last forever. The second major difference is how long the bands of the rock and pop genres last and make their success. Rock bands make songs to last generations.
Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Beatles, Nirvana, and The Doors are some of the bands whose songs are played every day. Rock bands never die and contaminate every generation on their path. Pop bands are made to produce profit and for temporary success. A pop band lasts three to four years and then disappears without notice. Pop artists are made in studios and with an image set up to attract a target public. A pop artist sometimes doesn’t even sing well, but has a pretty face and dances well, attracting fans and money. It is hard to think of a pop band that makes great success and stays on the top for a long period of time.
For a pop band, five years is considered a really long career. The last but not least difference is how the rock and pop bands are created and start their success. Rock bands usually have a tough path to their success, starting in a garage and playing in the local bars and in small band competitions. They gain fans along on the way, making them famous in a geographic area then going national. On the other hand, pop bands start their success with paid spaces on the radio time and targeting young fans. A pop band starts their success in the top of the billboards, decreases in success and then disappears.
The record companies choose what fashion is at the time and launch a product set to be extinct soon. In conclusion, rock and pop have more differences than similarities. The number of people on stage, how they perform on stage, the kind of instruments played and the speed of music is very similar in the two styles, but how the lyrics are made, how long the music of the two styles of the bands last and how the bands appear and start their success are the differences. It is good to hear good music independently of genre, but it is always good to sit and hear an old and good rock and roll song.
