Watch the video below.
Published by Vox, it links Bruno Mars to Igor Stravinsky by taking a look at their use of the famous ‘orchestra hit.’ You probably won’t recognize it from its name, but you most definitely will after hearing it. It’s the famous sound effect that swarmed the 80’s. Nearly every single pop hit from the decade makes use of the now iconic effect. From Michael Jackson to Duran Duran, from Yes to The Smiths, everyone experimented with the sound during the 80’s, with it appearing frequently throughout the 90’s as well thanks to the likes of Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. What might not be known is where the orchestra hit originates from. One might be surprised to learn that the effect now synonymous with pop was first used by the Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky. It made its first appearance in his ‘Firebird Suite,’ and the rest is history.
As interesting as this is however, there is one musical influence that I find more interesting than this. Being a rock and metal fan, what I’m fascinated with is obviously deeply rooted in those genres. What I’m fascinated by is the origin of the distorted guitar sound.
Guitar distortion occurs when the signal is pushed past the its maximum threshold, compressing the sound and adding additional sustain, harmonics, and overtones, creating a distorted sound. Before 1964, guitar distortion was used minimally in blues and rock n’ roll, as the genres were still trying to find their footing and define their sound. However, The Kinks changed all this with their smash hit, “You Really Got Me.” The Kinks’s guitarist, Dave Davies, achieved this distorted tone by slicing the speaker of his guitar in frustration, and poking it with a pin. After discovering the different sound it created and showing it to the band, they decided that it should feature on their next single, which just so happened to be a worldwide hit. Due to the popularity of the song, the distorted guitar sound spread into the mainstream as well. Next year, Keith Richards used a similar song on the Rolling Stones classic, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” cementing distortion’s place in rock and metal for the years to come.
I really like everything expanded in this post, however, if I HAD to add something or look at this question with a different perspective I would look more into blues and jazz and how that led up to the The Kink’s song. It is probably hard to answer this question as it is very interconnected- one style of playing led to a more evolved and new style- so it may be difficult to pin down which exact influence is preferred. But if you are looking at particular genres and not historically- it becomes easier. One question I ask after this relates to how technology has, is and will affect our music in the future.
Yes, that’s one thing that’s difficult since everything pretty much lead to another during the early days of rock music. Thanks for the comment!
If I were answering the question you selected, one difference between your opinion and my opinion would probably be music affects my mood and my opinion of life.
The thing that makes the question you selected difficult to answer is the meaning of the title is a bit unclear
Your post now makes me wonder if we should be asking the following question Is rock music really interesting or something else
You write very well，by the way
1) If I were answering the question you selected, one difference between your opinion and my opinion would probably be that guitar distortion is in no way pleasant and I find it impossible to like the sound.
2) The thing that makes the question you selected difficult to answer is how and where the original idea of distortion came from and how did it come this far?
3) Your post now makes me wonder if we should be asking the following question; where is the true beauty in guitar distortion? Is it pleasant? Why do people like it? What do you like about it?