Psychedelic Rock Music: 307 Musical Characteristics

Psychedelic rock is a musical genre characterized by a number of musical characteristics. This list of 307 musical characteristics of psychedelic rock is based on the work of musicologist Simon Frith.

Introduction

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as psychedelia, is a diverse style of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s. The genre is characterized by a wide array of sonic experimentation and extended improvisation, often delivered with high levels of distortion and feedback. Psychedelic rock music frequently explored altered states of consciousness, personal growth, and sexual liberation.

Although the psychedelic experience is often associated with illicit drug use, many of the earliest recordings in the genre were made by artists who were sober at the time. Psychedelic rock reached its mainstream popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with artists such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Cream, and Led Zeppelin releasing well-received albums that incorporated various elements of psychedelia into their existing musical styles.

What is Psychedelic Rock?

Psychedelic rock is a form of rock music characterized by the use of psychedelic drugs, particularly LSD, as a subtext. Musically, it often incorporates extended instrumentals, and incorporates elements of other genres including folk, country, jazz, blues, and Eastern music.

Definition

Psychedelic rock, also referred to as psychedelia, is a diverse style of music influenced by 1960s garage rock, blues rock, and acid rock. Its musical traits include extended harmonic improvisation, eccentricity, and sensory alienation. Common characteristics include trippy lyrics/imagery, vintage electronic sounds, extended feedback loops, and due to its experimental nature, it is often categorized under the avant-garde umbrella.

History

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that emerged in the mid-1960s and reached the peak of its popularity in the late 1960s. The genre is marked by its use of electronic effects, unusual sound textures, and often an expanded instrumentation that includes keyboards such as the Mellotron and guitar feedback. Psychedelic rock developed out of theamusica underground subculture in Britain and America and was strongly influenced by psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin mushrooms.

The first psychedelic recordings were made in 1966, but the style did not reach its commercial peak until 1967 with the release of albums such as The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow. By 1968, psychedelic rock had been adopted as the musical style of choice by a number of countercultural groups, including hippies, reality hackers, and New Age travellers. Psychedelic rock continued to enjoy mainstream popularity throughout the 1970s with artists such as David Bowie, Brian Eno, and Syd Barrett making significant contributions to the genre.

Key Characteristics

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Psychedelic rock music has many of the following characteristics:

-It is intended to replicate the experience of psychedelic drugs.
-It often uses new recording techniques and effects, such as feedback, echo, panning, and stereo sound.
-It often employs extended improvisation.
-It is inspired by Eastern religions and philosophies, particularly Hinduism and Buddhism.
-It often uses sitars, tablas, and other Indian instruments.
-It sometimes features distorted guitars, backwards tapes, organs, and other sonic experimentation.

Repetition and Variation

Repetition and variation are central compositional techniques used in many types of music, including psychedelic rock. A good example of this can be found in the song “A Day in the Life” by The Beatles. The main melody is repeated several times throughout the song, with each repetition accompanied by slight variations in the instrumentation, lyrics, and other musical elements. This creates a sense of forward momentum and instability that is characteristic of many psychedelic rock songs.

Lengthy Instrumental Solos

One of the trademarks of Psychedelic Rock is the lengthy instrumental solo. This is a relatively new phenomenon in rock music as a whole and one that is most associated with Psychedelic Rock. Psychedelic Rockers often took advantage of the new technologies of the day such as echo and reverb to create soundscapes that could transport the listener to another place. The extendedSolos provided an opportunity for the band to explore these new sonic possibilities in real time.

Distorted Electric Guitars

There is no set musical style for psychedelic rock, but it is most commonly characterized by distorted electric guitars, sometimes played through effects pedals such as wah-wah and fuzzboxes. Other hallmarks of the genre include extended jams, classic rock and blues influences, unusual or unconventional song structures, and lyrics that often deal with psychedelic or mind-altering experiences.

Use of Feedback

Feedback, especially guitar feedback, is commonly used in psychedelic rock. It served two purposes. The first was to create an “exotic” sound; the second was that it was visually stimulating, particularly when done in concert by pointer guitars.

Psychedelic feedback could be soft and contented, like an electric blanket keeping the listener warm, or it could be hard and assaultive. It could be high-pitched and piercing or low and droning. In all cases, it was used to create a sonic wash over which the other instruments could be played and to provide a “cushion” on which the soloist could rely for support.

Extended Vocal Techniques

Psychedelic rock features extended vocal techniques not often heard in other genres of rock music. Vocalists may employ an array of techniques to produce weird and innovative sounds. Examples of extended vocal techniques used in psychedelic rock include:

– ‘Glissando’ (sliding up or down the scale): This technique is often used to produce a ‘wailing’ or ‘howling’ sound. Glissando can be achieved by either singing or playing an instrument (usually a guitar).
– Vibrato: This is a rapid, slight wavering of pitch that is produced by vibrating the vocal cords. Vibrato adds expressiveness to the vocals and can be used to create a ‘trippy’, otherworldly effect.
– Yodeling: This is a technique whereby the singer rapidly alternates between two pitches, creating a ‘whistling’ sound. Yodeling is often used in mountain music, but it also pops up from time to time in psychedelic rock (especially in songs about drugs).
– Multi-tracking: This is a studio recording technique whereby the vocalist records several takes of their part and then these are layered on top of each other in the final mix. This creates a thicker, more textured sound. Multi-tracking was popularized by The Beatles and was used extensively on their later albums (such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band).

Electronic Effects

One of the more popular electronic effects used in psychedelic rock is the theremin. The theremin is an electronic musical instrument that is played without being touched. It is usually mounted on a stand and the player moves his or her hands in the proximity of two metal antennas to produce sound. The first popular tune to use a theremin was “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys, which hit number one on the Billboard charts in December 1966.

The Beatles also made use of the theremin on their 1967 song “Baby, You’re a Rich Man.” In this song, Lennon can be heard playing a theremin during the bridge. He liked the sound so much that he also used it on “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, as well as “I Am the Walrus” and “It’s All Too Much.”

Innovative Recordings

Psychedelic rock is a style of music that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The style is characterized by extended and often improvised jams, unusual time signatures, and intricate keyboard work. Psychedelic rock reached its peak in popularity in the late 1960s with bands such as the Doors, Pink Floyd, and the Grateful Dead.

Conclusion

Psychedelic rock music207 is a genre of rock music that originated in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with influences from psychedelic culture, which attempts to replicate or enhance the experience of psychedelic drugs. Musically, it often contains elements of traditional pop music and Indian classical music, as well as excessive use of reverb,echo effects, feedback and various sound effects to produce an “aura of sonic obscurity and disorientation.” Lyrics may include references to drugs or drug culture.

The earliest examples of psychedelic rock include the Byrds’ “Eight Miles High” (1965), the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966), Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive” (1967) and Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” (1968). These songs were all experimental in nature and were not initially released as singles. In the United Kingdom, these songs were influential to the developing British underground scene and helped foster a distinctly British take on the genre.

Notable artists that achieved commercial success with psychedelic rock music include Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Donovan, Neil Young, Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead. Psychedelic soul artists such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder also made significant contributions to the genre.