Genre story · Rock
Instrumental Rock
Rock music trusting its riffs, rhythms and melodies to carry the whole story without a singer.
Instrumental rock has no single point of origin. The electric-guitar instrumentals of the late 1950s and early 1960s gave bands such as the Ventures a huge audience, while the Shadows brought a different melodic voice into the British scene. Later guitar players developed more technically elaborate forms, and independent bands used instrumental writing for longer, patient structures. Contemporary post-rock shares some of that territory, but the label reaches further back than the 1990s.
Melody changes hands
Lead guitar, bass or keyboard can carry a theme that would otherwise belong to a vocal line. The drums might emphasize danceable patterns, as in early Rock instrumentals, or slowly raise the pressure beneath repeated guitar phrases. Instrumental rock can be concise and catchy or extend into long, detailed pieces. It is the role of the instruments, not a predetermined tempo, that links its many forms.
More specific than Instrumental
Those musical relationships should remain distinct, and Instrumental Rock should not be treated as a strict parent of every guitar piece lacking vocals.
Listening landmarks
- 1960The VenturesWalk, Don't Run1960 album. A defining early electric-guitar instrumental sound.
- 1961The ShadowsThe ShadowsMelodic British guitar rock in the wake of their single 'Apache'.
- 2003Explosions in the SkyThe Earth Is Not a Cold Dead PlaceLater instrumental guitar music using extended structures instead of short singles.