Hard Rock

In the 60s, while the flower power was the greatest hit in America, in the UK, rockers were doing some damage to the ears of the audience. Bands started to play an edgier, harder Blues Rock sound by means of distortion, and a progressive abandon of the hollow-bodied guitars of the 50s. This hard-rocking style gave rise to the ideal of Guitar Hero having names such as Jimi Hendryx, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend or Jimmy page associated with it.

Notable bands include Led Zeppelin, Cream, Queen, Aerosmith and AC/DC.

Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic Rock is, according to the stereotype, a genre of rock in which the artists try to convey a hallucinatory state through music, or play while stoned. Stylistically it derives from the Blues Rock fusion of the early 60s, and came into prominence in the mid-60s in the US.

It branches out into, among others:

-Acid Rock, from the colloquial term 'acid' referring to LSD, was the fashion music in the acid trips of the Hippie age. It features long instrumental parts, few lyrics and lots of musical improvisation. Prominent acts include The Jimi Hendryx Experience, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane and Pink Floyd.

-Space rock, the music of the 'Star Wars' and the Space Race, heavily themed in spacial motifs andconcepts, included bands such as Pink Floyd, David Bowie, or Hawkind.

-Neo-Psychedelia, is a revival movement composed of the so-called 'Indie Bands' who have chosen a psychedelic approach to their keyboard-rich rock. Notable among those are The Flaming Lips, Muse, or Echo and the Bunnymen.

Blues Rock

Blues Rock was the most direct and prominent descendant of Rock n' Roll, drawing a heavier influence from the Blues, employing 12-bar Blues scales and chords en masse and abandoning gradually the piano and reducing the protagonism of the voice into a more guitar-driven rock sound. Notable artists include Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.

Rock n' Roll

The ancestor of all rock subgenres was the so-called Rock n' Roll, by many called Rockabilly, which derived directly from Jazz, R&B and country music. Typically it makes use of basic, old-fashioned drumsets, acoustic basses and acoustic or hollow-bodied electric guitars. The use of pianos is also common. Notable artists in this genre include Elvis Presley, Bill Haley & The Commets, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, the latter also associated with Blues music.