Rock ‘n’ Roll. Rock ‘n’ roll is a style of music which began in the 1940s. Born in America, it was created by mixing blue’s and country and western music. Most styles of pop music today have been influenced by Rock ‘n’ Roll!

Elvis Presley Elvis Presley was not the first Rock ‘n’ Roll singer, but he certainly the most famous! In school he was told by his teacher and classmates that he was bad at singing and should give up! Despite this he is still the best selling solo artist in the history of music.

Hollow Body Electric Guitar

E E B

Dynamics! The word ‘dynamics’, refers to the volume of a piece of music. We use different volumes to convey emotions and create feelings. We often use loudness to convey action, excitement or happiness. Softness is used to create mystery or peacefulness.

P – This means Piano, which is Italian for soft P – This means Piano, which is Italian for soft. F – This mean Forte, which is Italian for loud. Let’s try playing a song both ways!

Waltz. p f

What is a Fret? On the Guitar neck there are many thin strips of metal, we call these Frets. How many frets does your guitar have?

We give each space between the frets a number We give each space between the frets a number. The 1st fret, is found at the top of the guitar, close to the head.

Using the left hand. To make more notes we use our Left Hand. First put your thumb on the back of the neck pointing up. Your thumb should be near the Head.

To make new notes we press down the strings close behind the fret To make new notes we press down the strings close behind the fret. Which fret is this persons finger behind?

Reggae! Reggae is a style of music, originally developed in Jamaica. It appeared in the 1960’s. It features a mixture of acoustic and electric instruments.

With your middle finger, press down the G String close behind the second fret and play. This gives us a new note called A!

Bob Marley is the most famous musician in Reggae. As well as being a musician, he was also and activist for spreading peace and tolerance throughout the world.

Solid Body Electric Guitar.

Rhythm so far. Is a Crotchet. Play for 1 beat! Say ‘walk’. Is a pair of quavers. Play 2 in one beat! Say ‘Running’. Is a rest. Stop for one beat!

Musical Shortcuts! Sometimes we can make a long piece of music shorter by using shortcuts. DC al fine means go back to the beginning and stop at fine. Fine (pronounced ‘fee-nay’) is Italian for finish!