Common Threads Between Rock Music and Classical Music
Introduction: My Experience
When I was younger and took my first dive into the waters of music, I learned how to play the (classical) flute. Shortly after, I began to listen to pop like Coldplay, and OneRepublic. After a couple of years, this combination started feeling flat to me- And dare I say it?!! I was bored. All of it seemed far too calm and understated for my teenage self. Enter: rock music.
As late high school turned into college, my attraction to rock and alt-music grew. I decided to pursue a degree in music education with a flute focus, and thought, perhaps, these passions were at odds with one another. I spent years hiding my love for rock for fear my straight-laced uber-academic colleagues would scoff. I hid my classical-rock crossover arrangements, too, knowing at least one of my close professors would disapprove. It wasn’t until more recently that I realized that the real reason I love rock is because it’s so similar to classical.
Reasons Why Rock and Classical are Similar
In many senses, rock and classical are the same; from the shredding of Paganini and Polyphia to improvisational solos in Bach and bluesy rock, these two genres share many common threads. So it’s no surprise that Rocktopia hit Broadway with such flaming success. These genres were meant for each other. Here are some examples of common threads between rock and classical.
Shredding is Essential to Both Genres
The exact definition of ‘shredding’ is a highly debated subject, but if you ask me, the technical skills required of classical music are pretty rock-and-roll. The following pieces show some serious skills, comparable to that of virtuosic modern-day guitarists:
Paganini’s Caprice No. 5
Barktok’s Violin Concert No. 2
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (Winter mvmt)
Italian violinist Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) was once accused of being possessed’ because he could play so quickly. This earned him the title ‘The devil's violinist.’ It’s reported that he could play up to 12 notes per second. Though Russian guitarist/rocker Sergiy Putyatov blew him out of the water with his 27 notes per second, he was still crazy fast.
I recently saw Canadian violinist Kerson Leong perform Béla Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Toledo Symphony. As I closed my eyes, I imagined that this must’ve been what Paganini’s audience members felt back in the day. I opened them again: The hairs on his bow flew over his head and across his shoulders.
IMSLP/ Public Domain image of the violin solo from Winter
Antonio Vivaldi was yet another virtuoso whose rockin’ compositions provided many challenges. The above solo has a whopping 32 notes per measure. That’s all to say that, while the tonal language of the above pieces is vastly different, the technicality of these dexterous pieces can easily be compared to iconic Richie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix, or Yngwie Malmsteen.
They both have Improvisation
While improv is often associated with blues, jazz, and rock, the original improvised solos date back to early Renaissance music. We didn’t get regular, 5-staff notation until much closer to the times of Bach, though. During the classical Baroque period, large sections of the music were left blank so that the artist could create a unique tune each time.
Unfortunately, classical improvisation has gone by the wayside since the start of the 20th century. But both classical and rock improv were typically over the chords. Speaking of chords…
The Chordal Basis is the Same
Rock and Classical music (as well as many other Western-style genres) can be reduced, ultimately, to their emphasis of 1 and 5. Now, what do I mean by that?
1 and 5 (‘So-Do’in Solfedge, or G-C in open guitar chords) create the resolved feeling you get at the end of most songs. By playing the fifth chord in a key, followed by the first chord (the one based on the tonic) your ears get the sense that the tune is over, or moving on to a new section. At the end of countless symphonies, rock operas, and jams you’ll hear this quintessential chord progression… From tunes inside of American Idiot and the Black Parade to Beethoven's Symphonies.
Musicians of these Genres often Battle Addiction
To quote this article from Classical FM “Composers were just as prone to drug-fuelled excess as their modern rock star equivalents, from alcohol to opium and most things in between”.
Classical and rock musicians share many traits. Unfortunately, drug addiction is extremely common in both genres. Let’s go back to Pagnini for a moment-Niccolo had a serious opium addiction. Sound familiar? Opium is the predecessor to other dangerous street drugs we commonly see today, like fentanyl. Similarly, Berlioz and Chopin struggled with opium. Later, we lost Janis Joplin and Chris Cornell to similar substances.
Alcohol and other drugs are prevalent in the classical world too, then, and now. Mozart, Beethoven, and Jimi Hendrix were alcoholics. Many of today's classical and rock musicians also use beta blockers from the black market.
Use of the Tritone
Rock music borrows some of its sinister sounds from classical music. The tritone is an interval that is the length of 3 full steps on a piano. Again, we come back to the theme of evil - The tritone is also known as the devil’s interval. It has been used as a hidden message in both genres. Classical and rockers' awareness of the tritone is keen.
Camille Saint-Saëns used the tritone to build tension in his Danse macabre, or dance of death. Black Sabbath uses the interval in “Symptom of the Universe”, and Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” is based on the tritone as well.
Rock and Classical are Conceptually Similar
Rock music often is centered around love, sex, drugs, desires, death, and rebelliousness. But what if I told you classical is no different?
The classical retellings of Tristan et Isolde are as romantic, tragic, and lustful as any pop-punk ballad. And the classically scored ballet Petrushka shows insanity, unrequited love, and death. And Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring is about a pagan blood sacrifice. The sheer intensity of the two genres is quite comparable if you look at it in a certain way. Classical music isn’t this calm, meditative music for seas of blue-haired crowds. Especially the old-school stuff. It’s- Metal!
The Rite of Spring was so innovative and experimental for the time that people rioted, not dissimilar to how The Rolling Stone’s Blackpool concert turned into chaos. As rock and classical progress in today's society, they get more and more experimental…and oftentimes, louder. As classical music reached its peak, the romantic orchestra became simultaneously lush and chaotic.
Instrumentation and Orchestration
While the beats and rhythms that are used are quite different, both orchestral music and rock music rely heavily on loud, bombastic percussion at key moments. From low-rumbling timpani to chuggy kick drums, the resemblance is undeniable.
Let’s not forget about strings, either. We might not have had the guitar yet, but strings in symphonies. The strange hand-cranked hurdy-gurdy gives a rich multiphonic sound that reminds me of both music of old, as well as keytars and Celtic-style rock bands like Flogging Molly.
It’s also worth noting that historically new classical instrumentation often calls for wild, bassy instruments like the contrabass bassoon. Like in prog rock and metal, classical music expanded its range into lower and lower sonic territory as it went on.
Furthermore, many of the weird instruments in rock are actually from classical music. For example “Too Afraid To Love You” by The Black Keys features old-school harpsichord, and there are loads of flute and or clarinet in Baroque-rock songs from The Beach Boys and The Left Banke.
Rock and Classical: Conclusion
While rock music ultimately does have more roots in folk and blues than classical music, the two end up being surprisingly similar in many respects, such as structurally, culturally, and conceptually. Thanks for joining me down this niche musical rabbit hole!