Where rock comes from
Rock grew out of 1950s rock and roll and blues, exploded in the 1960s with bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and split into countless styles from hard rock and punk to alternative and indie.
What makes a track sound like rock
- Riff-based hooks
- Live drum energy
- Guitar solos
- Loud, guitar-forward mix
Typical structure
Intro riff, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, guitar solo, final chorus.
Vocals in rock
Rock vocals range from gritty and powerful to clean and anthemic, usually with a big singalong chorus. Name the delivery ("raspy rock vocals", "clean indie vocals") and let the chorus open up.
Prompting tips
Specify the guitar tone ("crunchy", "fuzz", "clean jangle") and the era ("70s classic rock", "2000s indie rock").
Generic "rock" often lands on safe advert rock. A specific era and tone produce more character.
Prompts to start from
70s classic rock instrumental, crunchy guitar riff, Hammond organ, big drums, soaring guitar solo
Indie rock at 140 BPM, jangly clean guitars, driving bass, energetic drums, uplifting chorus
Surf-spy rock with twangy reverb guitar, tom-heavy drums and a tense, cool mood