Rock Music And The Brain - Side Effects?

I am sure that there has been a decent amount of money dumped into research involving the connection between rock music and the brain. For years, many conservative adults have been shouting about how rock music is a "pollutant" and that it deteriorates the mind. However, we all know that this old conception of rock music will soon be gone. In the meantime, however, let us think about some of the benefits that it can have on the brain.

First of all, how many times have you heard the classic story about children being exposed to music at an early age and then developing musical talent? I personally cannot count how many times that I've heard that one. Not to mention, those who develop an interest in music at a young age tend to have a desire to play music. Learning how to read and write music certainly promotes mental development, and it is no different than trying to learn any other foreign language like English or Spanish.

I hope this did not sound like too much of a rant, but occasionally I will hear an old-fashioned opinion about rock music and it frustrates me. To conclude my argument, I will leave you with the following thought about rock music: listen to it, play it, read it, write it, talk about it, and last but not least, enjoy it!

Rock Music Videos on Sony BMG's Channel

The next time you are browsing through YouTube for music videos, be sure to check out the "SonyBMG" channel. Sony BMG and Legacy Recordings have uploaded over 1,600 of their award-winning music videos from the past few decades. If you are looking for strictly rock music videos, then you can browse through tons of them from artists like Journey, Kansas, Korn, Cake, Warrant, Suicidal Tendencies, Live and plenty more.

This is a great way to have access to free music videos, and why not? You are most likely already browsing through YouTube and now you have a great channel that you can check out. Of course, Sony and BMG have also uploaded music from plenty of rap and R&B artists so do not be surprised if you have to do a little bit of searching for the Rock videos.

Underground Instrumental Rock Music

In recent years, I have developed a great interest in instrumental rock music and I would like to share with you some of the underground bands that I have listened to. Some of these bands could be put in the category of "indie rock" but they are still instrumental nonetheless.

Some of my favorites are bands like Pele, Ghosts and Vodka, Explosions in the Sky, Tristeza, Ray Barbee and Godspeed You Black Emperor. Of course, you will not find any of these bands on the radio because mainstream fans tend to only like music with lyrics. It is hard to market something that doesn't have an image with lyrics to accompany it, and that is why instrumental rock will probably never get the popularity that it deserves.

However, this can also be a good thing. I personally like the fact that I listen to particular artists and bands that not many other people know about. Knowing that there are artists out there who continue to make music despite their lack of success is something wonderful. If any of the artists that I mentioned above break through to the mainstream music world, I probably will not like them as much.

Understand The History of Blues Rock Music

If you are a fan of blues rock music then it is almost necessary that you understand where it came from and how it was formed. This type of music was so unique to African-American people when it was initially created and it actually had a lot to do with the changes that they were going through at the time.

If you really appreciate this type of music then you should definitely read about some of the techniques that are used by blues musicians. For example, call and response, which is also used in Jazz and other forms of music, is a technique where two instrumentalists "communicate" with each other using their instruments. It is not necessarily a musical conversation, but it can certainly be considered a connection or form of communication.

Check out about.com's article on the history of blues rock music by visiting http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/bluesmusic/a/bluesmusic.htm. If this is a genre of music that you have a passion for then you will certainly appreciate it more when you learn its history.

Several Different Sources For Rock Music News

If you want to stay on top of what is happening with some of your favorite bands then you certainly need to have a few websites saved in your favorites folder. One of my favorites, besides MTV.com, is RockNews Info. This website is generally updated on a daily basis and it has plenty of news to keep you busy. This particular website reports on things like tour updates, celebrity happenings, award ceremonies, new talent and plenty more.

This website might not be the absolute best source for rock music news but it does attempt to remain relevant with its topics. Visit www.antimusic.com/rocknews to read some of the latest stories, including one about an upcoming tour with the band, "The Police".

A few other great resources for rock news include rollingstone.com and aversion.com. Perform a search at google.com, browse for websites that consistently update their content and enjoy!

Pioneers of Punk Rock Music

Many people tend to argue that punk rock music is currently a joke, and a lot of those opinions are coming from individuals who lived through the most influential periods of this genre. In order to understand all of the transitions of this musical category, you need to know about the history of it and its pioneers. Some of the most important bands to ever be called "punk" started up in the 1970's and 1980's and if you are a true fan of this kind of music then I hope that you know a thing or two about them.

Bands like Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat and The Dead Kennedys really had a lot of influence on how this style was molded over its first two decades. There are tons of other influential bands that I did not mention, of course, and I suggest that you do some reading of your own to learn about all of them.

If you can find a book about the history of punk rock music at your local library or bookstore then I definitely suggest that you check it out. In the meantime, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock to see Wikipedia's take on the genre. They have plenty of information about punk music and I am willing to bet that almost all of it is accurately described.

Go Straight to the Source for Rock Music Charts

I am sure that all of you are aware of the Billboard music charts, and in recent years they have made their rankings available to the public via the Internet. In the past, all printed rock music charts were only available by purchasing paperback compilations or magazines. Now, you can get access to Billboard's online database of music charts by subscribing to their electronic service. At www.billboard.biz, users can register and pay a monthly fee which will give them access to music charts from the past 20 years, as well as weekly updates of the current charts.

The subscription price for this service is a little too high for my budget, but it might be within your range. Members can choose to pay either a monthly fee of $24.95, or an annual subscription fee of $299. If you are a DJ, producer, or just a serious fan of music then this might be one of the greatest investments that you will ever make.

If you are interested in getting a subscription to Billboard magazine then check out www.billboard.biz. Even if you do not plan on paying for their services, check out their website anyway to see limited versions of charts from the past couple decades.

Know the History of Rock Music

If you like Rock & Roll or any of its sub-genres then it is very necessary that you learn and understand the roots of it. Learning the history of rock music cannot only benefit you as a musician but also as a listener. There are a couple of web sites that I can direct you to in order to learn about this, but the best way to learn is to check out a book at your local library.

I am a big fan of wikipedia.org, and they have a sufficient amount of information about rock & roll and its history. One of the surprising things that I discovered was that various white artists in the 1950's were quickly credited with the upbringing of Rockabilly, while black musicians like Chuck Berry and Fats Domino were not given the same credit. You can read more about this period of rock music by visiting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_roll.

If you are interested in finding a basic book about the history of rock music then I would suggest visiting www.scaruffi.com/history/index.html. However, if you would rather not order the print version then you can read its electronic version at the same website.

I suggest that readers try to grab a piece of history from every resource that they can. It is also necessary to keep an open mind, however, because not everything that you read is going to be true. However, the more that you understand the roots of Rock & Roll, the more you will be able to see where it is going.