An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some inarticulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments.
In a song that is otherwise sung, a section not sung but played with instruments can be called an instrumental interlude. If the instruments are percussion instruments, the interlude can be called a percussion interlude. These interludes are a form of break in the song.
In Popular Music
In commercial popular music, instrumental tracks are sometimes renderings of a corresponding release that features vocals, but they may also be compositions originally conceived without vocals. An instrumental version of a song which otherwise features vocals is also known as a -1 (pronounced minus one).
The opposite of instrumental music is a cappella.
For genres in which a non-vocal song or interlude is conceived using electronic media, rather than with true musical instruments, the term instrumental is nonetheless used for it.
The above Wikipedia article also contains a list of
instrumentals from 1940 to the present that made it to the top of the music
charts. It is to a large extent a
haunting list worth pondering.
Instrumental rock becomes important, then soundtracks, and in recent
years the instrumentals have petered out and not made it to the top at
all. There’s a fascinating book about these
trends, Elevator Music, by Joseph
Lanza, written in the 1990’s and revised a decade later.
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Instrumental rock is a type of rock music which emphasizes musical instruments, and which features very little or no singing. Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style. Instrumental rock was most popular from the mid-1950s to mid-1960s, with artists such as Bill Doggett Combo, Jimmy Reed, Earl Bostic, The Fireballs, The Shadows, and the Ventures. Surf music had many instrumental songs. Many instrumental hits came from the R&B world. Funk and disco produced several instrumental hit singles during the 1970s. The Allman Brothers Band have many instrumentals. Jeff Beck also recorded two instrumental albums in the '70s. Progressive rock and hard rock performers of the 1960s and 1970s did many virtuosic instrumental performances.
During the 1980s, the instrumental rock genre was dominated by several guitar soloists, including Yngwie Malmsteen, Marty Friedman, Jason Becker, and Pepeu Gomes. Influential instrumental performers in the 1990s included Steve Vai and Michael Angelo Batio. Over the past decade there have been many new releases of instrumental rock albums. The majority of the popular guitar heroes from the 1980s have made rejuvenated and generally well-received comebacks. The 2000s gave way for a new style of instrumental performer. For example, John Lowery (a.k.a. John 5), released a solo instrumental album. The 2000s also saw the rise of instrumental music by bands that have been labeled post rock.
Early history
Instrumental rock was most popular during rock and roll’s's first decade (mid-1950s to mid-1960s), before the British Invasion.
One notable early instrumental was "Honky Tonk" by the Bill Doggett Combo, with its slinky beat and sinuous saxophone-organ lead. And bluesman Jimmy Reed charted with "Boogie in the Dark" and "Roll and Rhumba".
Jazz saxophonist Earl Bostic revived his career with instrumentals like "Harlem Nocturne" and "Earl's Rhumboogie"; other jazz musicians who scored pop hits include Tab Smith and Arnett Cobb. Several rhythm and blues sax players had hit instrumental songs, including Big Jay McNeeley, Red Prysock, and Lee Allen, whose "Walking with Mr. Lee" was quite popular.
There were several notable blues instrumental songs during the 1950s; Little Walter’s's rollicking "Juke" was a major hit.
Instrumental hit songs could emphasize electronic organ (the Tornado’s “Telstar”, Dave “Baby” Cortez’s "The Happy Organ", Johnny & the Hurricanes' "Red River Rock"), or the saxophone (the Champs' "Tequila", Bill Black’s Combo’s's "Don't Be Cruel", the Piltdown Men’s "McDonald's Cave"), but the guitar was most prominent. Duane Eddy scored several hits (his best known probably being "Rebel 'Rouser"). Eddy was the first rock & roll artist to release an album in stereo.
The Fireballs, featuring the distinctive guitar work of George Tomsco, began their career in the late 1950s with instrumental hits such as "Torquay" and "Bulldog." The band pioneered the guitar/guitar/bass/drums configuration, paving the way for the Ventures, the Shadows, and the surf music scene. The Fireballs were one of a few instrumental bands that successfully transitioned into vocal music, having the biggest hit of 1963 in the
The Shadows from the
The Ventures' precise guitar work was a major influence on many later rock guitarists; they also helped shape surf music, which at this stage consisted almost entirely of heavily reverbed guitar instrumentals.
Surf music was quite popular in the early 1960s, and was generally rather simple and melodic—one exception being Dick Dale, who gained fame for his quick playing, often influenced by the music of the Middle East, and frequently using exotic scales.
Around the time of the British Invasion, rock changed appreciably, and instrumental hits came mostly from the R&B world. Notable artists include Booker T. & the MG’s and saxophonist Junior Walker.
The early incarnation of Fleetwood Mac with bandleader Peter Green achieved number one chart positions with the guitar-based instrumental Albatross in February 1969.
Steve Cropper of the MG's asserts:
"We had
trouble getting airplay because disc jockeys did not like playing songs without
vocals on them. It got worse and worse and worse until they finally pushed every
instrumental band in the country out of business."
Just before the British Invasion, Lonnie Mack’s version of Chuck Berry's "
In August 1964, Checker Records released the album Two Great Guitars recorded by rock and roll pioneers Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, which is one of rock music's first recorded guitar jam sessions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumental_rock
List of instrumental rock songs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rock_instrumentals
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