Do you have a Whitesnake, Brett Micheals style bandana? How about an Elton John pair of glasses or a white sequined glove from your Michael Jackson, Billy Jean days? Maybe you were more of a metal guy and bashed a few guitars while listening to some Motley Crew? Rock on, Dude!!!

Since the world can call all music played by an orchestra, “classical” music, let’s call all music played on the radio, that is popular, has guitars, drums, and a lead singer, and lots of amps “rock” music. (Highly generalized descriptions that aren’t very accurate but they represent the general consensus.)

What is Rock and Roll Music?

If our largely inaccurate explanation above of what makes rock and roll music will spark controversy among just about everybody, what is a better way to look at rock and roll? First, understand that Rock and Roll, just like Jazz and Baroque music is its own unique style of music and it is no less scholarly than any other style. Musicologists (yes, they exist) study rock and roll just as they do every other style so contrary to what some believe, it is not the black sheep of the musical world. (Rap music is a source of scholarly research as well, by the way)

One interesting fact to realize is that although many regard rock and roll as the poor man’s music, that has never been true. We can go all the way back to the Baroque period (and even further back) when music was written as something to dance to. That “classical” music that you may find boring was, at one time, the rock and roll of its day. Later, violinists like Niccolo Paganini were so good that many thought he was from the Devil. (Because people didn’t believe any human could play a violin as well as he did) Because the bad boy often has a following, Paganini was a hugely famous musician of his day. That fame came with all of the same public response as modern artists like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber get today. (Or fill in the most popular artists of the day as you’re reading this.) Paganini was the rockstar of his day.

Rock and roll has its formal roots in the 1930s and 1940s as a melding of blues, gospel, jazz, and just about anything else that people could put together. Chuck Berry gets credit for making rock and roll wildly popular in the 1960s but when we think of rock and roll, who is the first to come to mind? For most, its Elvis Presley. Who could forget famous songs like “You Ain’t Nothin’ but a Hound dog” (The song is actually called “Hound Dog”. Elvis Remade it in 1956.)

From the 1960s, Rock and Roll has always been part of American music in some form. Even now, in 2011, artists like Avril Lavigne, Rhianna, and numerous lesser known although very popular rock and grunge bands keep the style alive. It could easily be argued that every piece of music on the radio (or Pandora, or ITunes, or wherever you’re listening to your music) has its roots in the rock and roll style of 50 years ago.

Can I Rock Out on a Piano?

Sure you can. In early Rock and Roll, the piano was the lead instrument. As it evolved, the guitar became the main instrument but how many ballads have you heard that are piano led? How many rock bands don’t have a keyboard in the setup?

Another interesting fact about rock and roll is that it’s largely a product of the earliest composers. Every rock and roll musician has masters like Bach to thank because he and many others of his time solidified the rules of how chords work together to make music and those same rules are followed by rock musicians now.

For the pianist who wants to play rock and roll, chord reading is a must. One great thing about rock and roll is that although the style varies widely, the mechanics behind it are normally quite simple. Many of the best known songs may only have 3 or 4 different chords and those chords are often basic. The best music is often the simplest and rock and roll is proof of that.