- Year 10
- Edexcel
The origins of rock: blues into rock ‘n’ roll
I can identify the key features of blues and can perform the 12-bar blues chords with an improvised melody.
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- Year 10
- Edexcel
The origins of rock: blues into rock ‘n’ roll
I can identify the key features of blues and can perform the 12-bar blues chords with an improvised melody.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Rock 'n' roll is an energetic style that developed in the 1950s.
- It was very popular with young people and became the first successful pop style.
- It incorporates key blues features, including the 12-bar blues.
- This is a repeating chord sequence which uses the primary chords I, IV and V.
- It also typically uses either a pentatonic or a blues scale (a minor pentatonic with a blue note added) in the melody.
Keywords
12-bar blues - The 12-bar blues is the standard chord sequence in blues, based on chord I, IV and V.
Pentatonic scale - A pentatonic scale is a set of five notes, often used for melodies and improvisation.
Blues scale - A blues scale is a minor pentatonic scale with an added blue note between the 4th and 5th.
Blue note - A blue note is a chromatic note that isn't in the key signature. It is usually the flattened 3rd, 5th or 7th.
AAB structure - An AAB structure is a melodic structure commonly used in blues and rock ‘n’ roll where the A phrase is performed twice followed by a different (B) phrase.
Common misconception
Blues is an old style of music that isn't relevant anymore.
While it's true that blues first developed more than a century ago, it continued to be an important style all through the 20th century and up to the present day. It shaped many different styles (including rock) that came to be incredibly important.
To help you plan your year 10 music lesson on: The origins of rock: blues into rock ‘n’ roll, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 music lesson on: The origins of rock: blues into rock ‘n’ roll, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom.
Explore more key stage 4 music lessons from the Developing understanding of pop music: rock, blues and rock 'n' roll unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Files needed for this lesson
- 12-bar blues template 4.07 MB (ZIP)
- 12-bar blues drum kit accompaniment 110 BPM 700.12 KB (MP3)
Download these files to use in the lesson.
Equipment
DAW; MIDI keyboards; guitars and microphones for recording (optional)
Licence
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