Conclusion

Abstract

This book has presented both a methodology for analyzing form in rock songs and a theory of formal organization in the rock output of the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. The methodology grows out of the general concept of form as process described in the introduction, where rock songs are seen as cohesive entities unfolding through time. From this point of view, we approach a rock song by listening for broad trajectories, identifying points of stability and tension in small-scale phrases and sections as well as large-scale cycles and entire songs. More specifically, we focus first on a song’s harmonic trajectory, interpreting a prolongational progression through a functional circuit (or noting one’s absence), and then aligning that trajectory with the layout of formal functions. From this methodology comes the theory that the rock repertoire in question is based on a small set of conventional formal-harmonic patterns, what I have been calling rock’s ...