Britpop was a music genre in the 1990s that was influenced by 1960s and 1970s rock bands from the UK like the Beatles, Stone Roses, and Sex Pistols. Key Britpop bands of the 1990s included Oasis, Blur, The Verve, Supergrass, and Pulp. Britpop songs featured witty lyrics with a focus on guitars and vocals, simple structures, and techniques like hammer-ons, palm muting, and string skipping. The genre rejected electronic sounds and heavy rock in favor of traditional pop instruments and a return to British rock influences.
4. Key Features of Britpop First person, witty lyrics Lyrical focus Guitar 1960s/70s influences Middle 8 Limited Solo Roles
5. Guitar Techniques in Britpop Hammer-ons – holding a fret down whilst hitting it with another finger. Palm muting – damping the sound whilst plucking with fingers. String skipping – strings skipped during a riff. Pitch bending – moving fingers on a held down note
6. Reason for Britpop Reaction against other styles Britpop rejected electronic sounds of hip-hop and dance, and heavy sounds of grunge, both around at the time. Chose to use traditional pop instruments.
7. How to Spot a Britpop Song in the Exam Real instruments – i.e. not synthesisers Chord sequences Simple, popular song structure Lyrical/vocal focus British Accents!
