Big Bands to Boy Bands
Popular Music Then and Now
Big Bands - a Brief Definition
Similarities between Big bands and boy bands
First, is the genre of both Big Bands and boy bands. Though now considered jazz, Big Band music used to be considered pop by the people of that era. Now we look to boy bands for pop music, just like people used to look at Big Bands for exciting new pop songs. These similarities in the genres of Big Bands and boy bands are just one of the ways that these musical groups are similar.
Second, is the variety of musical instruments in both groups. Big Bands usually consist of saxophones, trombones, trumpets, drums, acoustic guitar, acoustic or electric bass, and piano. Boy bands usually consist of electric guitar, drums, keyboard, and vocals. Though Big Bands have a larger variety of instruments, boy bands also have the different instruments that add to their performance by creating different tones, harmonys, melodys, and capturing crowds hearts.
Third, and the last similarity I will mention, is the gender of the two groups. During World War Two, men who had been drafted in the army and men outside of the army formed Big Bands. For unknown reasons, is was very uncommon for a woman to be in a Big Band, whether inside or outside the army. The same is true for boy bands now, though, not many are found in the army. The name implies that their are no female musicians in boy bands.
It is for theses reasons that I find Big Bands and boy bands similar.
Differences between big bands and boy bands
First, is the complexity of the songs written by each group. Big Bands were known for their complexity of music, creating parts for saxophones, trombones, trumpets, drums, acoustic guitar, acoustic or electric bass, piano, and vocals. Boy Bands have less complicated songs, only needing parts for electric guitar , drum, keyboard, and vocals.
Second, is the size between a Big Band and a boy band. A Big Band consists of between 10-30 musicians, where a boy band has 4 or 5 musicians.
Lastly, is the popularity of these bands. Big Bands, as one of the only forms of entertainment in the 1900s, was hugely popular. Now, as there are so many different forms of entertainment, boy bands are fairly less popular than Big Bands.
These are the different reasons that Big Bands and boy bands are different.
Famous Boy Bands
Popular Big Bands
Big Band Video
Bibliography
Benny Goodman vs. Glenn Miller. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
"Big Bands." Wikipedia. N.p., 2001. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
Compton's Encyclopedia. N.p.: Success Group, 2001. Web. 19 Jan. 2016.
Taylor, Dr. Billy. American Big Bands. New York, New York: Hal Lenard Corporations, 2005. Web. 12 Jan. 2016.
Weinstock, Len. "The Big Band Era." Red Hot Jazz. Jazz Is Timeless Records, 1991. Web. 21 Jan. 2016.