Raw Thoughts

If you love classic rock, old school metal, and more recent punk as I do, you are probably aware that we are lacking in the modern day guitar hero category. This article puts down the hard facts – the synthesizer has outpaced the guitar big time in the top charts, thanks to pop icons like Lady Gaga. I’m a believer, however, and I patiently wait for a new age of stadium bands to emerge. Raw Talent Guitar is dedicated to re-establishing the guitar’s rightful place by teaching a new generation.  Here is a portion of the article, and behold the modern music scene:

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According to Hit Songs Decontructed, 79% of top 10 pop hits used a synthesizer as the song’s primary instrument. That’s up from 62% a year ago and seems to signal that the current electro-pop fad is here to stay — at least a little while longer. Further boosting that theory: the fact that 88% of Top 10 songs used electric-based instrumentation. As for the least popular instrument? The guitar, which hit a low of 4% during the second quarter of 2011.

The latter should come as little surprise seeing as the rock format continues to lose ground at terrestrial radio. Indeed, during the most recent quarter, rock songs comprised just 8% of Top 10 hits, with dance/club music accounting for half of all songs. Rap/hip-hop remains the second most popular genre influencer at 21%.