Music is as diverse as the human race. There are as many different kind of music as much as there are many different languages. Music can be classified into many categories or genres. Some of these music genres are pop, classical, instrumental, country and of course the rock music. Now as if these genres are not diverse enough, each musical genre can also still be classified into sub-categories. Rock music for example can be further classified into soft rock, metal rock and there is also what they call acid rock.

To the uninitiated people, acid rock is a kind of rock music that utilizes musical instruments like the guitar to the extreme. With long solos using a chosen instrument and lots of improvisation, there is sometimes no need for lyrics with this kind of music genre.

This type of music emerged in the 1960’s, during which LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) was the drug most commonly abused for its hallucinogenic properties. The slang term then for this kind of drug was acid. Accordingly the music being played during underground parties was that type of music with overly long and repetitive instrumental solo thus the term “Acid Rock” was introduced. The lyrics, if any for this type of music was geared towards rebellion, social protest with occasional spattering of sex and drug use among America’s youth. The 60’s being the era of tension, social awareness and flower power.

To the followers of acid rock, the one person that stands out for this psychedelic music is none other than Jimi Hendrix. Guitar players will often copy his style and his music is most often used in comparison to guitarist wannabees. He is after all considered as the greatest electric guitarist in the history of rock music. Hendrix headlined the 1969 Woodstock festival and he is credited in developing the technique of guitar amplifier feedback.

Towards the end of the 60’s, rock was then regarded as an important musical form. Psychedelic rock or acid rock was then considered as mainstream instead of being the alternative and as this music evolved, it was later on referred to as heavy metal.

Today, acid rock although with a different name still has many followers and there are so many bands out there that still opt for this kind of music over other musical types. Some of these famous bands are Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath, James Hetfield of Metalica, Phil Anselmo of Pantera and Lemmy from Motorhead. With so many bands still patronizing acid rock and considering its roots, it seems that this kind of music is here to stay.