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Heavy metal (sometimes referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Heavy metal is traditionally characterized by loud distorted guitars, emphatic rhythms, dense bass-and-drum sound, and vigorous vocals. Metal subgenres variously emphasize, alter, or omit one or more of these tropes. The typical band lineup includes a drummer, a bassist, a rhythm guitarist, a lead guitarist, and a singer, who may or may not be an instrumentalist. Acoustic keyboards were popular with early metal bands—especially the organ and occasionally the mellotron—but they are now uncommon. Electronic keyboards are often featured today by bands in a variety of styles, including progressive metal, power metal, and symphonic metal. The electric guitar and the sonic power that it projects through amplification is historically the key element in heavy metal.Guitars are often played with distortion pedals through heavily overdriven tube amplifiers to create a thick, powerful, "heavy'" sound. In the early 1970s, some popular metal groups began cofeaturing two guitarists. Leading bands such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden followed this pattern of having two or three guitarists share the roles of both lead and rhythm guitar. A central element of much heavy metal is the guitar solo, a form of cadenza. As the genre developed, more intricate solos and riffs became an integral part of the style. Guitarists use sweep-picking, tapping, and other advanced techniques for rapid playing, and many subgenres emphasize virtuosic displays.