Music Genres

 

 

Alternative: Alternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s. It is seen to be descended from punk rock. Alternative rock is a broad term consisting of music that differs greatly in terms of its sound, its social context, and its regional roots. It is so broad, it consists of a number of sub-genres, such as grunge, indie rock, etc. The typical instruments played in Alternative rock are drums, electric guitar, keyboard, bass, and vocals.

*Artist Examples: 30 Seconds to Mars; All time low; Bullet for my Valentine; You Me at Six

 

Classical: Classical music is the art music  rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, from roughly the 11th century to present times. The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common practice period. It should not be confused with the Classical Era. Western staff notation is used by composers to determine  the pitch, speed, meter, individual rhythms and exact execution of a piece of music. The term "classical music" did not appear until the early 19th century.

 Country: Country music is a genre of American popular music that began in the rural regions of the Southern United States in the 1920s and 20th century Canada. It takes its roots from South-Eastern American folk music, and Western cowboy. Country music often consists of mostly string instruments such as banjos, fiddles, acoustic guitars, and harmonicas.

The term ‘Country music’ started being used instead of the term ‘Hillbilly music’, in the 1940’s. The term country music is used today to describe many styles and subgenres.

*Artist Examples: Taylor Swift; Dolly Parton; Billy Ray Cyrus; Tim McGraw; etc

 

Dance: Dance music is music composed specifically to promote or to accompany dancing. Dance music takes the form of either a whole musical piece or a musical arrangement.

*Artist Examples: David Guetta; Calvin Harris, Cascada; etc

 

HipHop/Rap: Hip hop music, (also known as rap music), consists of a stylized rhythmic music that normally accompanies rhythmic & rhyming speech, (rapping). Rapping is not a required component of hip hop music. Other elements include synthesis, and sometimes beat boxing.

*Artist Examples: Eminem; Lil Wayne; 50 Cent; Lil Kim; Ludacris; Snoopdog; etc

 

Gospel: Gospel music is written and performed to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life. Like other forms of Christian music, the creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is composed and performed for various purposes, such as pleasure and, religious or ceremonial purposes.

 

Pop: The term ‘Pop music’ derives from the abbreviation of “popular”. It is a genre of popular music which originated in the 1950s.  Pop music is extremely diverse, often including elements from other music styles; however, there are core elements which define pop music, such as short lengths, basic formats like ‘verse-chorus-verse-chorus’, repeated choruses, and melodic tunes. Pop songs are often catchy, and quite easy simple and easy to remember. Pop music is generally thought of as a genre which is commercially recorded and desires to have a mass audience appeal; and performed for pleasure and entertainment, rather than having artistic depth.

*Artist Examples: Justin Timberlake; Britney Spears; Christina Aguilera; etc

 

R&B/Soul: R&B (rhythm and blues) , is a genre of popular African-American music that originated in the 1940s. In the early 1950s, the term rhythm and blues was frequently applied to blues records. Starting in the mid-1950s, the term "R&B" was used to refer to music styles that incorporated electric blues, as well as gospel and soul music. In the 1970s, “R&B” was used as a term for soul and funk. Eventually, by the 1980s, a newer style of R&B developed, known as "Contemporary R&B".

*Artist Examples: Alicia Keys; Amy Winehouse; R Kelly; Mary. J. Blige; Beyonce; Usher; Mariah Carey; etc

 

Reggae: Reggae was first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While the term is used to refer to most types of Jamaican music, it actually denotes a particular music style that originated from the development of ‘ska’ and ‘rocksteady’.
Reggae is easily recognized by the rhythmic accents on the off-beat, known as the skank. This pattern accents the second and fourth beat in each bar, and combines with the drums emphasis on beat three, in contrast to most other popular genres focus on beat one, the "downbeat". The tempo of reggae is usually quite slow in contrast to other Jamaican music.

*Artist Examples: Bob Marley; UB40; Inner Circle; Dennis Brown; Aswad; Judge Dread; etc

 

Rock: The sound of rock emerged in its modern form in the 1950s with the popularisation of rock and roll. The sound of an electric guitar in rock music is by an electric bass guitar, and percussion produced from a drum kit & cymbals. This trio of instruments is often accompanied by the keyboard, the piano, the Hammond organ and synthesizers. A group of musicians performing rock music is known as a rock band and usually consists of between two and five members.
Rock music is traditionally built on a foundation of simple rhythms in a 4/4 meter, with a repetitive snare drum back beat on beats two and four. Melodies are often derived from older musical modes.

*Artist Examples: Guns’N’Roses; Aerosmith; AC DC; Rolling Stones; Pink Floyd; etc