Steve PMHListening to music has a profound impact on your emotional well-being. It helps you get rid of stress, enhances your creative abilities, and improves your mood – especially if you’re listening to your favorite music genre.
But what is a music genre? How did genres evolve? In this article, we’ll answer all the questions related to different music genres to help you learn more about them.
What is a Music Genre?
A music genre is a classification system that classifies music into different styles. It’s the art of incorporating instrumental and vocal tones in a structured manner that gives the music its distinctive character.
As a result, all artistic compositions that belong to the same music genre share some similarities in form or style.
The word “genre” is used in other forms of art, including literature, television, cinema, and various other artistic creation types. It combines pieces of work that fit under a specific category, after analyzing and highlighting the most distinctive elements.
In addition to pure genres, crossover genres are also popular. These combine several elements from different styles to create a new style that appeals to a wider audience.
This technique is widely used in popular music. However, it’s quite common for a musical piece to belong to several genres at the same time.
Music genres can refer to when the music was composed, its style, the instruments used and their functions, and the music’s geographical origin.
In other words, there’s no one clear comprehensive definition that explains what different music genres are.
Even within a single system, there is some disagreement about the interpretations of the elements used to categorize music composition.
For example, some researchers state that the Classical period – which marks the creation and popularity of Classical music – lasted from 1730 or 1750 to 1830.
However, some researchers say that this period started in the 1780s or later in the 1790s. Both interpretations are accepted.
Different Types of Music Genres
There are currently about 1300 music genres in the world, and some of them are difficult to identify. However, there are some tools that allow music lovers to explore these genres and identify the differences between them.
Throughout the years, some music genres gained more popularity than others. Genres help us understand where the piece is coming from, its style, the instruments selected, and how they’re used.
Some people are only interested in a single genre, which shows some traits about their personalities. However, you probably enjoy several genres and interchangeably listen to them, depending on the mood and occasion.
Classical Music
Big gowns, vivid colors, and a focus on details are features of the Classical era.
The Classical Period is the era where Classical music became extremely popular. This genre has a highly sophisticated instrumental structure, although it’s lighter and more elegant than Baroque music.
Forms of Classical music include the concerto, sonata, and symphony, in addition to other forms that mix instrumental and vocal styles like the Opera.
The Early Period of the Classical music era starts in medieval times as early as the 5th century. This period was followed by the Renaissance era and the Baroque era. It precedes the Romantic era, which ends in the early 20th century.
The roots of Classical music date back to ancient Greece, where instruments like the aulos and lyre played the role later assumed by several modern-day instruments.
With the invention of printed music, the Renaissance era encouraged expanding the talent of several composers who wrote music for religious chants, royalty, and noble houses.
Social dancing grew in popularity and helped the music evolve into the Baroque era, which had a complex musical structure with a continuous bass line and more complicated instruments like the cello and oboe.
By the mid-18th century, music became more structured, and the piano became the most dominant keyboard instrument as the orchestra began to form.
Composers of the Classical era include Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Several traits characterize classical music:
- A balance between elegance and lightness.
- Short, well-balanced melodies with clear-cut questions and answers.
- Contrasting moods.
- Homophonic textures with an occasional combination of two or more melodic lines.
Jazz
Although no one actually knows how the term “Jazz” was invented, it was used to refer to the fighting spirit or energy that characterized this music genre.
With roots in West-African culture, Jazz originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans in Louisiana.
It was recognized as the musical expression that relates to the Roaring 20s and involved complex chords, Swing, and Blues notes, in addition to lots of improvisations.
Musicians combined elements from American and European music with African Folk songs.
Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Billy Strayhorn, and Louis Armstrong are among the most famous names in the development of Jazz music in the 20th century.
No one person created Jazz, as each artist contributed to the genre’s definition and interpretation. Jazz included a lot of subgenres.
- Blues, which was rooted in African-American spiritual music.
- Swing music was high-energy and involved soloists taking turns improvising.
- Bebop had a faster tempo and more improvisation.
Jazz-Rock appeared in the late 1960s and combined Jazz improvisation with the electric instruments used in Rock music.
Female performers and composers contributed to the spread and success of Jazz throughout its history. These included Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Dorothy Fields.
Jazz music is characterized by several traits:
- Swing or the energy that makes you want to dance to it.
- Syncopation or the surprising use of accents.
- Remarkable improvisation.
- Sliding between notes or using bent notes for adding vitality and intensity.
- Using scales from Indian, Arabic, or African music.
Country Music
Country or Western music originated in the Southern United States as early as the 1920s. It combined elements from Blues, Cajun, and Appalachian music and mainly consisted of dance tunes and ballads.
It also had some elements that came from Celtic music and the music of the British Isles. Country music first depended on string instruments like banjos and then evolved to using electric and acoustic guitars and harmonicas.
The earliest Country music performers included James Gideon “Gid” Tanner, Jimmie Rodgers, and the Carter Family.
This genre started to become more popular, thanks to the films produced in the 1930s and 1940s. It was later mixed with Jazz in a subgenre that was called Western Swing.
In the following decades, artists like Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley would introduce the Rockabilly subgenre, which paved the way to the creation and development of Rock ’n’ Roll.
In most cases, Country songs focus on current events and emotions, such as love, death, and nostalgia. Most Country musicians show their persona in their songs, usually highlighting their struggles with divorce, alcohol, or drugs.
The combination of simple yet expressive notes and strong and deep lyrics makes this genre one of the most popular ones used in shows and movies to express emotional situations like falling in love or a loved one’s death.
Country music has several themes that affect the composition. The choice of melodies and lyrics differs when you’re talking about a sad topic like death or loneliness and a happy one like family and love.
Country music underwent several stages of evolution that lead to a considerable amount of diversification. Popular Country music singers include The Dixie Chicks, Carrier Underwood, Keith Urban, and Tim McGraw.
Country music has several traits:
- Using instruments from Folk music to produce strong ringing sounds.
- Music has a strong chord progression.
- The lyrics usually tell a story.
Pop Music
Pop music became a popular genre in the mid-1950s. It originated in the United States and the United Kingdom, borrowing elements from other genres like Classical, Gospel, Jazz, and Country music.
In the beginning, this genre was overlapped with other genres like Rock ’n’ Roll but later became more distinctive as it referred to music that’s more commercial and accessible.
In the 1960s, musicians and performers became linked to record labels that decided to invest in them by promoting their music. However, they gave them limited control over the content of their music.
Pop music is usually written in a basic format with repeated choruses and hooks. Most Pop songs focus on simple romantic themes like love and friendship, although there are several exceptions.
This music genre became widely affected by the rise of music television channels like MTV, which also led to the production of music videos. In the 1980s, Pop music was heavily affected by the use of digital recording and electronic elements.
Famous Pop music artists include The Beatles, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, The Beach Boys, Miley Cyrus, The Backstreet Boys, and Taylor Swift. Lots of artists contributed to the formation of several subgenres.
- Latin Pop singers like Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and Ricky Martin.
- Pop-Punk singers like Billie Joe Armstrong and Mark Hoppus.
Pop music has several distinguishable traits:
- It encourages dancing.
- It aims to appeal to a general audience.
- Songs are usually short with a consistent and noticeable rhythmic element.
Rock ’n’ Roll
Rock ‘n’ Roll started to become popular in the United States in the early 1950s. It featured elements from Gospel, Jump, Blues, Rhythm, and Country Music.
It spread to the rest of the world and later developed into a famous subgenre, Rock music. Rock music was more aggressive and later evolved into other subgenres like Heavy Metal.
In the earliest versions, the piano and saxophone were the lead instrument but were later supplemented with the guitar and a snare drum for the accentuated backbeat.
Classic Rock ’n’ Roll usually features one or two electric guitars, as one is the lead guitar while the other is used for rhythm.
The development of the record industry and technological changes affected this music genre. It was later influenced by R&B, Pop, and Country music.
In the 1950s, Elvis Presley incorporated his music style with some of the greatest African-American musicians to produce a new subgenre, Rockabilly. During this period, musicians produced covers of earlier Blues songs by adding uplifting notes.
Britain revived the American Rock ’n’ Roll and reproduced some of the famous American hits. In the 1960s, Rock ’n’ Roll groups started forming and produced original songs that became widely popular.
Rock ’n’ Roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, and attitudes, and even contributed to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
Rock ’n’ Roll included several subgenres based on the geographical location or instruments used. These include Acid Rock, Alternative Rock, Chicano Rock, Garage Punk, and Latin Rock.
Famous Rock ’n’ Roll artists include David Bowie, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and Elton John.
Here are some of the traits of Rock music:
- The energetic delivery of vocals.
- It has a fast tempo.
- It features a strong backbeat.
- The music usually uses a shuffle rhythm.
Hip-Hop
Hip-Hop or Rap music was developed by African-American and Latino Americans in the late 1970s. It consists of stylized rhythmic music with a rhyming speech.
It influenced the Hip-Hop culture, which led to the formation of breakdancing, graffiti, and special fashion styles.
It developed as an outlet for those who lived in low-income areas. Songs were a reflection of the economic and political realities of those who lived in the ghetto. The most famous instruments used were the turntable, synthesizer, and human beatboxing.
Old-school Hip-Hop was marked by its Disco influence, although it had elements from Jazz and Blues music. It was later followed by Gangsta Rap, which focused on violent lifestyles.
During the 1990s, Hip-Hop was divided into East and West Coast Hip Hop. It later affected other music genres like R&B and Neo-Soul.
Scratching was used to create sound effects, while the rapping and chanting were related to West-African culture.
By the early 1980s, Hip-Hop began to spread outside The Bronx to other American cities. Independent record labels collaborated with rappers to spread this genre by using it in commercials.
During the same period, Hip-Hop became popular in dance clubs in the UK and France, as well as in other parts of Asia like Japan.
The golden era of Hip-Hop lasted till the mid-1990s and was characterized by more diversity and innovation. Politicians often criticized Gangsta Rap as it exposed the chaos and contradictions of the American culture.
By the late 1990s, many Pop songs had Hip-Hop elements. Musicians outside the US expanded this genre and incorporated other elements from their cultures.
Hip-Hop includes several subgenres like Alternative Hip-Hop, Jazz Rap, Hip-House, and Ragga Hip-Hop.
Hip-Hop has several traits:
- Emcees usually do call and response.
- Freestyle was used by DJs and later led to rapping.
- The poetic delivery of the lyrics and using beatboxing as the fifth element.
Famous all-time Hip-Hop artists include Tupac, Kanye West, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G, Ice Cube, Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent, Sean Combs, and Busta Rhymes.
