Genres of Music Explained!

Music has great significance globally. It has saved many lives helping people cure mental problems like depression anxiety to physical injuries as well.

But when we use the term “Music” it’s not only one single thing that pops up. The choice of lyric, rhythm, beats, frequency, artists everything varies from person to person.

So here let’s take a detailed look into some of the popular genres that have received global appreciation!

1. Rhythm & Blues:  An African American popular music abbreviated as R&B. It combines the elements of pop, gospel blues, jazz with a strong backbeat! The style involves soulful & moving. It was caught widely by the youth audience.

R&B became so popular that more than three-quarters of songs that topped R&B charts also appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 in the 90s and 2004. 

Michael Jackson, The Weekend, Chris Brown, Kehlani, Beyonce. 

2. Rock: Also known as rock & roll emerged in the 1950s in the US and has been the world’s dominant form of music. So it might be difficult to be explicit but Rock is a form of music with simple tunes and a very strong beat. It is sung usually loudly by a small band with electric guitars/pianos and drums. Music is widely played at dance and parties by youth. 

Madonna, The Beatles, Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones, Imagine Dragons, Pink Floyd.

3. Jazz: Jazz has been influenced by traditional classical music and popular music. Improvisation is the key feature of this genre. It is very rhythmic and has a forward momentum called “swing” and uses “bent or blue” terms. It also has patterns in which one instrument, voice, or part of the band answers another and thus is more of an instrumental-driven genre. Jazz can express different emotions, from pain to joy. Just like Rap, the sounds of freedom-for the music has been a powerful voice for people suffering unfair treatment because of the color of their skin.

Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Norah Jones

Charles Lloyd is one of the most loved artists.

4. Hip hop: Hip-hop music/rap music developed in the US consists of rapping which is a rhythmic and rhyming speech chanted at a speed. It also includes MCing, DJing, beatboxing, scratching break dancing. 

5. Pop: The core elements which define pop include generally short-length songs, written most often in a chorus structure. Vocals are the most important part of the song along with the lyrics.  And usually soft songs.

6. Indie Rock: A type of rock genre that makes use of unique & less popular musical instruments. Indie rock is noted to have a high amount of female artists of the feminist group. 

7. Country: The majority of country music is themed on love, death, nostalgia, and religion. Country music is known for its peaceful beginnings and its subtle way of dealing with issues such as work and poverty for ordinary people. The instruments that are used include acoustic guitar, steel guitar, banjo, bass, fiddle, and mandolin. The simple lyrics have a story. They hold power and emotions. Country music is a soothing melody to the heart, soul, and mind.

8. Edm: Electronic dance music (EDM) style has beatless ambient music to 200-beats-per-minute hardcore. This music is created specifically for social function parties and concerts for dancing all night. A strong emphasis on rhythm while ambient music, which is less focused on maintaining a beat, provides an aural cushion for settling down at the end of the night. EDM recordings are mostly played in dance clubs by disc jockeys (DJs) in a mix with other recordings of the same type.

Martin Garrix is one of the best Electronic music Producers of all time. 

9. Trance: Trance music could be defined as a melodic, freeform style of music. There is no strict definition for trance, songs of this genre are usually characterized as being epic and having psychedelic qualities. A basic trance track comprises a particular melodic or vocal hook that is given presence over a bassline, a drum pattern, which often includes snare or kicks drum rolls. However, not all trance fits that profile, and oftentimes a song’s classification as trance has just as much to do with who is playing it as what it sounds like.