The type of music we listen to says a lot about what we like and the type of people we are. If you find someone who listens to pop music, you’ll most likely think they’re cheerful, fun and energetic. Someone who listens to progressive or post rock music may come off as mysterious, quirky or shy.
But as a musician, knowing about different music genres and knowing how to distinct them from each other can help you broaden your horizon.
Types of Music Genre
There are several types of music genres. Some are popular and some are experimental, i.e., not common. But knowing about the types of genre can help you experiment with your own music style. So what are the types of genre you should be aware of? Let’s begin!
Blues
Blues is an African-American genre and was created to traverse emotions through lyrical creativity. The main purpose of the genre is to verbalize emotions in a deep way so that the listener can relate to the music and lyrics. It got its name from ‘blues’, as in, feeling ‘blue’.
Most of the lyrics and music in this genre is about sadness. However, several blues artists create happy-go-lucky songs. The point is to listen to music until you’re no longer feeling ‘blue’.
Progressive Rock
Progressive rock is associated with the 70’s music scene. It incorporates the use of keyboard instruments, and lengthy compositions. Some songs last 14 minutes, others can be as short as 6 minutes long. It is also known as ‘art rock’ and heavily uses intricate compositions and lyrics.
Pop Music
Pop music is short for ‘popular’ music. It’s eclectic and fuses different styles of music together. This includes jazz, rock, punk, dance, urban etc.
There are several types of pop music because pop can be mixed with any type of genre. There’s pop-rock, pop-rap, electro-pop, Euro-pop, progressive pop, psychedelic pop and the list goes on!
Reggae
Reggae originated in Jamaica. In 1968, a song titled, “Do the Reggay” by Toots and Maytals is what gave the genre its name. The song also helped introduce the genre to the world. Since then, reggae has become one of the most popular genres in the world.
It has been strongly influenced by blues, jazz and rhythm. Ska music sounds similar to reggae and the two are often times compared. Ska music has been heavily influenced by reggae.
Jazz
Jazz originated in the African-American community in the late 19th century. It developed its roots from blues and ragtime music. It’s become a major genre in the music world, and connects all types of African-American music together.
Learning about the different genres in the music world allows you to use them differently to create your own style, and broaden your options in the industry.
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