LIST OF TYPE OF MUSIC | MUSIC GENRES

 Alternative
 Art Punk
 Alternative Rock
 College Rock
 Crossover Thrash (thx Kevin G)
 Crust Punk (thx Haug)
 Experimental Rock
 Folk Punk
 Goth / Gothic Rock
 Grunge
 Hardcore Punk
 Hard Rock
 Indie Rock
 Lo-fi (hat tip to Ben Vee Bedlamite)
 New Wave
 Progressive Rock
 Punk
 Shoegaze (with thx to Jackie Herrera)
 Steampunk (with thx to Christopher Schaeffer)
 Anime
 Blues
 Acoustic Blues
 Chicago Blues
 Classic Blues
 Contemporary Blues
 Country Blues
 Delta Blues
 Electric Blues
 Ragtime Blues (cheers GFS)
 Children’s Music
 Lullabies
 Sing-Along
 Stories
 Classical
 Avant-Garde
 Baroque
 Chamber Music
 Chant
 Choral
 Classical Crossover
 Contemporary Classical (thx Julien Palliere)
 Early Music
 Expressionist (thx Mr. Palliere)
 High Classical
 Impressionist
 Medieval
 Minimalism
 Modern Composition
 Opera
 Orchestral
 Renaissance
 Romantic (early period)
 Romantic (later period)
 Wedding Music
 Comedy
 Novelty
 Standup Comedy
  Vaudeville (cheers Ben Vee Bedlamite)
 Commercial (thank you Sheldon Reynolds)
 Jingles
 TV Themes
 Country
 Alternative Country
 Americana
 Bluegrass
 Contemporary Bluegrass
 Contemporary Country
 Country Gospel
 Country Pop (thanks Sarah Johnson)
 Honky Tonk
 Outlaw Country
 Traditional Bluegrass
 Traditional Country
 Urban Cowboy
 Dance (EDM – Electronic Dance Music – see Electronic below – with thx to Eric Shaffer-Whiting & Drew :-))
 Club / Club Dance (thx Luke Allfree)
 Breakcore
 Breakbeat / Breakstep
 Brostep (cheers Tom Berckley)
 Chillstep (thx Matt)
 Deep House (cheers Venus Pang)
 Dubstep
 Electro House (thx Luke Allfree)
 Electroswing
 Exercise
 Future Garage (thx Ran’dom Haug)
 Garage
 Glitch Hop (cheers Tom Berckley)
 Glitch Pop (thx Ran’dom Haug)
 Grime (thx Ran’dom Haug / Matthew H)
 Hardcore
 Hard Dance
 Hi-NRG / Eurodance
 Horrorcore (thx Matt)
 House
 Jackin House (with thx to Jermaine Benjamin Dale Bruce)
 Jungle / Drum’n’bass
 Liquid Dub(thx Ran’dom Haug)
 Regstep (thanks to ‘Melia G)
 Speedcore (cheers Matt)
 Techno
 Trance
 Trap (thx Luke Allfree)
 Disney
 Easy Listening
 Bop
 Lounge
 Swing
 Electronic
 2-Step (thx Ran’dom Haug)
 8bit – aka 8-bit, Bitpop and Chiptune – (thx Marcel Borchert)
 Ambient
 Bassline (thx Leon Oliver)
 Chillwave(thx Ran’dom Haug)
 Chiptune (kudos to Dominik Landahl)
  Crunk (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
 Downtempo
 Drum & Bass (thx Luke Allfree)
 Electro
 Electro-swing (thank you Daniel Forthofer)
 Electronica
 Electronic Rock
 Hardstyle (kudos to Dominik Landahl)
 IDM/Experimental
 Industrial
 Trip Hop (thank you Michael Tait Tafoya)
 Enka
 French Pop
 German Folk
 German Pop
 Fitness & Workout
 Hip-Hop/Rap
 Alternative Rap
 Bounce
 Dirty South
 East Coast Rap
 Gangsta Rap
 Hardcore Rap
 Hip-Hop
 Latin Rap
 Old School Rap
 Rap
 Turntablism (thank you Luke Allfree)
 Underground Rap
 West Coast Rap
 Holiday
 Chanukah
 Christmas
 Christmas: Children’s
 Christmas: Classic
 Christmas: Classical
 Christmas: Comedy
 Christmas: Jazz
 Christmas: Modern
 Christmas: Pop
 Christmas: R&B
 Christmas: Religious
 Christmas: Rock
 Easter
 Halloween
 Holiday: Other
 Thanksgiving
 Indie Pop
 Industrial
 Inspirational – Christian & Gospel
 CCM
 Christian Metal
 Christian Pop
 Christian Rap
 Christian Rock
 Classic Christian
 Contemporary Gospel
 Gospel
  Christian & Gospel
 Praise & Worship
 Qawwali (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
 Southern Gospel
 Traditional Gospel
 Instrumental
 March (Marching Band)
 J-Pop
 J-Rock
 J-Synth
 J-Ska
 J-Punk
 Jazz
 Acid Jazz (with thx to Hunter Nelson)
 Avant-Garde Jazz
 Bebop (thx Mwinogo1)
 Big Band
 Blue Note (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
 Contemporary Jazz
 Cool
 Crossover Jazz
 Dixieland
 Ethio-jazz (with thx to Jillian Edwards)
 Fusion
 Gypsy Jazz (kudos to Mike Tait Tafoya)
 Hard Bop
 Latin Jazz
 Mainstream Jazz
 Ragtime
 Smooth Jazz
 Trad Jazz
 K-Pop
 Karaoke
 Kayokyoku
 Latin
 Alternativo & Rock Latino
 Argentine tango (gracias P. Moth & Sandra Sanders)
 Baladas y Boleros
 Bossa Nova (with thx to Marcos José Sant’Anna Magalhães & Alex Ede for the reclassification)
 Brazilian
 Contemporary Latin
 Cumbia (gracias Richard Kemp)
 Flamenco / Spanish Flamenco (thank you Michael Tait Tafoya & Sandra Sanders)
 Latin Jazz
 Nuevo Flamenco (and again Michael Tafoya)
 Pop Latino
 Portuguese fado (and again Sandra Sanders)
 Raíces
 Reggaeton y Hip-Hop
 Regional Mexicano
 Salsa y Tropical
 New Age
 Environmental
 Healing
 Meditation
 Nature
 Relaxation
 Travel
 Opera
 Pop
 Adult Contemporary
 Britpop
 Bubblegum Pop (thx Haug & John Maher)
 Chamber Pop (thx Haug)
 Dance Pop
 Dream Pop (thx Haug)
 Electro Pop (thx Haug)
 Orchestral Pop (thx Haug)
 Pop/Rock
 Pop Punk (thx Makenzie)
 Power Pop (thx Haug)
 Soft Rock
 Synthpop (thx Haug)
 Teen Pop
 R&B/Soul
 Contemporary R&B
 Disco (not a top level genre Sheldon Reynolds!)
 Doo Wop
 Funk
 Modern Soul (Cheers Nik)
 Motown
 Neo-Soul
 Northern Soul (Cheers Nik & John Maher)
 Psychedelic Soul (thank you John Maher)
 Quiet Storm
 Soul
 Soul Blues (Cheers Nik)
 Southern Soul (Cheers Nik)
 Reggae
 2-Tone (thx GFS)
 Dancehall
 Dub
 Roots Reggae
 Ska
 Rock
 Acid Rock (with thanks to Alex Antonio)
 Adult-Oriented Rock (thanks to John Maher)
 Afro Punk
 Adult Alternative
 Alternative Rock (thx Caleb Browning)
 American Trad Rock
 Anatolian Rock
 Arena Rock
 Art Rock
 Blues-Rock
 British Invasion
 Cock Rock
 Death Metal / Black Metal
 Doom Metal (thx Kevin G)
 Glam Rock
 Gothic Metal (fits here Sam DeRenzis – thx)
 Grind Core
 Hair Metal
 Hard Rock
 Math Metal (cheers Kevin)
 Math Rock (thx Ran’dom Haug)
  Metal
 Metal Core (thx Ran’dom Haug)
 Noise Rock (genre – Japanoise – thx Dominik Landahl)
 Jam Bands
 Post Punk (thx Ben Vee Bedlamite)
 Prog-Rock/Art Rock
 Progressive Metal (thx Ran’dom Haug)
 Psychedelic
 Rock & Roll
 Rockabilly (it’s here Mark Murdock!)
 Roots Rock
 Singer/Songwriter
 Southern Rock
 Spazzcore (thx Haug)
 Stoner Metal (duuuude)
 Surf
 Technical Death Metal (cheers Pierre)
 Tex-Mex
 Time Lord Rock (Trock) ~ (thanks to ‘Melia G)
 Trash Metal (thanks to Pierre A)
 Singer/Songwriter
 Alternative Folk
 Contemporary Folk
 Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
 Indie Folk (with thanks to Andrew Barrett)
 Folk-Rock
 Love Song (Chanson – merci Marcel Borchert)
 New Acoustic
 Traditional Folk
 Soundtrack
 Foreign Cinema
 Movie Soundtrack (thanks Julien)
 Musicals
 Original Score
 Soundtrack
 TV Soundtrack
 Spoken Word
 Tex-Mex / Tejano (with thx to Israel Lopez)
 Chicano
 Classic
 Conjunto
 Conjunto Progressive
 New Mex
 Tex-Mex
 Vocal
 A cappella (with kudos to Sheldon Reynolds)
 Barbershop (with thx to Kelly Chism)
 Doo-wop (with thx to Bradley Thompson)
 Gregorian Chant (hat tip to Deborah Knight-Nikifortchuk)
 Standards
 Traditional Pop
 Vocal Jazz
 Vocal Pop
 World
 Africa
 Afro-Beat
 Afro-Pop
 Asia
 Australia
 Cajun
 Calypso (thx Gerald John)
 Caribbean
 Carnatic (Karnataka Sanghetha – thx Abhijith)
 Celtic
 Celtic Folk
 Contemporary Celtic
 Coupé-décalé (thx Samy) – Congo
 Dangdut (thank you Achmad Ivanny)
 Drinking Songs
 Drone (with thx to Robert Conrod)
 Europe
 France
 Hawaii
 Hindustani (thank you Abhijith)
 Indian Ghazal (thank you Gitika Thakur)
 Indian Pop
 Japan
 Japanese Pop
 Klezmer
 Mbalax (thank you Samy) – Senegal
 Middle East
 North America
 Ode (thank you Sheldon Reynolds)
 Piphat (cheers Samy B) – Thailand
 Polka
 Soca (thx Gerald John)
 South Africa
 South America
 Traditional Celtic
 Worldbeat
 Zydeco
 What is music? For some a blissful experience to be enjoyed along with a glass of the
finest red, for some a distraction during a boring treadmill session! Some would
consider Beethoven's piano sonatas a copyrighted property of the Lullaby Channel,
some would struggle to pronounce 'bougarabou' (which is an African drum, by the way),
and some would mock Indian classical music -- the oldest surviving school of music --
as sheer wailing!

Sounds never evoke the same emotions in different people. Thus, a comprehensive and
universal definition of music is practically nonexistent. Having said that, some would
consider it an exercise in futility to go ahead and try to define a list of musical genres.
Fortunately, while some maintain that sounds such as a car horn and a crash of a falling
plate constitute genres in themselves, the rest of the world has been sensible enough to
discern musical genres from mere noise.

What is a genre?

A genre is a group of styles of music having a common tradition or common

fundamental values. It can be likened to a genus in taxonomy, which is constituted by
animals sharing a common evolutionary ancestor and having some distinct anatomical
commonalities, despite vastly different superficial appearances. To further the rather
snug-fitting analogy, a music genre is further divided into subgenres -- just like species
in a genus. Superficially, the species may look nothing like each other in their present-
day forms, but they evolved from the same ancestor. The concept of the 'species' of
subgenres can be best explained by the huge number of disparate-sounding subgenres
currently grouped under the titular title 'Rock Music'.

In modern times, the all-consuming music industry often has a larger say in creating a
new genre than the music itself. Numerous modern genres can be said to have been
thus inspired as a commercial gimmick, rather than an artistic endeavor.

Music, in its broadest division, can be classified into two styles: Western,
and Oriental. African music can be included as a separate genre, but quite a few
African styles have made their way into Western music via immigrant African-
Americans; hence it has been included in the category of Western Music.

Within Western music, the following classification can easily be made:

 Rock
 Jazz
 Classical
 Blues
 R&B
 Country
 Reggae
 Hip Hop
 Electronic
 Latino

Western Music

Rock

The umbrella term 'rock' is used to describe a large variety of musical styles. The origins
of this stupendously popular style lie in a fusion of two other popular genres -- Blues
and Country, along with significant elements of jazz. Along with the influences from the
two styles, rock and roll was typified by extensive use of the snare drum. The 'rock
and roll' movement of the mid-1950s revolutionized the music scene in the West, with
the proponents of this innovative and flamboyant style shaping the trends in racism,
fashion and lifestyle. Rock and roll -- especially Glam Rock -- artists' garish costumes
were famous, and in the racially inflamed 1950s, rock and roll provided an avenue for
the appreciation of popular music without segregation. The success of the Rock and
Roll movement is personified in the everlasting fame of 'the King', Elvis.

In the late 60s and early 70s two popular rock subgenres developed: Hard Rock and
Heavy Metal. Both have gone on to become massively popular. The contemporaneous
emergence of inventive guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton
helped mold the malleable style of Rock music into numerous other popular styles. The
term 'rock' music has since gone on to represent a massive range of styles, many often
sounding nothing like the original 'rock and roll sound'. The all-encompassing term 'rock
music' includes everything from the melodious Beatles to the aggressive Carcass and
Deicide.

It can be said that rock music is the most popular genre of music in the history of
mankind.

Notable bands:
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Byrds, The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith,
Queen, U2, AC/DC, The Who, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Notable Performers:
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry,
Buddy Holly, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, David Bowie, Syd
Barrett, Alice Cooper, John Entwistle, Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon, Kurt Cobain

Subgenres:
Heavy Metal, Death Metal, Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Black Metal, Glam Rock,
Punk Rock, Hard Rock, Jazz Rock, Acid Rock, Christian Metal, Art Rock, Alternative
Rock, Dream Pop, Grunge, Indie Pop, Industrial Rock, Folk Rock, Folk Metal, Glam
Metal, Electronic Rock, Experimental Rock, Goregrind, Deathcore, Metalcore, Doom
Metal, Industrial Metal, Industrial Rock, Gothi Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal,
Progressive Rock, Sludge Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Desert Rock, Pop Rock,
Folk Pink, Celtic Punk, Garage Punk, Grindcore, Hardcore Punk, Thrashcore, Pop
Punk, Ska Punk, Skacore, Gothic Rock, Noise Rock, Rap Metal, Rapcore, Southern
Rock, Sufi Rock, Raga Rock, Nu Metal, Sadcore, Slowcore, Post-Britpop, Post-Grunge,
Indie Pop, Symphonic Metal, Stoner Rock
Back to Index

Jazz

Jazz developed among the black community of the Southern US. This can be called a
'classical version' of blues music. The African influence on this indigenous American
style of music can be seen in the emphasis on improvisation and a combination of
different but simultaneously played rhythms, which is very unusual in the Western
tradition of music.

Jazz is often performed by ensembles (although single artists can play as well), with
importance laid on their ability to play off each other, and improvise ex tempore. The
improvisational style of jazz links it to Indian classical music, which also values
improvisation over repetition of set melodies. This intrinsic commonality has produced
numerous collaborations between jazz and Indian classical artists. Pt. Ravi Shankar,
who frequently collaborated with Western musicians, is one of the most famous Indian
musicians in the West. John McLaughlin, a noted jazz guitarist, formed fusion
ensembles with Western and Indian musicians such as Zakir Hussain and Vikku
Vinayakram.

Noted Performers:
Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, John
McLaughlin, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Charles Mingus, Sonny
Rollins, Dave Brubeck, Django Reinhardt

Subgenres:
Bebop, Acid Jazz, Avant-garde Jazz, Boogie-Woogie, Bossa Nova, Chamber Jazz,
Continental Jazz, Cool Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Dixieland, Latin Jazz, Ethno Jazz, Free
Jazz, Gypsy Jazz, Hard Bop, Jazz Blues, Jazz Funk, Jazz Fusion, Jazz Rock, Kansas
City Jazz, Modal Jazz, Nu Jazz, Orchestral Jazz, Ska Jazz, Soul Jazz, Swing, West
Coast Jazz, Stride Jazz
Back to Index

Western Classical

The classical music of Europe is (along with the much older Indian classical music) one
of the oldest surviving styles in modern music. In direct contrast to its Indian counterpart
and the Western style of jazz, European classical music values tradition and set
renditions of melodies, without much scope for improvisation.

Classical music can be of several forms: Symphony, Sonata, Concerto, Suite, Cantata,
Oratorio etc. These are either played on instruments such as a piano or a violin or sung.

Western classical music is categorized by

period: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern. The
cutoffs of the periods aren't strictly defined, but the convention is clear; The Medieval
period ran till the early 15th century, Renaissance till the 1600s, Baroque till mid-1700s,
Classical till the early 1800s, Romantic till the 1900s, when it gave way to the Modern.
Western classical music really came into its own in the baroque and classical periods,
graced by masters such as Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart and Beethoven.
Although classical music is often derided as 'boring', especially by the younger
audience, it shouldn't be forgotten that it is one of the oldest and most respected genres
in world music.

Notable Composers:
Ludvig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, Frederic
Chopin, Antonio Vivaldi, Gioachino Rossini, Igor Stravinsky

Notable Modern Exponents:

Yehudi Menuhin (Violinist), Leonard Bernstein (Composer-Conductor), Igor Stravinsky
(Composer), Claude Debussy (Composer), George Gershwin (Composer-Pianist),
Yanni (Pianist-Singer)
Back to Index

Blues

Like jazz music, the blues genre originated from African Americans' worksongs, and
was built around the premise of simple lyrics sung in a simple tune. The simple, plain
structuring of a blues song is open to innovations and improvisations; this has led to the
emergence of several completely different styles, such as rock music. Since the blues
genre was ingrained in local calls and worksongs, the subgenres of blues music are
often named after places.

'Dallas Blues' is the first blues song ever published, in 1912. It was written by Hart
Wand, and although there had been unpublished blues songs and published quasi-
blues songs before his time, his was the first true blues song to be published.

Blues music was primarily played unplugged (with acoustic instruments). However,
this began to change in the 1940s, and the entry of electric instruments -- thanks to
artists such as Muddy Waters -- revolutionized blues music. Although many blues artists
chose electric instruments, both electric and acoustic renditions of blues music are
popular today. Jump blues, an energetic, fast type of blues music, is considered to be
the precursor of rock and R&B music.
Rhythm and Blues, a subgenre of blues and jazz music, has developed to be
considered as a genre in itself. The primary difference between mainstream blues and
R&B is, as the name suggests, the dominance of rhythm. Popular genres such as soul
and funk have derived from R&B.

Notable Performers:
Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Robert Nighthawk, Bessie Smith, "Blind" Lemon
Jefferson, T-Bone Walker, Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Bill Broonzy, Jimmy
Reed, Bo Diddley, B. B. King

Subgenres:
British Blues, African Blues, Blues Rock, Canadian Blues, Chicago Blues, Country
Blues, Delta Blues, Detroit Blues, Electric Blues, Gospel Blues, Hill Country Blues,
Hokum, Jazz Blues, Louisiana Blues, Memphis Blues, Texas Blues, Soul Blues
Back to Index

Country

Like blues music, country music emerged from folk songs of the Southern USA in the
early 1920s. Immigrants in the Appalachian Mountains area, who had brought along
instruments from their own countries, merged their art-forms to form the famous genre
of country music. Hence, it contained elements (and instruments) from various countries
such as Ireland, Italy, Germany, and numerous African countries. Many of the early
instruments in country music were string instruments, with the notable exception of
the harmonica.

Country music has much in common with blues music; the simple, three-chord
arrangement of songs is an important element found in early recordings of both of
these genres. The simple arrangement in both these genres left much scope for
innovation, and like the blues, country music has been adapted and molded by various
artists in different forms.

The structuring and instrumentation of country music underwent several changes over
the years. The early bands almost exclusively used string instruments. Around the
1940s, electric guitars and drums began to appear in country bands. Although rejected
at first by purist audiences, they soon became an integral part of country music. The
next two decades saw the emergence of the early strains of rock music. Elvis, who
started as a country singer, helped the genre develop into the more energetic, upbeat
rock-n-roll. Ray Charles too concentrated on country music around this period. Since
then, country music has remained a popular genre in the US, and has undergone
several successful transitions, giving rise to several popular subgenres.

Notable Performers:
Jimmie Rodgers, Elvis Presley, Vernon Dalhart, Fiddlin' John Carson, Roy Acuff, Ray
Charles, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson

Subgenres:
Bluegrass, Cajun, Classic Country, Country Rock, Nashville Sound, Honky-tonk,
Cowboy Music, Close Harmony, Dansband Music, Sertanejo, Truck-driving Country,
Christian Country, Rap Country, Blues Country, Hillbilly, Progressive Country
Back to Index

Reggae

Reggae music has its roots in a Jamaican music style called Ska, based on R&B, Jazz
and Caribbean musical traditions. Ska originated in the 1960s, and later spawned the
world-famous genre of Reggae.

Like all Caribbean music genres, Reggae extensively uses drums, typified by high-
pitched snares. It has also incorporated electric instruments, such as guitars
(especially basses) and synthesizers. Unlike virtually every other genre, the drum rolls
in reggae do not end with the cymbal.

The orchestra is the important part in reggae performances. Reggae is an

instrumentation-based genre rather than a vocals-based genre, since with the right
instruments, a 'reggae version' of any song can be quite easily made.

Notable Artists:
Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Jimmy Cliff

Related Ska Subgenres:

Rocksteady, Lovers Rock, Ragga, Dub
Back to Index

Hip Hop

Favorite among youngsters all over the world, hip hop is one of the most popular
modern genres of music. Hip hop music emerged as an offshoot of the hip hop
movement in the 1970s. Centered in Bronx, the movement soon spread to the rest of
the US, and hip hop music benefited from the expansion, becoming one of the most
followed genres of the 1970s-1980s.

Since the 1990s, the genre has become synonymous with rapping, although rapping is
only one part of hip hop music.

Notable Groups:
Public Enemy, The Roots, The Black Eyed Peas, Beastie Boys

Notable Performers:
Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Kanye West, Akon, Ludacris, Hard Kaur, Fergie,
will.i.am, Adam Yauch, Ad-Rock
Back to Index

Electronic
One of the more modern genres in world music, electronic music is based, as is obvious
from the name, on electronic instruments. These instruments include instruments such
as synthesizers, the electric guitar and the theremin. Electronic music is widely known in
the form of House or Disco music. It gained in popularity among youth in the 1970s and
1980s, and has since remained a popular genre of pop music. Over the ages, electronic
music was inculcated in various other genres such as metal, hard rock, R&B etc.

Notable artists:
Halim El-Dabh, Karlheinz Stockhousen, Robert Moog, Brian Eno, Afrika Bambaataa,
David Mancuso, Wendy Carlos

Subgenres:
Ambient, Breakbeat, Acid Breaks, 4-beat, Chiptune, Disco, House, Electronica,
Electronic Rock, Electronic Jazz, Downtempo, Electronic Art Music, Video Game Music,
Europop, Synthpop, Electronic Dance Music, Drum and Bass, Alternative Dance, Goa
Trance, Eurotrance, Dream Trance, Hardcore Dance, Digital Hardcore, Industrial Metal,
Industrial Rock, 2-step, Electronic House, Acid House
Back to Index

Latino
Latino music evolved in Latin America, i.e., South and Central America, and the
Caribbean. Some Latino styles, such as samba, rumba, salsa and tango, are popular all
over the world. Bossa nova, listed as a subgenre of jazz music, is also a famous
Brazilian music form. Many Latin forms have successfully blended components of
American music into their own, and created highly popular genres, such as Tejano
music.

Latino music is reputed for its emphasis on rhythm and the consequently intoxicating
beats; the effervescent style of samba has become the symbol of Brazil. However, Latin
operas and ballads are just as popular -- at least in Latin America -- as their upbeat
counterparts. Different styles of music can be found across the numerous countries in
Latin America, but all of them can be grouped together by the love of rhythm.
Interestingly, Latino music is the only genre in Western music classified according to
geography.

Especially in the Caribbean, the influence of Indian music can be clearly observed in
genres such as Chutney music, and its subsequent reincarnations. Lyrics laced with
Hindi and Bhojpuri, as well as traditional Indian rhythm patterns are seen in these
genres. As with the African immigrants in the US, Indian immigrants in the Caribbean
have helped shape the musical scene of the tropical islands.

Notable Performers:
Roberto Carlos, Heitor Villa Lobos, Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Dropati,
Sundar Popo, Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony, Shakira

Subgenres:
Samba, Rumba, Bachata, Salsa, Tejano, Son, Calypso, Soca, Chutney, Chutney Soca,
Mambo, Merengue, Ranchera
Back to Index
Oriental Music

Traditional Oriental
Traditions in Oriental music can stretch back to hundreds, even thousands of
years. Indian Classical Music -- the oldest surviving musical genre in the world --
traces its roots to the Vedic period thousands of years ago, although it has undergone
many transformations in the interim. Chinese and Japanese music traditions can also
be traced back to the Middle Ages.

The music of China, Japan and Southeast Asia developed fairly independently; all three
have long-standing traditions of music. The music in these three traditions focuses on
ensemble singing. On the other hand, due to the Mughal conquest of North Indian
Hindu empires, the highly malleable and miscible music of North India developed into
an indiscernible mixture of Indian and Persian musical traditions, and retained the
ancient Indian trait of being solely centered around the solitary artist.

Ancient Indian music was centered around chants, and songs sung primarily in praise of
God. Due to the Islamic influence, the topic and composition of the lyrics changed, and
so did the age-old style of music. Mughal composers and singers, such as Tansen,
transformed Indian music into its modern format. The iconic Indian instruments tambora,
the drone, and tabla, the Indian drum, also entered the realms of Indian music around
this time.
Indian classical music is the only music that makes such an extensive use of, and gives
such an importance to musical modes. In contrast to Western, Chinese, South Asian
and Japanese music, Indian music places emphasis on the artist's interpretation of
a particular mode and his own style of singing, rather than a flawless facsimile of a
composition written by someone else. As a result, ensembles are very rare in North
Indian music, although it is an important part of the South Indian Carnatic school of
music.

Some well-established genres of Indian classical music are Khyaal, Dhrupad and
Thumri.

Many Western musicians studied Indian music and instruments extensively; notably,
George Harrison took sitar lessons and collaborated with Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar.
Ravi Shankar also performed at Woodstock, and at several other prestigious venues in
the West. Indian music easily lends itself to fusion with other art forms, and especially in
the late 20th century and 21st century collaborations between Indian and Western
musicians became increasingly common. Many Indian classical musicians, such as
Zakir Hussain, Taufiq Qureshi, L. Subramaniam have frequently collaborated with
Western artists.

Oriental Pop
Pop music in Asia is heavily influenced by the Western pop scene. Western sounds
began to make their way into Asian communities in the mid-20th century, and soon
became popular all over the continent. Students studying in the West often brought
home the musical influences of their stay in the West, and Asian pop music started to
develop accordingly. Notably, in China these modern strains of music and its
accompanying showmanship was considered vulgar and was thus banned!

Asian pop music has become increasingly famous in the West in the 21st century,
borne out by the phenomenal response to the K-Pop (Korean Pop) song Gangnam
Style. Topping the charts in numerous countries, the song made history by becoming
the first video to garner a billion views on Youtube. The universal popularity of the K-pop
song has resulted in it being hailed as 'a bridge to international peace'.

Several Oriental artists, such as Ravi Shankar, A. R. Rahman and Tan Dun have won
the Grammy, while Rahman and Dun also won the Academy Award for the best original
score.

Film music in countries like India and Pakistan is often based on traditional principles,
such as a composition based on a classical mode, but dominated by Western rhythms
and electronic instruments. Songs from Indian and Pakistani movies are often the
simplest examples of fusion.
 Music genre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[hide]This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these
issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide
view of the subject. (March 2012)

This article possibly contains original research. (August 2014)

A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a
shared tradition or set of conventions.[1] It is to be distinguished from musical formand musical style,
although in practice these terms are sometimes used interchangeably.[2][not in citation given] Recently,
academics have argued that categorizing music by genre is inaccurate and outdated.[3]
Music can be divided into different genres in many different ways. The artistic nature of music means
that these classifications are often subjective and controversial, and some genres may overlap.
There are even varying academic definitions of the term genre itself. In his book Form in Tonal
Music, Douglass M. Green distinguishes between genre and form. He
lists madrigal, motet, canzona, ricercar, and dance as examples of genres from
the Renaissance period. To further clarify the meaning of genre, Green writes, "Beethoven's Op. 61
and Mendelssohn's Op. 64 are identical in genre – both are violin concertos – but different in form.
However, Mozart's Rondo for Piano, K. 511, and the Agnus Dei from his Mass, K. 317 are quite
different in genre but happen to be similar in form."[4] Some, like Peter van der Merwe, treat the
terms genre and style as the same, saying that genre should be defined as pieces of music that
share a certain style or "basic musical language."[5] Others, such as Allan F. Moore, state
that genre and style are two separate terms, and that secondary characteristics such as subject
matter can also differentiate between genres.[6] A music genre or subgenre may also be defined by
the musical techniques, the style, the cultural context, and the content and spirit of the themes.
Geographical origin is sometimes used to identify a music genre, though a single geographical
category will often include a wide variety of subgenres. Timothy Laurie argues that since the early
1980s, "genre has graduated from being a subset of popular music studies to being an almost
ubiquitous framework for constituting and evaluating musical research objects".[7]
Among the criteria often used to classify musical genres are the trichotomy of art, popular, and
traditional musics.
Alternatively, music can be divided on three variables: arousal, valence, and depth.[3] Arousal reflects
the energy level of the music; valence reflects the scale from sad to happy emotions, and depth
reflects the level of emotional depth in the music.[3] These three variables help explain why many
people like similar songs from different traditionally segregated genres.[3]

Contents
[hide]

 1The art/popular/traditional distinction

o 1.1Art music
o 1.2Popular music
o 1.3Traditional music
o 1.4Critics of the axiomatic triangle
 o 1.5Automatic categorization
 2Emergence of new genres and subgenres
 3See also
 4References
 5Further reading

The art/popular/traditional distinction[edit]

Musicologists have sometimes classified music according to a trichotomic distinction such as Philip
Tagg's "axiomatic triangle consisting of 'folk', 'art' and 'popular' musics".[8] He explains that each of
these three is distinguishable from the others according to certain criteria.[8]
Art music[edit]
Main article: Art music

See also: List of art music traditions

The term art music refers primarily to classical traditions, including both contemporary and historical
classical music forms. Art music exists in many parts of the world. It emphasizes formal styles that
invite technical and detailed deconstruction[9] and criticism, and demand focused attention from the
listener. In Western practice, art music is considered primarily a written musical
tradition,[10] preserved in some form of music notation rather than being transmitted orally, by rote, or
in recordings, as popular and traditional music usually are.[10][11]Historically, most western art music
has been written down using the standard forms of music notation that evolved in Europe, beginning
well before the Renaissance and reaching its maturity in the Romantic period. The identity of a
"work" or "piece" of art music is usually defined by the notated version rather than by a particular
performance, and is primarily associated with the composer rather than the performer (though
composers may leave performers with some opportunity for interpretation or improvisation). This is
so particularly in the case of western classical music. Art music may include certain forms of jazz,
though some feel that jazz is primarily a form of popular music.
Sacred Christian music forms an important part of the classical music tradition and repertoire, but
can also be considered to have an identity of its own.[citation needed]
Popular music[edit]
Main article: Popular music

The term popular music refers to any musical style accessible to the general public and
disseminated by the mass media. Musicologist and popular music specialist Philip Tagg defined the
notion in the light of sociocultural and economical aspects:
Popular music, unlike art music, is (1) conceived for mass distribution to large and often
socioculturally heterogeneous groups of listeners, (2) stored and distributed in non-written form, (3)
only possible in an industrial monetary economy where it becomes a commodity and (4) in capitalist
societies, subject to the laws of 'free' enterprise ... it should ideally sell as much as possible.[8]
Popular music is found on most commercial and public service radio stations, in most commercial
music retailers and department stores, and in movie and television soundtracks. It is noted on
the Billboard charts and, in addition to singer-songwriters and composers, it involves music
producers more than other genres do.
The distinction between classical and popular music has sometimes been blurred in marginal
areas[12] such as minimalist music and light classics. Background music for films/movies often draws
on both traditions. In this respect, music is like fiction, which likewise draws a distinction
between literary fiction and popular fiction that is not always precise.
Traditional music[edit]
Main article: Traditional music
Traditional music is a modern name for what has been called "folk music", excluding the expansion
of the term folk music to include much non-traditional material. Sometimes "folk" is designated for
Western music and non-Western music is considered "world music". The two are both unified as
traditional music due to:

 Oral transmission: The music is handed down and learned through singing, listening, and
sometimes dancing;
 Cultural basis: The music derives from and is part of the traditions of a particular region or
culture.
Critics of the axiomatic triangle[edit]
Musicologist and popular music specialist Richard Middleton has discussed the blurred nature of
these distinctions:
Neat divisions between 'folk' and 'popular', and 'popular' and 'art', are impossible to find ... arbitrary
criteria [are used] to define the complement of 'popular'. 'Art' music, for example, is generally
regarded as by nature complex, difficult, demanding; 'popular' music then has to be defined as
'simple', 'accessible', 'facile'. But many pieces commonly thought of as 'art' (Handel's 'Hallelujah
Chorus', many Schubert songs, many Verdi arias) have qualities of simplicity; conversely, it is by no
means obvious that the Sex Pistols' records were 'accessible', Frank Zappa's work 'simple', or Billie
Holiday's 'facile'.[13]
Automatic categorization[edit]
This section needs expansion. You
can help by adding to it. (February
2014)

Automatic methods of musical similarity detection, based on data mining and co-
occurrence analysis, have been developed in order to classify music titles for electronic music
distribution.[14]

Emergence of new genres and subgenres[edit]

New genres can arise by the development of new forms and styles of music and also simply by
creating a new categorization. Although it is conceivable to create a musical style with no relation to
existing genres, new styles usually appear under the influence of preexisting genres. The genealogy
of musical genres expresses, often in the form of a written chart, the way in which new genres have
developed under the influence of older ones. If two or more existing genres influence the emergence
of a new one, a fusion between them can be said to have taken place. The proliferation of popular
music in the 20th century has led to over 1,200 definable subgenres of music.[15]