Genres of Music

Music Genres refer to the different styles and sounds that identify what type of music category songs belong in. Within the music industry there are many genres of music:

Pop music, born from the phrase 'popular' is music belonging to a number of musical styles that are deemed to be commercially recorded and accessible to the general public, often oriented towards a youth market. Music within this genre typically consists of relatively short, simple lyrics describing love, parties and having fun. Combining catchy hooks and choruses (for example 'rah rah ahh ahh ahh...' in 'Lady GaGa's Bad Romance') that become infectious in the listeners ear, pop music usually follows the structure of Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus x2. Pop utilizes technological innovations to produce new variations on existing syles and themes, such as an electro/ techno pop sound which dominates the charts nowadays. Often referred to as 'mainstream' music.

Rock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music. The sound of rock often revolves around the electric guitar, a back beat laid down by a rhythm section of electric bass guitar and drums, keyboard instruments and since the late 60s, synthesizers. In its "purest form", it "has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody."

Classical music is a genre produced in the western world between 1750 and 1820. This music included opera, chamber music, choral pieces, and music requiring a full orchestra. To most, however, classical music refers to all of the above types of music within most time periods before the 20th century.

Rap/ Hip Hop music is a musical genre that developed as part of hip hop culture, and is defined by four key stylistic elements: rapping, DJing/scratching, sampling (or synthesis), and beatboxing. Hip hop began in the South Bronx of New York City in the 1970s.Rapping, is a vocal style in which the artist speaks lyrically, in rhyme and verse, generally to an instrumental or synthesized beat. Beats, almost always in 4/4 time signature, can be created by sampling and/or sequencing portions of other songs by a producer. They also incorporate synthesizers, drum machines, and live bands. Rappers may write, memorize, or improvise their lyrics and perform their works a cappella or to a beat.

Jazz is a music genre that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th century American popular music. Typically uses blue notes, improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation, and the swung note.