Tag: genre
Heavy Metal
Everyone is pretty familiar with the often satirized image of heavy metal. Speedy beat, strong electronic guitar riffs, and an over-emphasis on volume. As far as its name goes, some have attributed it to the works of William S. Burroughs, but most will say the origin lies in Steppenwolf's classic song "Born To Be Wild" in a verse that said "Heavy Metal Thunder".
New Age
In discussing New Age music, it is very difficult to classify since the term can refer to many things. Many conservative groups believe that it refers to music inspired from the New Age, a movement of spirituality that isn't really an official organized religion. These same groups will generally shun this New Age music because they fear it will influence listeners into the New Age movement, ...
R&B
Like many music genres, the term of Rhythm and Blues is an umbrella term that covers a variety of music, referring to the rhythm of the backbeat that was influenced by rock and roll, while the chord changes were reminiscent of the blues. R&B’s origins can be rooted in jazz, blues, and gospel.
Reggae
Jamaican Reggae is a product of both R&B and Ska. As was the case with Ska, some have said that Jamaican music was the direct result of bad radio reception. Even though there is no evidence to support this, some have said that Jamaicans would attempt to imitate the R&B and Rock and Roll music on their radios, and their attempts ended up with a distinct beat all unto itself. This was the ...
Alternative
Alternative is an umbrella term that refers to an age of music spanning from the late-1980s to the mid-1990s. Yahoo music has a station devoted to '80s alternative, but these bands were not considered alternative in their day. Groups of this particular type had a following, but were often ignored for more established, money-making pop artists. Yet, some of them, such as the now-famous R.E.M. ...
Contemporary
It is difficult to define the term Contemporary Christian music, but most seem to narrow it down to artists who profess Christ openly, and sing music that is filled with gospel themes.
Disco
The image of Disco is forever immortalized in the Saturday Night Fever movie poster as John Travolta struck the famous 'disco pose'. The film glamorized the disco culture as an era where leisure-suit clad men danced their way from one discotheque to another, looking for romantic adventure. Disco received its name from these clubs that played nothing but dance music, with or without lyrics.
Funk
Funk is an offshoot of R&B music that emphasized the finer points of Jazz and Soul. One of the greatest influences of funk was the new emphasis on the bass guitar, an instrument hardly used in rock bands of that era, but now a requirement. Especially common in funk songs was the use of the slap bass technique, a style that is generally credited to Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone.
Grunge
The term Grunge was coined by Mark Arm, who later formed the popular group MudHoney in an attempt to describe this type of music. This term is often used synonymously with alternative music, but that is actually an entirely different genre altogether. Grunge is characterized by its strong guitar, deliberate distortion, and angst-ridden lyrics.
Punk
Like many musical styles, Punk isn't just a genre of music but an entire culture. Slang made the term “punk” a reference to a juvenile delinquent, and in the seventies, it somehow became associated with garage bands who played with a simplistic style and very little excess electronic fluff of the pop bands. Some of these punk bands recordings were often crudely done with an ordinary cassette ...
Opera
Opera music is the music to which a theatrical dramatic performance is set. Whilst an opera is presented with acting, scenery etc., the words are sung. Opera singers are accompanied by an instrumental ensemble and in some instances by a complete symphonic orchestra. The earliest opera, Dafne by Jacopo Peri, was performed in 1597. A popular opera of our time is The Phantom of the Opera. ...
Rap and Hip Hop
Hip Hop and Rap, terms that are often used interchangeably, usually center around the urban culture of the inner city. Many say that hip hop borrows from the DJ or MC approach to song-playing, famed for calling out, turntabling, and beatboxing. Hip hop evolved from African-American music, including R&B, Soul, Funk, and even Disco.
