Classifying music into various genres does not have a right or wrong system. There are many genres, subgenres, and ways to classify music. Alternative bands, new developments in music, and overlapping genres also contribute to the difficulty. There are some basic guidelines for determining the main musical genres to which a song could belong.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Determine the Different Genres of Pop Music
Step 1. Classify rock music
Rock and roll is a broad form of pop music that contains almost a hundred derivatives and subgenres. The characteristic sound of rock and roll is a strong rhythm and a simple (sometimes advanced) chord structure that is played at high volume. Rock and roll was born in the 1950s from rhythm and blues. Typically includes electric guitar (sometimes distorted), percussion, bass, and vocals.
- There are several variations of rock and roll that make it difficult to define the genre.
- Some of the early rock pioneers are The Kinks, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Buddy Holly, and Bo Diddley.
- Rock and roll evolved throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and each decade that followed. In the 70s, punk rock was born. In the 80s, metal and hair metal were born. In the 90s, grunge entered the scene, as well as countless other styles.
- If you listen to a song with a strong rhythm and personality, you might be correct in classifying it as rock.
Step 2. Identify the Top 40 music
Top 40 is a way to monitor the success of a pop song based on listeners and popularity. Today, Top 40 has become a genre of pop on its own. His music is written by composers and produced by a music corporation. The easiest way to find this music is by browsing the radio stations until you find a pop station.
- More than any other genre, Top 40 songs are designed to be catchy and stay in your head. With this idea imbued in the songwriting process, the Top 40 songs have an ostentatious chorus that is repeated multiple times.
- Some popular figures from the Top 40 hits are Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Keke Palmer.
Step 3. Classify country music
Country music, like all other genres, continues to grow and develop in subgenres. The strongest emphasis in country music is on the history of the song. The song is kept in pop format with a verse and a chorus. It is also characteristic that the singer has a little (or a lot) of gangue in his voice. Since country music has a fixation on song history, instruments play less of a role. Popular instruments in country music are acoustic guitars, steel pedal guitar, and other folk instruments.
- Country music's roots go back to the honky tonk days of the 1950s. The most celebrated star of this decade is Hank Williams.
- Folk music is another popular subgenre of country music. Folk music takes the narrative approach of country music and intensifies the storytelling. Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan are popular folk musicians.
Step 4. Understand soul and R&B
Soul and rhythm and blues are genres of music inspired by gospel and blues music. These genres represent a larger grouping of music genres created by African Americans. Soul music is characterized by powerful vocals and an accompanying catchy beat. R&B is another large genre that has roots in the 1950s and morphed around the late 1980s into a catchier form of pop.
- Early soul pioneers included Solomon Burke, Ben E. King, and Aretha Franklin.
- R&B started with a minimal style like Big Joe Turner and Fats Domino. The genre took on more influences in the 1960s with the Mar-Keys and James Brown. Later R&B took on a hip hop influence with artists like Mary J. Blige and Boyz II Men.
- Another influential genre that was formed under these genres is funk. Funk has a lot to do with being exceptionally rhythmic. Listen to artists like Funkadelic, James Brown from the '70s, and Sly Stone & the Family Stone.
Step 5. Identify rap and hip hop
Rap and hip hop have an easy indicator to tell you what genre you listen to. The name comes from the fact that the vocalist raps above the beat. Rap is a form of poetry that accompanies music. Rap and hip hop began in the late 1970s with artists like Grandmaster Flash and Blowfly. The genre evolved and continues to evolve.
- Today's rap has a great influence on pop music.
- Some examples of rap subgenres are gangsta, trap, Chicano, and ghetto house.
Step 6. Classify electronic music
Electronic music is another grouping of genres that can be mixed. The key indicator of electronic pop music is the heavy reliance on synthesizers or computers. Synthesizers became accessible to artists in the 1970s and can be heard in Herbie Hancock's 1973 hit Chameleon.
- Electronic music has developed into various genres of popular music. In the 1990s, techno became popular dance music that is still around today. Techno evolved into EDM and dubstep, both of which are popular.
- There are electronic aspects to a great deal of the music that is produced today.
Method 2 of 3: Classify Music as Experimental
Step 1. Know the roots of experimental music
Experimental music began to take shape in the early to mid-20th century with the growing influence of Black Mountain College. Various composers with classical training began to experiment with what it meant to make a composition. Today, various artists and musicians take a genre of pop, such as techno, and experiment with it. The result, if successfully achieved, is a completely different sound.
An example is the Stockhausen Helicopter and String Quartet, which requires four helicopters with each member of the quartet occupying a separate helicopter while playing in unison
Step 2. Determine a mix between pop and experimental music
Since the 1960s, certain musicians have been interested in blurring the line between a conventional pop singer and something else entirely. There is a trend in experimental psychedelic music towards upsetting the conventions of pop. Bands like Acid Mother Temple do this by creating a hook throughout a melody and then branching out to a cosmic beat.
Trout Mask Replica, the infamous Captain Beefheart album, is a fully composed album but it sounds like improvisation and madness
Step 3. Identify the background music
In the mid-1970s, when synthesizers were starting to gain momentum, a certain artist found a new way to use the instrument. Drawing inspiration from Indian ragas and other types of low-pitched oriental classical music, the ambient music creates an atmosphere for the listener.
- Brian Eno popularized ambient music with compositions such as Music for Airports, which was composed to be played in airports.
- Another interesting crossover genre is loud music. Loud music is, as the name implies, loud and chaotic but often creates a wall of constant ambient sound.
Step 4. Get to know minimalist music
Minimalist music refers to a specific scene of musicians in the 1960s to the present day who composed music "minimally". The term itself does not fairly describe the music. Minimalist music is best characterized by several "minimal" layers of music stacked one on top of the other to create something incredibly complex.
- Philip Glass wrote an opera called Einstein on the Beach, which embodies this idea of stacking minimal melodies to create something massive.
- Other pioneers of the genre, Steve Reich and Terry Riley, have their own style for creating minimalist music.
Method 3 of 3: Identify Classical Music
Step 1. Consider the era in which the piece of music was composed
In classical music, a large part of the classification depends very much on the century in which the piece was composed. Normally when people talk about "classical music" they are referring to European music. The date of a piece of music can give you information about the art movement in which the piece was composed. In a way, art movements act as genres for classical music.
To better understand classical music and its characteristics, learn about the different art movements
Step 2. Identify the early stages of classical music
The early stages of classical music refer to music created by monks and officials of the Catholic Church before the 9th century. The first example of this style is the Gregorian chants. Legend has it that the songs were written by Pope Gregory but scholars are now skeptical of this claim. The songs were performed by a group of monks. This is the first time that music was composed in musical notation and contained melodies to sing along with the words (in Latin).
A good indicator that the music belongs to this era is if it is a cappella and is sung in Latin
Step 3. Classify baroque music
Baroque music is best exemplified as artistically flamboyant and elaborately decorated. The influence of the Church began to weaken at this time, which lasted from approximately 1600 to 1750. The Baroque period gave rise to orchestral music and opera. Another key sound from the Baroque era is the harpsichord.
The harpsichord is played like a piano but instead of striking the strings with mallets, the strings are plucked like a harp. This gives the harpsichord a unique, crisp tone
Step 4. Identify the "classic" move
The classical era contains some of the most identifiable pieces of music. This is the era of renowned composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, and Schubert. Classical music is known for its keen attention to detail and structural clarity. Rather than a rococo style of decorative details, classical-era music focused more on symmetry and sensitivity.
This time runs parallel to the intellectual movement called the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment gave rise to the growing belief that human reasoning could overcome the problems of the world. This influenced the way composers treated their compositions
Step 5. Identify Romanticism
Musical Romanticism lasted from 1820 to the 20th century, ending in approximately 1915. The key identifiers of the music of this era are its implications of fantasy, spontaneity, and sensuality. The art movement itself was centered on the idea of returning to nature due to the Industrial Revolution.
- Another popular concept that was explored in Romanticism was color. Composers began to view the orchestra as a palette that could represent a variety of exotic scenes.
- A sub-movement within Romanticism was Impressionism. Similar to Impressionist painters like Monet, composers tried to make an impression on the listener. For example, Erik Satie composed a series of pieces called "furniture music", which were the first time that someone composed music with the intention that it was in the background.
Step 6. Understand modern classical music
The music of the end of Romanticism, around 1915, is considered modern classical music. Modern music is exemplified by various extreme settings. Because the history of musical styles is so vast, composers of this time tried to take new paths with their compositions.
- For example, Igor Stravinsky broke new ground by composing a ballet on a pagan myth. Its premiere almost caused a riot in the public.
- The modern movement also gave rise to experimental music by figures such as John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Step 7. Learn the key figures and pieces of classical music
Take a look at the various movements and see if you can name a piece of music or composer from each period. A good way to practice learning the different eras is by reading about the era while listening to a piece of music from that movement. Music students should be able to identify a piece of music based on an audio clip. These are some pieces that accompany each era:
- Classical music in its early stages can best be heard in Gregorian chants and other types of choral music.
- Baroque music has two heavyweights: Bach and Handel. Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G major is probably the most recognizable.
- The classical era has several popular composers. Popular pieces from this era include Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
- For the romantic era, listen to Liszt's Liebestraum or Chopin's Study Op. 10 No. 5.
- Modern music is very broad but some key pieces are Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and 4'33 "by John Cage.
Advice
- Knowing how the different genres originated and their history is extremely helpful. Do some research and find out more about your favorite genre.
- Remember that there is no completely descriptive or hard-hitting method for determining the genre of a song.
- Take a look at the songs in your music library and try to sort them into genres yourself. This can be a fun and challenging exercise. See how accurate you can get when evaluating the subgenre a song belongs to.
- Be aware that a piece of music can belong to several genres, such as pop and rap or other combinations.