The best-known music genres

Classic

Classical music has been playing for centuries. It usually refers to music created in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries or earlier.

Most classical music such as concerto (“concert”), symphony (“symphony”) and fugue (“fugue”) have no lyrics. An important characteristic of classical music is that it is written in the form of musical notes.

Like the script of a play, it defines the tone, rhythm, and coordination of different instruments in a piece of music. This means that there are fewer possibilities to modify a piece of music, unlike other genres mentioned here.

Jazz

This category of music was created at the beginning of the 20th century. Its most important feature is the use of brass instruments such as the saxophone and improvisation (modifying music while playing).

Hip-Hop/Rap

This type of music was developed in New York in the 1970s. Its main characteristics are rhythmic, fast and repetitive lyrics, along with rhythmic music.

Electronics

Electronic music uses digital tools and electronic instruments to create songs and music. It is quite popular in our time and its sound is artificial. This genre is sometimes called EDM or “electronic dance music”.

Rock

Rock music began in the 1950s in the United States. Its most notable features are the use of electric guitar and rock band culture where the band as a whole is more important than solo singers (as opposed to pop music).

Disk

This category was also born in the 1970s in the suburbs of the United States and became world famous for its dance culture. Its characteristic vocal effects and electronic synthesizers are still used in many songs today.

Fusion

Fusion music is the mixture of two or more genres to create a new style of music. It usually refers to the mixture of so-called “western” music and the musical characteristics of other traditional music such as classical Indian or Chinese music.

Pop

Pop music is popular music. It is the category of music that produces the highest sales. The common elements of all pop music is that its lyrics and music are simple, easy to sing and has some catchy repetitive elements.

Country

Unlike all the other genders we’ve seen so far, this one comes from the rural areas of the United States. Its most recognized sound is that of a normal guitar along with a special jib in the lyrics and vowels.

The goal of these songs is to convey a clear message and tell a story. Their most distinctive features are twang and yodel, two forms of singing influenced by the accents you will find in the southern regions of the United States.

Blues

“Feeling blue” means to feel sad and down, and this musical genre tries to turn that feeling into song.

It emerged in the late 19th century in America in the African American community and is known for its repetitive lines and brass instruments. It had a great impact on jazz and country genres.

Reggae

Meaning: This genre was created in Jamaica by mixing blues and calypso (a Jamaican musical form). It is known for its unconventional sound and lyrics that speak of social problems.