Top 10 genres of Music Industry

GiGlue in GiGlue
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May 23, 2017 · 5 min read

A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some

pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of
conventions. 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.

Below are the top 10 genres in the music industry currently :

www.giglue.com (Electronic Dance Music)

1. Electronic Dance Music:

Generally referred as EDM, this form of music is produced by DJs
who add dozens of tones to a piece to create unique music. You
can hear them in clubs or even live, depending upon your
accessibility for the same. In the early twenties, electronic dance
music was known in the form of Jamaican dub music, the
electronic music of Kraftwerk, the disco music of Giorgio Moroder,
the Yellow Magic Orchestra and many more.
www.giglue.com (Rock Music)

2. Rock Music:
Originated as “Rock & Roll” in the United States, Rock musichas
been rocking the world since the 1950s. It is a form of music that
started actually around string instruments, but now uses other
modern instruments too making it a little difficult to give it an
accurate definition. Its loud and strong beats make it popular
among the youths. Some of the rock stars who have popularized
the culture include Little Richard, Bill Haley and Chuck Berry
while rock bands like Pink Floyd, The Doors, Metallica, Nirvana
and Megadeth are the modern bands who have taken the culture
by storm.
www.giglue.com (Jazz)

3. Jazz:
Identified with swing and blue notes, Jazz has its roots both in the
West African and European culture. It is said that Jazz is “One of
America’s original art forms” and boasts a unique combination of
creativity, coactions and interactivity. Originating in the late 19th
to early 20th century, Jazz has also played an important role in
introducing the world to a number of women performers like Ella
Fitzgerald, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln and Ethel Waters.
www.giglue.com (Dubstep)

4. Dubstep:
The use of instruments attracting music lovers for its bass and
rhythm, this falls in the electronic music genre. People consider it
to be a darker form of music, but since its birth in the late 1990s,
this genre has successfully made its place in the industry.
www.giglue.com (Rhythm & Blues)

5. Rhythm and Blues:

Vocalists like Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Usher and the
legendary Michael Jackson have all made it huge in the music
industry with their love for this form of music. Originated in the
1940s, this African-American music is a combination of hip hop,
funk, dance, pop and soul focusing on themes like relationships,
sex and freedom.

www.giglue.com (Techno)

6. Techno:
You may have listened to a number of techno music while
clubbing, but it is Detroit techno that is considered to be the
foundation of this form of music. Unlike the days of its emergence,
the use of technology today has greatly enhanced the quality of
techno style music and popularizing it among people day by day.
www.giglue.com (Country Music)

7. Country Music:
Another popular genre of American music which originated in the
1920s, Country music has its roots from American folk and
western music. It is formed using simple forms of instruments
ranging from electric and steel guitars to drums and mandolin or
mouth organ. Some very popular country music singers include
Shania Twain, Johnny Cash Taylor Swift and Kenny Rogers.
www.giglue.com (Electro)

8. Electro:
A perfect blend of hip hop and electronic music, electro or electro-
funk uses drum machine, vocoder and talkbox helping it to
distinguish itself from another similar form of music, Disco.
Notable artistswho have been into this form of music include
Arthur Baker, Freeez, Man Parrish and Midnight Star.

www.giglue.com (Indie Rock)

9. Indie Rock:
Falling in the genre of alternative rock music, Indie Rock
originated in the 1980s and has gradually changed the music
industry. After a decade, it also gave birth to a couple of sun-
genres in related styles such as math rock, emo, noise pop, post
rock and lo-fi.
www.giglue.com (Pop Music)

10. Pop Music:

“Pop” is a term derived from “Popular” and thus Pop Music is
known to be a genre of popular music. With its roots in the rock &
roll style, this form can include any form of music ranging from
urban and dance to rock, country and Latin. Instruments highly
used are electric guitars, synthesizer drums as well as bass and one
can listen to this form of music by listening to songs by Britney
Spears, Madonna, Beyonce Lady Gaga and of course the “King of
Pop”, Michael Jackson.

Genres & Definitions

Genre Definitions as used in the KOOP Music Library

These definitions were compiled to aid Music Library volunteers when writing their
reviews and categorizing/labelling music. Of course, there are many more out there,
including sub-genres of sub-genres, but there's no need to get that specific. Just choose
the category in which your artist/group fits best. If the artist/group seems to cross over
into a number of categories, pick the one most prevalent -- for example, a CD might
include 3 blues songs, 2 folk songs, and 5 rock songs -- that artist would probably go in
the "rock" category (although you may want to check the Music Library first and see if
there are other CDs by that artist/group already there -- in that case, try to keep all the
CDs in the same section).

The review you write can get as specific as you like, and the terms and definitions below
may be useful. However, when labelling your CD (or record) for its inclusion in the
Music Library, try to stick to the main genres listed on the Label Chart. There are only a
limited number of colored stickers, so the categories had to be fairly broad. And
hundreds of very specific letter-codes would only get confusing for programmers trying
to locate music, so please confine yourself to the ones listed on the chart.

Acid House
House music featuring squelching loops from Roland TB-303 synthesizers.
Acid Jazz
Contrary to its name, this style has little in common with Acid House. Acid Jazz consists
of various blends of Jazz, Funk, House and Hip-Hop.

Acoustic
Created without the use of electricity.

Alternative
Coined in the early 1980s, the term "alternative rock" or "alternative music" was used to
describe music that didn't fit into mainstream genres of the time. Alternative styles
include indie, post-punk, hardcore punk, gothic rock, college rock and new wave bands.

Ambient
Atmospheric electronic music combined with jazz, New Age and other influences.
Usually quieter than other styles, ambient music describes three dimensional
atmospheres with sound, often without a beat.

Bluegrass
A form of American roots music with its own roots in the English, Irish and Scottish
traditional music of immigrants from the British Isles (particularly the Scots-Irish
immigrants of Appalachia), as well as the music of rural African-Americans, jazz, and
blues. Like jazz, bluegrass is played with each melody instrument switching off, playing
the melody in turn while the others revert to backing; this is in contrast to old-time
music, in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument carried the
lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment.

Blues
A vocal and instrumental form of music based on a pentatonic scale and a characteristic
twelve-bar chord progression, blues evolved from African American spirituals, shouts,
work songs and chants that found its earliest stylistic roots in West Africa. Blues has
been a major influence on later American and Western popular music, finding
expression in ragtime, jazz, big band, rhythm & blues, rock & roll, country music,
conventional pop songs and even modern classical music.

Cajun
Louisiana music that tends to sound more like early country, with the use of steel guitar
and acoustic guitar along with the older traditional instruments -- fiddle, triangle and
accordion. Cajun music is typically a waltz or two step.

Caribbean
The music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. They are each
syntheses of African, European, Indian and native influences. Some of the styles to gain
wide popularity outside of the Caribbean include reggae, zouk, salsa and calypso.
Areas include: The Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique,
Puerto Rico, Trinidad

Celtic
Celtic music is a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical
traditions of the Celtic peoples of Western Europe. Most typically, the term Celtic music
is applied to the music of Ireland and Scotland, because both places have produced
well-known distinctive styles which actually have genuine commonality and clear mutual
influences. The music of Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Brittany, Northumbria and
Galicia are also frequently considered a part of Celtic music, the Celtic tradition being
particularly strong in Brittany, where Celtic festivals large and small take place
throughout the year. Finally, the music of ethnically Celtic peoples abroad are also
considered, especially in Canada and the United States.

Christian
Christian music refers to music created by Christian artists or adapted to deliver general
Christian religion themes.

Classical
Classical music is generally a classification covering music composed and performed by
professionally trained artists. Classical music is a written tradition. It is composed and
written using music notation, and as a rule is performed faithfully to the score. In
common usage, "classical music" often refers to orchestral music in general, regardless
of when it was composed or for what purpose (film scores and orchestral arrangements
on pop music recordings, for example).

Club / Dance
Music composed, played, or both, specifically to accompany social dancing, though
from the late 1970s, the term "dance music" has come to refer (in the context of
nightclubs) more specifically to electronic music such as disco, house, techno and
trance. Generally, the difference between a disco, or any dance song, and a rock or
general popular song is that in dance music the bass hits "four to the floor" at least once
a beat (which in 4/4 time is 4 beats per measure), while in rock the bass hits on one and
three and lets the snare take the lead on two and four.

Comedy/Spoken Word
The comedy/spoken word is known as comedians and stand up stories.

Conjunto
(Also known as Norteño) A traditional style of Mexican music that originated in rural
northern Mexico in the early 20th century, a form of music based largely on corridos and
polka. The accordion and the bajo sexto is the music's most characteristic instruments.
Norteño is extremely popular among first-generation Mexicans in both the inner city
barrios and the rural countrysides of the United States and Mexico.
Country
Once known as Country & Western music, this music form is developed mostly in the
southern United States of America, with roots in traditional folk music, spirituals and
blues.

Dixieland (Jazz)
Dixieland developed in New Orleans, Louisiana at the start of the 20th century, and
spread to Chicago, Illinois and New York City, New York by New Orleans bands in the
1910s, and was, for a period, quite popular among the general public. It is often
considered the first true type of jazz, and was the first music referred to by the term jazz
(before 1917 often spelled jass).

Drone Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of
sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone clusters – called Drones.

East Coast (Hip Hop)

(Sometimes also referred to as New York hip hop) A style of hip hop music that
originated in New York City during the late-1970s. East Coast hip hop emerged as a
definitive subgenre after artists from other regions of the United States (chiefly the West
Coast) emerged with different styles of hip-hop. It has since grown into a major
subgenre of hip hop, and has played an instrumental role in hip hop history. East Coast
hip hop has developed several creative epicenters and local scenes within the
Northeastern United States, most of which are primarily located within African-American
and Hispanic urban centers.

Easy Listening
Easy Listening is a term used to describe a certain style of popular music which
emphasizes simple, catchy melodies and cool, laid-back harmonics and rhythms,
suitable for dancing. Easy listening emerged in the mid 20th century. Other terms used
by fans of this style today include Lounge and Lounge Core, connecting it to the cocktail
lounge culture of the 1960s and 1970s.

Electronica
Electronica is a rather vague term that covers a wide range of electronic or electronic-
influenced music. The term has been defined by some to mean modern electronic
music that is not necessarily designed for the dance-floor, but rather for home listening.
In the mid-1990s, the term became popular as a means of referring to the then-novel
mainstream success of post-Rave global electronic dance music. Prior to the adoption
of "electronica" as a blanket term for more experimental dance music, terms such as
"electronic listening music," "braindance" and "intelligent dance music" (IDM) were
common.

Emo
Emo is a subgenre of hardcore punk music. In its original incarnation, the term emo was
used to describe the music of the mid-1980s DC scene and its associated bands. In
later years, the term emocore, short for "emotional hardcore", was also used to describe
the DC scene and some of the regional scenes that spawned from it. The term emo was
derived from the fact that, on occasion, members of a band would become
spontaneously and literally emotional during performances.

Experimental
A general term surrounding electronic music without predefined genres.

Flamenco
Flamenco is a song, music and dance style which is strongly influenced by the Gitanos
(Spanish Gypsies), but which has its deeper roots in Moorish and Jewish musical
traditions. Originally, flamenco consisted of unaccompanied singing (cante). Later the
songs were accompanied by flamenco guitar (toque), rhythmic hand clapping ( palmas),
rhythmic feet stomping (zapateado) and dance (baile). The toque and baile are also
often found without the cante, although the song remains at the heart of the flamenco
tradition.

Folk
Music by and of the common people, folks is a down-to-earth style focusing on universal
truths, often with traditional acoustic instrumentation and a simple melody. Folk music
arose in societies not yet affected by mass communication and the commercialization of
culture. It was originally shared and performed by an entire community -- not by a
special class of expert performers -- and was transmitted by word of mouth.

Funk
Funk is a distinct style of music originated by African-Americans, e.g., James Brown
and his band members (especially Maceo and Melvin Parker), and groups like The
Meters. Funk best can be recognized by its syncopated three against four rhythms; thick
bass line (often based on an "on the one" beat); razor-sharp rhythm guitars; chanted or
hollered vocals (as that of Marva Whitney or the Bar-Kays); strong, rhythm-oriented
horn sections; prominent percussion; an upbeat attitude; African tones; danceability;
and strong jazz influences (e.g., as in the music of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock,
George Duke, Eddie Harris, and others).

Fusion
At the time of its origin, Fusion was a blend of Jazz with the aggressive qualities of
Rock. Today it can represent a blending of any two or more styles.

Garage (Rock)
A simple, raw form of rock and roll that emerged in the mid-1960s, largely in the United
States. The term "garage rock" comes from the perception that many such performers
were young and amateurish, and often rehearsed in a family garage (this stereotype
also evokes a suburban, middle-class setting). Largely inspired by British Invasion
bands like The Beatles, The Kinks, The Who and The Rolling Stones, these groups
mostly played a homespun variation on British Invasion rock -- although other influences
were also apparent, especially the surf music style that immediately preceded the
garage era. "Garage rock" was often musically crude, but nevertheless conveyed great
passion and energy. Most of the bands used simple chord progressions, pounding
drums, and short, repetitive lyrics.

Gospel
Gospel music may refer either to the religious music that first came out of African-
American churches in the 1930's or, more loosely, to both black gospel music and to the
religious music composed and sung by white southern Christian artists. While the
separation between the two styles was never absolute -- both drew from the Methodist
hymnal and artists in one tradition sometimes sang songs belonging to the other -- the
sharp division between black and white America, particularly black and white churches,
kept the two apart. While those divisions have lessened slightly in the past fifty years,
the two traditions are still distinct. It tends to be characterised by dominant vocals (often
with strong use of harmony) referencing lyrics of a religious nature.

Goth
Gothic rock evolved out of post-punk during the late 1970s. Originally considered just a
label for a small handful of punk rock/post-punk bands, goth only began to be defined
as a separate movement in 1981. While most punk bands focused on aggressive,
outward rock, the early gothic bands were more introverted and personal, with elements
that can be traced to much older literary movements such as gothic horror,
Romanticism, existential philosophy, and the philosophical construct of nihilism. The
earliest gothic bands were Bauhaus, Gloria Mundi (credited as the first goth band by
Mick Mercer), and UK Decay.

Grunge
(Sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) A genre of alternative rock inspired
by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock. It became commercially successful in
the late 1980s and early 1990s, peaking in mainstream popularity between 1991 and
1994. Bands from cities in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, such as Seattle,
Washington, Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, created grunge and later
made it popular with mainstream audiences. The genre is closely associated with
Generation X in the US, since it was popularized in tandem with the rise in popularity of
the generation's name. The popularity of grunge was one of the earliest phenomena
that distinguished the popular music of the 1990s from that of the 1980s. Grunge music
is generally characterized by "dirty" guitar, strong riffs, and heavy drumming.

Heavy Metal
(Also referred to as simply metal) A form of music characterised by aggressive, driving
rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars. Its origins lie in the hard rock bands who,
between 1967 and 1974, took blues and rock and created a hybrid with a heavy, guitar-
and-drums-centered sound. From the late 1970s on, many bands would fuse this sound
with a revival of European classical music. Heavy metal had its peak popularity in the
1980s, during which many of the now existing subgenres first evolved.
Hip Hop
Music composed of four main elements: rapping (also known as emceeing), disk
jockeying, breakdancing and graffiti. A cultural movement, hip hop began among African
Americans in New York City in the 1970s. Most typically, hip hop music consists of one
or more rappers who chant semi-autobiographic tales, often relating to a fictionalized
counterpart, in an intensely rhythmic lyrical form, making abundant use of techniques
like assonance, alliteration, and rhyme. The rapper is accompanied by an instrumental
track, usually referred to as a "beat" because of the emphasis on rhythm, performed by
a DJ, a record producer, or one or more instrumentalists. This beat is often created
using a sample of the percussion break of another song, usually a funk, rock, or soul
recording. In addition to the beat, other sounds are often sampled, synthesized, or
performed. Sometimes, a track can be made up of just the beat by itself, as a showcase
of the skills of the DJ or producer.

Honky Tonk
The first genre of music to be commonly known as honky tonk music was a style of
piano playing related to ragtime, but emphasizing rhythm more than melody or
harmony, since the style evolved in response to an environment where the pianos were
often poorly cared for, tending to be out of tune and having some nonfunctioning keys.

House
Named after its birthplace, the Warehouse, a club in Chicago, House is in many ways
an electronic extension of Disco. House features a steady 4/4 beat, with accented
percussion and basslines.

Indie
A genre of alternative rock that primarily exists in the indie underground music scene.
The term is sometimes used interchangeably with indie music as a whole, though more
specifically implies that the music meets the criteria of being rock, as opposed to indie
pop or other possible matchups. These criteria vary from an emphasis on rock
instrumentation (electric guitars, bass guitar, live drums, and vocals) to more abstract
(and debatable) rockist constructions of authenticity.

Industrial
Industrial music is a loose term for a number of different styles of electronic and
experimental music. The first wave of this music appeared in 1977 with Throbbing
Gristle and NON, and often featured tape editing, stark percussion, and loops distorted
to the point where they had degraded to harsh noise. Vocals were sporadic, and were
as likely to be bubblegum pop as they were to be abrasive polemics. Bands like Cabaret
Voltaire, Clock DVA, Factrix, DAF, Nocturnal Emissions, Esplendor Geometrico and
SPK soon followed. Blending electronic synthesisers, guitars and early samplers, these
bands created an aggressive and abrasive music fusing elements of rock with
experimental electronic music.
Jazz
Jazz music has been called the first original art form to develop within the US. It grew
out of a cross-fertilization of folk blues, ragtime, and European band music. Although
there have been many renowned jazz vocalists, and many of the most well-known jazz
tunes have lyrics, it is primarily an instrumental form of music. The instrument most
closely associated with jazz is the saxophone, followed by the trumpet. The trombone,
piano, double bass, guitar and drums are also primary jazz instruments. It is
characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, and polyrhythm, yet
the single most distinguishing characteristic of jazz is improvisation. Jazz also tends to
utilize complex chord structures and an advanced sense of harmony, and requires a
high degree of technical skill and musical knowledge from the performers.

Jungle / Drum 'n' Bass

Both styles display very fast tempos around 160-200 BPM, with double-speed
breakbeats along strong basslines. According to leading DJs, Jungle conveys a party
atmosphere with Reggae inspired bass, while Drum 'n' Bass is considered to be more
intelligent listening music.

Kids
A category that includes songs for babies, toddlers, and young teens; often designed to
educate and uplift children as well as entertain.

Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition which parallels Hasidic and Ashkenazic Judaism. Around
the 15th century, a tradition of secular (non-liturgical) Jewish music was developed by
musicians called kleyzmorim or kleyzmerim. They drew on devotional traditions
extending back into Biblical times, and their musical legacy of klezmer continues to
evolve today. The repertoire is largely dance songs for weddings and other
celebrations. Due to the Ashkenazi lineage of this music, the lyrics, terminology and
song titles are typically in Yiddish.

Latin
Latin-American music is sometimes called Latin music, and it is more of an umbrella
style than a genre. It often features acoustic instruments and horns with many layers of
percussion, and includes the music of many countries and comes in a wide variety of
choices: from the down-home conjunto music of Northern Mexico to the sophisticated
habanera of Cuba, from the symphonies of Heitor Villa-Lobos to the simple and moving
Andean flute.

Lounge
Lounge music refers to music played in the lounges and bars of hotels and casinos, or
at standalone piano bars. Generally, the performers include a singer and one or two
other musicians. The performers play or cover songs composed by others, especially
pop standards, many deriving from the days of Tin Pan Alley. Notionally, much lounge
music consists of sentimental favorites enjoyed by a lone drinker over a martini, though
in practice there is much more variety. The term can also refer to laid-back electronic
music, also named downtempo, because of the reputation of lounge music as low-key
background music.

Mariachi
Mariachi is a type of musical group, originally from Mexico, consisting of at least two
violins, two trumpets, one Spanish guitar, one vihuela (a high-pitched, five-string guitar)
and one guitarrón (a small-scaled acoustic bass), but sometimes featuring more than
twenty musicians. The mariachi sound, known as son, is a mixture of Spanish, native
and African traditions and differs from region to region.

Memphis (Blues)
Memphis blues is a type of blues music that was pioneering in the early part of the 20th
century by musicians like Sleepy John Estes and Willie Nix, associated with vaudeville
and medicine shows. It was in the Memphis blues that groups of musicians first
assigned one guitarist to play rhythm, and one to play lead and solos -- this has become
standard in rock and roll and much of popular music. In addition, the jug band arose
from the Memphis blues, mixing the sound with jazz and using homemade, simple
instruments.

Metal
(Also referred to as heavy metal) A form of music characterised by aggressive, driving
rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars. Its origins lie in the hard rock bands who,
between 1967 and 1974, took blues and rock and created a hybrid with a heavy, guitar-
and-drums-centered sound. From the late 1970s on, many bands would fuse this sound
with a revival of European classical music. Heavy metal had its peak popularity in the
1980s, during which many of the now existing subgenres first evolved.

Motown
A style of soul music with distinctive characteristics, including the use of tambourine
along with drums, bass instrumentation, a distinctive melodical and chord structure, and
a call and response singing style originating in gospel music.

New Age
New Age music is a vaguely defined style of music that is generally quite melodic and
often primarily instrumental, frequently relying on sustained pads or long sequencer-
based runs. Very long songs, up to 20 minutes and more, are not uncommon. Vocal
arrangements and usage of acoustic instruments is less common (in many cases, high-
quality samples are used instead of the latter). Recordings of naturally occurring sounds
are sometimes used as an introduction to a track or throughout the piece.

Nordic
Traditional Nordic dance music is a type of traditional music or folk music that once was
common in all five Nordic countries ( Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden).
The most typical instrument is the fiddle. In most cases normal violins are used, but
there are exceptions such as the hardingfele, used in parts of Norway, that in addition to
the normal four strings has a set of sympathetic strings. Other instruments that
traditionally often were used are simple clarinets, mainly home-made, and later
accordion.

Norteño
Norteño (literally meaning "northern" in Spanish, and also known as conjunto) is a
traditional style of Mexican music that originated in rural northern Mexico in the early
20th century, a form of music based largely on corridos and polka. The accordion and
the bajo sexto is the music's most characteristic instruments. Norteño is extremely
popular among first-generation Mexicans in both the inner city barrios and the rural
countrysides of the United States and Mexico.

Progressive
Styles that have characteristics from being created by the latest of technology and
technique in audio production.

Pop
Pop music is a subgenre of popular music. Pop music may be distinguished from
classical or art music and from folk music, but since the term spans many rock, hip hop,
rhythm and blues (R&B), country, dance and operatic pop acts, it is reasonable to say
that "pop music" is a loosely defined category.

Psychedelic / Trippy
Genres relating to hallucinations, distortions of perception, or altered states of
awareness.

Punk
Punk Rock is an anti-establishment music movement that began about 1976 (although
precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified by The Ramones, the Sex
Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. The term is also used to describe subsequent
music scenes that share key characteristics with those first-generation "punks". The
term is sometimes also applied to the fashions or the irreverent "DIY" ("do it yourself")
attitude associated with this musical movement.

R&B
Rhythm and blues (or R&B) was coined as a musical marketing term in the late 1940s
by Jerry Wexler at Billboard magazine, used to designate upbeat popular music
performed by African American artists that combined jazz and blues. It was initially used
to identify the style of music that later developed into rock and roll. By the 1970s, rhythm
and blues was being used as a blanket term to describe soul and funk as well. Today,
the acronym "R&B" is almost always used instead of "rhythm and blues", and defines
the modern version of the soul and funk influenced African-American pop music that
originated with the demise of disco in 1980.
Ragtime
An American musical genre, enjoying its peak popularity around the years 1900–1918.
Ragtime is a dance form written in 2/4 or 4/4 time, and utilizing a walking bass, that is,
the bass note played legato on the 1-3 beats with a staccato chord played on the 2-4
beats. Much Ragtime is written in Sonata form, with four distinct themes and a modified
first theme appearing in the work. Ragtime music is syncopated, with the melodic notes
landing largely on the off-beats

Rap
A form of rhyming lyrics spoken rhythmically over musical instruments that typically
uses a musical backdrop of sampling, scratching and mixing by disk jockeys (DJs).
Rapping is one of the elements of hip hop music and was originally called emceeing.

Reggae
Music founded upon a rhythm style, which is characterized by regular chops on the
backbeat, played by a rhythm guitarist. Reggae is an African-Caribbean style of music
developed on the island of Jamaica and closely linked to the religion of Rastafarianism
(though not universally popular among its members).

Retro
Music directly imitating styles of the past.

Rock (Rock & Roll)

Also called rock 'n' roll, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with
vocal harmony), a strong back beat, electric guitars, and a catchy melody backed by
three or four chords.

Rockabilly
Rockabilly is the earliest form of rock and roll as a distinct style of music. It is a fusion of
blues, hillbilly boogie, bluegrass music and country music, and its origins lie in the
American South.

Roots
A term often applied to music closely related to the birth of a genre.

Salsa
Salsa is essentially Cuban in stylistic origin, though it is also a hybrid of various Latin
styles mixed with pop, jazz, rock and R&B. Most specifically, however, salsa refers to a
particular style developed by the 1960s and '70s New York City-area Cuban and Puerto
Rican immigrants to the United States.

Soundtrack
Music used in the sound mix for a motion picture.
Soul
Soul music is a combination of rhythm and blues and gospel. Rhythm and blues (a term
coined by music writer and record producer Jerry Wexler) is itself a combination of
blues and jazz, and arose in the 1940s as small groups, often playing saxophones, built
upon the blues tradition. Soul music is differentiated by its use of gospel-music devices,
its greater emphasis on vocalists, and its merging of religious and secular themes.

Swamp Pop
Another one of Southwest Louisiana's main musical genres, swamp pop is more of a
combination of many influences, and the bridge between Zydeco, New Orleans second
line, and rock and roll. The song structure is pure rock and roll, the rhythms are
distinctly New Orleans based, the chord changes, vocals and inflections are R&B
influenced, and the lyrics are sometimes French.

Swing
Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during
the 1920s and solidified as a distinctive style during the 1930s in the United States.
Swing is distinguished primarily by a strong rhythm section, usually including double
bass and drums, medium to fast tempo, and the distinctive swing time rhythm that is
common to many forms of jazz.

Techno
This term has come to have two popular interpretations, the first being a description of
all electronic music. The second interpretation is a style that developed from House
music, which completely abandoned the influences of Disco; Techno is more
mechanical and less organic.

Tejano
Tejano (Spanish for "Texan") or Tex-Mex music is the various forms of folk and popular
music originating among the Mexican-descended Tejanos of Central and South Texas.
In recent years artists such as Selena Quintanilla, Emilio Navaira, and Selena's brother
A.B. Quintanilla's band, Los Kumbia Kings have transformed Tejano music from
primarily a local, ethnic form of music to a genre with wide appeal in North America,
Latin America, Europe, and beyond. Usually, Tex-Mex refers to more the traditional
styles such as its most popular sub-genre by far, norteño music. Tejano is usually more
modern and is heavily influenced by rock, cumbia, and blues.

Trance
Trance music is electronic dance music (EDM) that developed in the 1990s. Trance
could be described as a melodic, more-or-less freeform style of music characterized by
steady beat between 130 and 158 bpm and repeating melodic patterns. The genre is
arguably derived from a combination of largely techno and house. Trance got its name
from repeating and morphing beats and melodies which would presumably put the
listener into a trance.
Trip Hop
Trip hop is downtempo electronic music that grew out of England's hip hop and house
scenes. Sometimes characterized by a reliance on breakbeats and a sample-heavy
sound pioneered by Coldcut's remix of Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full", trip hop gained
notice via popular artists such as Portishead, Massive Attack, Thievery Corporation,
Tricky, and rock-influenced sound groups such as Ruby, California's DJ Shadow, and
the UK's Howie B.

Urban
A term given to R&B and Soul produced in the 80s and 90s.

West Coast (Hip Hop)

West Coast hip-hop, also known as California hip-hop or West Coast rap, is a style of
hip-hop that originated in California in the 1980s. It has since grown into a subgenre of
hip-hop and has developed several creative epicenters, most of which are in California.

World
World music is, most generally, all the music in the world. More specifically, the term is
currently used to classify and market recordings of the many genres of non-western
music which were previously described as "folk music" or "ethnic music". Succinctly, it
can be described as "local music from out there." The term is used primarily as a
marketing/classification device, sometimes referring to any kind of foreign music,
especially in a foreign language.

Worldbeat
In popular music, worldbeat refers to any style of music which fuses folk music from
non-traditional sources (essentially, outside the Appalachian folk and Celtic traditions)
with Western rock or other pop influences. Worldbeat is usually said to have begun in
the mid-1980s when artists like David Byrne, Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon began
incorporating influences from around the world, especially Africa. Within the next few
years, worldbeat became a thriving subgenre of popular music that influenced many
more mainstream musicians. Some of the most commonly incorporated types of folk
music include rai, samba, flamenco, tango, qawwali, highlife and raga.

Zydeco
One of Southwest Louisiana's main musical genres, Zydeco sounds more like gospel or
R&B, with artists adopting a James Brown kind of persona, and instrumentation
involving accordion and rubboard washboard along with electrical instruments (guitar
and bass), keyboards, drumkit and horns, and are well suited to the jitterbug