Research: Genres

Music Genres

A music genre is a conventional category for which some pieces of music are identified as commonly sharing the same traditions or conventions. There’s three different formal styles of music, art, popular and traditional. Art music is music that is usually associated with the bourgeoisie of society e.g. classical music, opera, music that isn’t as mainstream or widely promoted. Then there is popular music, which is more mainstream, the type of music that is promoted on a larger scale, which makes it easily accessible to the general public and allows for it to be spread by mass media. This style of music is found on many, if not most commercial radio stations, in most commercial music retailers and department stores, and in movie and television soundtracks, e.g. Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop. The distinction between art and popular music has been obscure a few times in marginal areas. Lastly there is traditional music, which has been often referred to as just modern folk music and now world music too, e.g. African, South American. According to Rob Fitzpatrick, writer for The Guardian, ‘new genres can arise if two or more existing genres influence the emergence of a new one, in which a fusion between them can be said to have taken place. The proliferation of popular music in the 20th century has led to over 1,200 definable sub-genres of music’.

Genres

Indie, Hip-Hop, Pop, R&B, Classic, House, Dance, Soul, Reggae, Dancehall, Afrobeat, Alternative, Rock, Electronic, Rap, Dubstep.

Afrobeat – This style of music originated from Fuji, with heavy Nigerian drumbeats and tight footwork. It was later exported to the southern part of Nigeria in the 1970's, Fela Kuti, one of the first African artists, experimented with many different forms of contemporary music of the time. It is a genuine mixture of traditional Nigerian, Ghanaian, jazz, high-life music and chanted vocalists. He is the man responsible for the creation of the style and the constant spreading on the genre outside of Nigeria.

Alternative – This genre, ‘alternative music’ is often referred to as a genre of rock music. Similar music from this background first emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980's and became widely popular in the 1990's and 2000's. The term refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream rock music. By the end of the 1980's magazines, college radio, and word of mouth had increased the notability of alternative music, but by the end of the decade, alternative rock's mainstream prominence declined. Entering into the noughties. Coldplay, The White Stripes are notable artists to have brought this genre back into the mainstream limelight.

Dance-hall – This style of music generated from Jamaica in the late 70’s. Dance-hall is a sparser version of reggae. Progressing into the mid-1980's, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound, with digital dancehall, or ragga, becoming increasingly popular by faster rhythms. Rihanna, Beenie Man, Vybz Kartel, Shabba Ranks and, Chaka Demus and Pliers amongst other artists who have come along the Dance-hall route have made it what it is today.

Dubstep – This is a style of electronic music that originated in South London, England. It came about in the late 1990’s influencing styles of 2-step garage, dub, bass, techno, jungle and broken beat. The music is generally made up of sporadic, syncopated drum and percussion patterns with bass lines that include persistent sub bass frequencies. In 2011, dubstep gained significant attraction in the US market, by way of a post-dubstep style known as brostep, this was due to prominence of American producer Skrillex, who marginally increased the notability and popularity of dubstep, making it now a mainstream genre.

House – This style also came about through electric dance music, and was created by club DJ’s and music producers in Chicago around the early 1980’s. House music was originally dance-based music identified by its repetitive 4/4 beats, a rhythm usually provided only by drum machines, off-beat hi-hat cymbals and synthesized bass lines. This can all still be achieved with modern technology but it’s the combination of these sounds that allowed for the notability of house music. Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia are one of many acts that are known for their house-style music.

Hip-Hop – This style of music which could also be called hip-hop or rap, is a genre formed in the 1970’s, as an underground urban movement in South Bronx, New York City, consisting of a stylized rhythmic piece that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic or rhyming speech. It is most common upon African-American youths. Rap is generally the same thing with musicians of this genre mainly performing with spoken lyrics rather than sung lyrics. Artists like Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Logic, Drake and Kendrick Lamar amongst many others are known for taking on this style.

R&B – This style of music, short for Rhythm and Blues, a kind of pop music within black origin with a soulful vocal style. This genre was generated in the 1940’s as an African-American subculture. Its lyrical themes often reflect the African-American experience of pain and the ongoing quest for freedom and joy. Lyrics focus heavily on the themes of successes and failures in the regions of relationships, economics, and sex.

Rock – This genre of music originated as rock and roll in the 1950's, and then developed into a range of different styles all coming under rock whilst also being influenced by other genres in the 1960’s and later, particularly in the UK. It mainly stems from 1940’s and 1950’s influencing above everything else. Rock music has naturally grown on the electric guitar, usually as part of a group with an electric bass guitar and drums, with a 4/4 time signature using a verse-chorus form. Along the years however, the genre has become extremely diverse, but still retains the stereotype of having white males within the genre.

I find that it is necessarily important to follow generic conventions in a video if the artist is not really trying to step away from the crowd and be an independent and visually unusual artist. Whereas, by following conventions and putting Dyer’s theory into practice, small skills liking editing techniques, use of mise en scene amongst many others can be used to create a masterpiece while also following generic conventions.

Take Coldplay, Adventure of a Lifetime, the use of CGI is amazing, it is just them but as apes, the technology they used to create this video and the time they spent behind the video is just a case of careful consideration and dedication, with the right technology advanced products, an artist or artists can make a wonderful video and showcase to the world what they can do.

Conclusion

This has really helped with my planning as now I can take this and explore how to use generic conventions and place them rather skilfully into video creating and editing. Another thing I can do is look at a wide range of videos that have and haven’t followed generic conventions and try to reflect it in my own piece of work. The genre I am looking to go into is Hip-Hop with a bit of Gospel in terms of theme and location choice.