Higher Music Technology Styles/Genres
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R'n'B
R'n'B is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythms, pitch corrected vocals, and a smooth, lush style of vocal arrangement. Electronic influences are becoming an increasing trend and the use of hip hop or dance-inspired beats are typical. |
Indie
Music initially made and released independently from a major record label. The term has gained a much wider use and came to typify Britpop bands in the 1990s such as Oasis, Blur and Pulp. |
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New Wave
Bands from the late 1970s and early 1980s who followed on from the punk genre were described as 'new wave'. The style diversified from being driven by heavy guitars to incorporating synths and became an inclusive term for a number of sub-genres. Bands like Blondie and Talking Heads could be described as new wave. |
Electroacoustic
Recorded natural sounds which are transformed using editing techniques such as cutting and reassembling, playing backwards, slowing down and speeding up. |
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Jazz Funk
Jazz funk is a sub-genre of jazz music. Many of the key features found in jazz music are evident here too – a strong rhythmic ‘groove,’ above which instrumentalists improvise solo passages. The most significant difference from jazz are the instruments within the ensemble. These will typically consist of drum kit, bass guitar, rhythm guitar and synthesizer, in short then, it is the merging of traditional Jazz characteristics with electronic instruments requiring electronic amplification. It is a style that emerged during the 1970s with the ensemble combinations and driving groove patterns being similar with disco. |
Reggae
Reggae music was developed in the late 1960s in Jamaica. The bass guitar often plays the dominant role in reggae. The bass sound in reggae is thick and heavy, and equalized so the upper frequencies are removed and the lower frequencies emphasized. It is common for reggae to be sung in Jamaican English. Reggae is noted for its tradition of social criticism and religion in its lyrics, although many reggae songs discuss lighter, more personal subjects, such as love and socializing. One of the most easily recognizable elements is off beat rhythms; staccato chords played by a guitar or piano (or both) on the off-beats of the bar. |
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Soul
Soul music developed in the southern states of America and grew in popularity throughout the 1960s. It was a combination of gospel, blues and country music, and its gritty sound reflected what was happening socially in America at that time. One of the main centres for soul music was in Memphis Tennessee, home of STAX records, where musicians from different ethnic backgrounds joined together to write and record music. At this time, racial segregation was still very much part and parcel of everyday life for Americans and was certainly a barrier to creative collaborations such as writing and recording music. Artists recording with STAX included, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, Booker T & the MG’s, Staple Singers to name a few. In Detroit, Michigan, a style of soul music was also developing. Although it had the same heartfelt emotion and passion in the music, the sound was smoother than their counterparts at STAX. Detroit was the home of Motown Records. Artists who recorded with Motown included the Jackson 5, Diana Ross, Martha Reeves, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson. |
World Music
World music is a musical category encompassing many different styles of music from around the globe, which includes many genres of non-Western music including folk music, ethnic music, traditional music and indigenous music. World music makes use of ethnic (local) instruments and can often use non-western scales and rhythmic elements. Popular World Music genres are: Indian, Chinese Koto, Eastern-European, Latin American, Indonesian Gamelan, African and Persian / Middle-Eastern Music. |
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20th and 21st Century Classical Music
The 20th century saw dramatic innovations in musical forms and styles. Composers and songwriters explored new forms and sounds that challenged the previously accepted rules of music of earlier periods. As well, composers and musicians used new electric, electronic, and digital instruments and musical devices. Better modes of transportation and communication allowed musicians and composers to travel more widely or hear shows, which increased the spread of musical styles. |