We often take music for granted, listening to great beats in the club, while working out, or in the car without remembering where the songs originate from. Musical genres come from a variety of geographical places and persist over wide periods of time. Here are four of the most wonderful genres and great bands of music to hear again.
Rock music is one of the older styles of music that incorporates rhythm and blues and country music from the 1950s. The genre of “classic rock” began in the 1960s and took on jazz and folk musical styles. Early rock bands include well-known names such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane and Led Zeppelin. As John Branca would agree, these great bands should be kept in everyone’s memory.
Pop music originated in the 1950s and has characteristics of fast and modern rhythms. Madonna, Elton John, Michael Jackson and the Eagles are some early examples of pop music. The main themes of pop songs have evolved over the years, with keywords such as “love,” “partying,” and “money” staying fairly consistent over time.
Pop charts and experts like John Branca are useful for determining what type of music is thriving in any particular place and time.
Jazz music originated in African-American communities such as Kansas City and New Orleans. Some key characteristics of jazz include syncopation, improvisation, creativity and distinctive voices. Common instruments seen in jazz music are the trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, piano and electric guitar. Some influential jazz musicians include Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington.
Orchestra music is a variety of music that usually contains no lyrics but instead uses a variety of instruments including:
- Bowed strings, like the violin, viola, cello and bass
- Woodwinds such as oboe, flute, bassoon and clarinet
- Brass instruments like trumpet, horn and tuba
- Percussions such as drums, cymbals and tambourine
Classical orchestra is often seen as a formal genre of music, but modern orchestra music has put new life into this style and makes it a good option for dancing and playing in the background of exciting events like weddings. Many major cities have orchestras that tour annually.
Great bands and musical genres continually evolve, but remain as indicators of current pop culture and style. Look for these four styles of music when yearning for new genres to dance to or hoping to learn more about different styles of music.