Classification of Music: Essay Sample

Introduction

Music is considered to be part of every culture whether small or big. Music has become part of people as through music people can express their feelings and as well as it music represents people. Music is an art that keeps on growing from one generation to another enhancing the growth of new ideas as well as feelings that capture the listeners. Music can be classified into different genres. The main genres of music include jazz, rock, country, hip-hop, and blues.

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The blues is a music genre which is a combination of the Western and the African music. During the 18th and the 19th century when the Africans were being transported to America as slaves, they went with their rhythms and melodies. They understood that singing together helped make their work easier and hence they preserved these work songs until the end of slavery. Whenever the African Americans sang the old work songs could be heard in the American rhythms. Some of the blues songs tend to tell stories of pain and heartbreak, and such songs are usually played using a slow and sad tone. The blues are usually about love or even having fun. Some of the well-known people for the recording of blues include Muddy Waters, Billie Holiday, Mc Tell and Bukka White.

The other classification of music genre is rock. Rock is a genre which involves popular music and was developed in the United States and the United Kingdom after the 1960s.This genre started in the 1940s with the start of rock and roll. The rock music is closely related to other music genres such as folk and blues. The electric guitar is mostly used when playing this type of music as part of a rock group with drums and bass guitar. The rock music has a verse-chorus form and 4/4 beat. The main focus of this genre is on live performance and musical skill. One of the first bands to record the rock music was "Bill Hayley and His Comets."

The jazz music is a classification of music which is a combination of the European and African-American music. Jazz music started to become popular in the 1910s.Some of the common instruments that are used in this type of music genre include the double bass, trumpet, saxophone, piano, and drums. One of the greatest musicians in this type of music genre is Louis Armstrong who helped in developing of different styles of jazz.

Country music genre has its beginnings and roots in folk music. The modern-day country music started after World War II. Country music was one of the first music genres of modern American popular music, while the old-time music is considered as being the earliest country music style. Some of the musical instruments that were used in this type of music include Hawaiian steel guitar, autoharp, banjo, fiddle and acoustic guitar.

Hip-hop is a music genre that started in the Latino-American urban areas and Jamaican -American in the 1970s.The style of singing used in this type of music is rapping whereby a group of chants or the singer tends to say words rhythmically. Most of the hip-hop song's lyrics tend to communicate more information regarding the life of people in the urban areas. Other hip-hop lyrics are about illegal drugs, violence, and gangs. The common musical styles in this genre are reggae and disco.

Conclusion

In conclusion, music can be classified into different genres. The main genres of music are blues, rock, country and the jazz music. These different music genres are played using different musical instruments and tones. The tone of the music mainly depends on the message that is being communicated.