Music Genres
Blues
Classical
Country
Electronic
Hip Hop
Jazz
Musicals
Religious
Rhythm and Blues
Rock
Soundtracks
Spoken Word
World
|
|
Music affects public opinion, from fashion to culture. Music helps define who we are. But defining music and its genres is a very subjective process and can be manipulated into a very complicated explanation of what defines what.
Who are we to say that one specific music genre is more important than another? That goes to a particular person's opinion of the music - what they like.
But no one can deny that we certainly have been blessed in the last fifty plus years as music has evolved. From the Big Band sounds of the forties that was everyone's vice to the historic changes in music history in the fifties, music has become much more a social and sociological event.
Another way that music has evolved is the way that we obtain our favorite music. Some may be able to remember gathering around an old radio to hear their favorite music, some may even remember the old Victrola machines that would capture their favorite recording artist via a 78 rpm record. Some may recall going to a show and having to sit as a segregated audience and music has helped to change attitudes and push away some of society's boundaries. Then changes in the records themselves, from the old shellac-based recordings to fresh vinyl, can you remember when the 45 rpm single was popular and heading down to the local record store to secure your copy of your favorite group or singer?
Music distribution methods have also evolved. From the aforementioned 45 rpm records to full-length albums, reel-to-reel tapes, the dreaded 8-track, cassette tapes, CDs and now digital music, all these elements have helped shape the musical arena.
Which genre is your favorite? Is it the classic vocal harmonies of doo wop, the girl bands of the early sixties or do you favor the King of rock and roll Elvis Presley? Is it the evolution of the Beatles, the psychedelic sounds of the sixties, the surf ditties of the Beach Boys, the arena rock or classic rock of the seventies or does your musical tastes draw you to the punk, heavy metal or new wave movements of the late seventies? Maybe you like the college radio music of the early eighties, the smooth R&B sounds or grunge? It's all a matter of personal taste.
|
