Understanding The Genres Of Music
- Lets Talk About Genres
- Genres And Stage Presence
- Developing Vocal Style
A musical genre is a category that identifies pieces of music. There are many different types and sub-genres.
Some of the main genres are: Pop, Rnb, Rock, Hip Hop/Rap, Indie, Classical, Dance, Country, Metal, Latin, etc.
The music genre helps define the necessary instruments or vocal styles that are needed.
Depending on the type of music you are singing, your stage performance and physical expression may vary.
Keeping this in mind, there is no wrong way to perform, write, or create music.
You will naturally know what genre you fall into; depending on what music you grew up with or the music you enjoy listening to most.
Lets Talk About Genres
Why do we differentiate music by genre? We do this to help categorize music, and preserve the style.
This helps us connect with artists that specifically make music under that genre.
Genres not only tell us what to expect, they also help us differentiate music from different time periods.
Finding related music becomes easier. Associating yourself with a genre, will help promote you to fans who love that genre.
There are artists that have songs that don’t fit into just one genre. For example: Michael Jackson was considered the king of Pop, although majority of his music can fit into many genres(Rock, Soul, Hip Hop) .
A pop song that has dark tones(Bad guy – Billie Eilish) would be considered dark pop. Since there are so many sub-genres, we have a lot of genres to choose from.
Music has evolved overtime to fit specific audiences, and we have a choice to decide which genre we want to work in.
Genres And Stage Presence
Stage presence is sometimes dictated by the genre of music. If you think about it, rock performances are different from R&B performances.
This depends on the instruments and energy of the song itself. Different genres have different energy.
For example, Lofi music is mostly slow, steady, and calming. Generally, singing to lofi music won’t necessarily involve a lot of movement and dancing.
Moving too much would affect your vocals; especially if you’re going for something soft.
If you were singing a rock/pop/hip hop song, these genres drive you. People are inclined to jam out, and a performance with more energy, the better.
Rnb music is a type of genre that relies on the instruments to dictate the pace, it can be fast or slow, and your energy should match that.
The next time you visit any genre of song, listen to what it makes you feel, and choose your presence accordingly.
Developing Vocal Style
Instruments lead the song before the singer does. The instruments will help decide the style of what your presence will be.
Country music tends to use multiple different types of guitars, flutes, and bass. However, the way they are played would be different from RNB.
There are sub-genres like country pop, that tend to include brighter sounds for more upbeat tones. Which should reflect in your lyrical style. It’s the same thing with gospel music, try singing with more cheeks.
The cheek muscles make you sound happier, fuller, and brighter. So for songs that tend to be more upbeat you’ll want to use the right muscles for the right type of sound.
If you listen to a variety of music, your ear will improve to help you differentiate what vocal styles would be best to use.
