Content

• Steps
• Tips

To begin with, you must first of all remember that in fact there is no way to completely classify music into different genres. There are so many genres, subgenres, and classifications of music, not to mention different cultures and time periods, that it is almost impossible to find a logical and consistent method for classifying each style of music. Marginal bands, new musical trends and mixing of styles also contribute to the development of this problem. However, this article will try to provide you with some basic principles in determining the main musical genre to which a song can belong.

Steps

1. 1 Look at the time period in which the musical composition was written.
   • If the music was composed a long time ago, say, somewhere between 1400 and 1900, then this is probably a piece of classical music. Almost all music produced during this time could be considered classical, although this time period should be divided into the Renaissance (circa 1400-1600), Baroque (circa 1600-1700), classical (circa 1700-1800), and romantic (circa 1800-1900). Just keep in mind that classical music also spread in the 1900s; it is now mostly known as a 20th century classic. Just find out the style and form in which the composition is written to determine whether it belongs to classical music or not (symphony, concert, sonata, etc.).
   • The use of the designations "music of the 70s" or "music of the 60s" has become quite popular, although not entirely final. Two songs, written in the 60s, sometimes sound completely different. However, this does not even help to partially narrow the variations.Tracking a genre like rock and roll over the decades has helped clarify when the style began to develop and what songs the genre and its subgenres cover in general.
   • Songs written more recently can be classified as pop or contemporary music.
2. 2 Follow the rhythm of the song. This often gives you a lot of clues to define its genre.
   • Is it a lively, groovy tempo, or does the music make you dance? You may be listening to a pop or dance song.
   • Is the melody slow, expressive and sad? Then you are probably listening to a blues song.
3. 3 Listen to the instruments used to play the song.
   • What is the leading instrument? If you can hear a lot of electric guitar riffs, then you probably included a piece of rock, metal, or their subgenre.
   • If you are able to hear a lot of freestyle piano playing and a particular tonality of electric and / or vertical bass, then you are likely to listen to jazz. However, if the bass is more prominent and / or includes slap elements, you may actually be listening to funk (which has its roots in jazz and is famous for its outstanding, often discordant, bass lines).
   • A number of instruments are usually only used in certain genres (for example, accordion or bagpipes). Although, for this reason, you should not allow limiting what may or may not be used in a piece of music!
   • Remember, genres can mix. This leads to styles such as blues rock, where a fast blues song with rock elements is produced.
4. 4 Look closely at the performer of the song.
   • Most likely, the artist has compositions that have already been previously classified by the music community based on the elements described above that have been taken into account.
   • By identifying which works a performer has written in the past, you usually have valuable clues to determine their favorite style or genre.

Tips

• Knowing the history of the emergence and development of different genres is extremely useful. Do a little research and find out about your favorite music style.
• Remember that there is no absolutely correct visual, or non-modifiable, method for determining the genre of a composition.
• Go through all the songs in your music library and try to categorize them by genre yourself. This activity can be fun and challenging. See how accurate you can be in identifying the subgenre a song belongs to, or just come up with your own genres!
• Terms like "classical" can refer to a fairly wide range of works, and in practice sometimes include not only music from the classical period (circa 1750-1820), but also the main genres from the 9th to the 21st century. Keep this in mind when organizing music by genre, since some of the songs written by I.S. Bach's compositions, for example, can be classified as classics (for example, Air on the G String), although technically they are better suited to the baroque genre, since baroque music has significant differences in terms of technique and arrangement of the composition, sound quality and instruments (the Baroque period is known the use of harpsichord in music).
• Pay special attention to the period when the music was created, especially with older pieces. The timing of the composition can be irrefutable evidence.
• Be aware that it is possible to include several genres in a piece of music, such as pop and rap combo.