1. What music do you like?

2. How often do you listen to music?

3. Do you recommend your favorite singers and groups to other?
4. Can you become disappointed in person, if he/she listens another musical genre?

MODERN MUSICAL GENRES

1. What springs you to mind when you see these pictures?

2. Do you know these performers?

The purpose of this article – to acquaint readers with various modern musical
genres and those musical means which composers use, creating works within a certain
style. Ability to be guided in musical genres and subgenres is one of the first signs of
professionalism so this article will be interesting to all those who have already became
on the way of improvement in the musical sphere.
Most of critics divide modern musical genres into three main directions: pop, rock and
rap which are rooted in earlier styles and have generated a large number of own
branches.
Pop is a modern popular music. It is very wide term covering a set of genres, such as the
disco, a trance, a house, a techno, funk, a new wave and others. Let's stop and we will
consider features of each of them.
• Disco. Not so long ago it was the most popular genre of dancing pop music. The
abundance of effects, the leading role of rhythm section of percussions and a bass, and
also minor, background sound of string and wind instruments are inherent in it.
•Trance. It relates to one of genres of electronic music and is remarkable of the high
emotional impact on the listener. This effect is reached by means of usage sad, "space"
melodies.
•House. So it is a name for dancing, completely electronic music. The main and only
tools are the synthesizers. Distinctive feature of this genre is an existence of the looped
musical phrases and the soloist melodies. Effects are widely applied.
•Techno. It is possible to describe this music with one phrase: futuristic music of the big
city. Fantastic melodies, the gloomy metal sound, "cold" emotionality deprived a vocal
belong to features of a techno.
•Funk. One of the dancing genres in which are accurately allocated drummers dominating
over all other tools, low melody and a "careless" rhythm are inherent.
•New wave. The genre of popular music which has transformed from a punk rock and
uses the same musical means.
Rock is as an independent genre originates in the "black" American blues which has
appeared in the 20-30th years. The traditional blues consists of 12 steps, that is pieces of
the composition consisting of several notes, first of which has a stress or an accent. The
counterbass or a bass is a rhythm setting, the soloist guitar, percussions, often keyboard
and brass section enters the main tool set of the blues. To be absolutely exact, rock has
appeared from a branch of this genre – the guitar blues in which is already much less
keyboard and wind instruments.
Appearing of a rock and rock'n'roll, concepts which are often identified is connected with
such musicians as Elvis Presley and the Beatles. The first popularized this genre while
"Beatles" became those who have turned a rock into art.
•Hard rock. Literally it is translated as "heavy, rigid". Not accidentally this style has such
name; its sounding corresponds to such strong feelings and emotions. Weight in a hard
rock is reached thanks to the dominating sounding of loud and powerful rhythm section
over other tools. Drummers, a bass or a rhythm guitar "are in most cases made heavier".
In a hard rock are often used Overdrive and Distortion effects.
•Pop rock. Popular rock. This style differs in good balance, used in various effects and
popular arrangements. It is possible to carry any rock music which is designed for wide
audience of listeners to a pop rock.
•Folk-rock. It is rock music with elements of folk music.
•Punk rock. Rough, often nonprofessional, but expressive music, to which are
characteristic simple, unpretentious, but shocking melodies.
•Psychedelic fate. The difficult, not sample music overflowed with various effects. This
music differs in the high level of emotional impact on the listener.
•Heavy metal is called a sharp metal music which often differs in inharmoniousness. It is
far from habitual standards.
•Trash. It is very rigid genre in which complexity and a continuity of melodies, and also
improvisation are inherent
The rap as a genre has come from dance music. Characteristics: an uneven rhythm,
difficult experiments with drummers, existence of the looped musical fragments. One of
the main features of a rap is lack of a vocal which is replaced with a recitative. The rap is
read in verses, but not singing. The main tools are percussions and a difficult bass which
often is the soloist. Often rap musicians use effect of scratch - a scratch of vinyl records.

2. Try to understand so many music genres as it possible. Remember your mind state
at every composition. Fill the table

Have you ever heard this

composition earlier?
What have you imagined
while listening to the song?
Have you felt happy/
relaxed/ worried/ anxious?
What can you say about the
author of it?
Would you recommend this
music for your friends?