Types of music genres
The famous saying goes, “There are only two kinds of music: good and bad.” That said, it’s often easier to start listening when music is categorized by genre.
Use this as a reference to help you discover new ‘good music.’
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Types of music genres (51–60)
samba
When you hear “samba,” many people probably think of Brazilian samba.
However, this Argentine zamba is something entirely different from the Brazilian one; it’s a type of folklore.
It’s characterized by dancing while waving a handkerchief to highly emotional singing.
shoegazer
Known as one of the alternative rock genres, it’s characterized by heavy use of effects pedals and a feedback-laden noisy guitar sound.
Because of this, the genre was named for guitarists constantly looking down at their feet.
Other hallmarks include whispery vocals, repetitive riffs, and a soft, hazy sonic texture.
choro
It’s one of Brazil’s popular music genres.
It’s sometimes described as Brazilian jazz in the United States, but it seems the improvisational style has been around for quite a long time and is said to have existed even earlier than jazz.
Spiritual jazz
Wasn’t it a genre that emerged when free jazz musicians began playing in a more emotional way? Among African American musicians, it’s a spiritually oriented genre—often tied to ideas like a return to Africa—with many works actually incorporating African sounds.
Types of music genres (61–70)
smooth jazz
Among the genres that emerged from fusion jazz, this one is characterized by its very pleasant listenability and is sometimes classified as easy listening.
It’s a genre often used as background music on TV and radio, so I think many people have heard it before!
Soka
It’s a style of music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago.
The name “soca” comes from originally combining soul and calypso.
Later, influenced by disco music such as soul-funk, it evolved significantly into its own genre!
Son
One of the representative genres of Cuban music, and the foundation of other Cuban styles such as salsa, is son.
It’s very difficult to describe its characteristics in words, and whether something is considered son is often determined intuitively—based on whether it feels distinctly Cuban.