Music Genres

Music can be divided into a genre which is a categorical constructor that identifies music as a member to a particular category of music which can be distinguished from many other types of music. These are often controversial and the closely related styles can frequently overlap with each other.

Several regard the terms style and genre as being the same, stating genre ought to be defined as pieces of music which share a particular style of ‘Basic musical language’. Others have previously said that style and genre are both diverse terms, where other inferior quality’s for instance the subject matter can distinguish between the genres.

When music is branded with different genres, it does not always follow a certain tradition, a specific race, culture, or even a time period is not always reflected, the larger genres tend to consist of more explicit subgenres. The subgenres can be used to almost direct the audience, helping them to recognize the music which they are listening to generating a stereotype around the genre.

A music genre or subgenre could be defined by the techniques, the styles, the context and the themes content, spirit. As well, environmental origin sometimes is used to define the music genre, though a single geographical category will normally include a wide range of subgenres.

Kembrew McLeod suggested that in electronic music, "the naming of new subgenres can be linked to a variety of influences, such as the rapidly evolving nature of the music, accelerated consumer culture, and the synergy created by record company marketing strategies and music magazine hype. The appropriation of the music’s of minorities by straight, middle and upper-middle-class."

When creating my music video, I need to think specifically about the genre of my chosen song, look into songs and artists with the same type and also explore into music video’s which have this genre or subgenre. This can help me with the forms and conventions of my own video enabling the camera, mise-en-scene, lighting, sound and editing to be better suited and help distinguish the type of music that’s been used.