Admittedly, most people use the terms “genre” and “style” correspondently. This is not a problem, unless production and/or creativity is to speak of. Knowing the difference between the two would open doors to people to polish their piece and to bring more individuality to it, in furtherance of their pursuit of their musical career.
Musical style is specific as compared to genre because the latter is more of a comprehensive classification that is encompassing of artists and music.
On the other hand, style is a way designed by artists to distinguish their works apart from others’, as known as, “signature.”
This is possible when artists formulate patterns as they write their songs by the use of different modes or improvisations. These have been developed as early as medieval period, such as notational system.
This is now added with voice modulations to enhance the musicality of the songs being written and produced.
This is why tweaking a certain genre into workable musical styles are encouraged for a long-lived imprint on the listeners.
Impression does always leave a mark on the persons, may it be from the emotional attachment the music brings or by the content of the song as it is.
As distinguished from musical style, genre has certain characteristics or traditions that comprises one into a certain genre.
It may be the instruments that are commonly used in that particular genre, the very back bone of the song that links one to another.
There are instances that one can create a certain musical style that is outside a genre.
Yet, more often than not, a musical style is born by incorporating artistry into a genre, expanding the fruitful sound to depict the mood the artist is intending to bring about.
The author shall then delve more into the two concepts to show how these two can come hand in hand.
How do you define musical style?
In Music, musical style is an expressive means of communication using tones of instrumental or vocal in a manner either structured or continuous.
A more technical meaning of it is a specific technique by which the musical sheets are devised or constructed and eventually be performed.
In another sense, style in music can also be rooted from historical periods and associated with the composers of their times or era.
One classic example is that of Mozart and Bach who were both “Classical” composers, although may be discerned from the “late Classical” or the “Neapoliltan Baroque” style.
The series of characteristics that certain composers categorically insert in their work for people to identify their works is one of the example of yet another musical style which is an association of style with the composers.
Another way of describing musical style is the emotion that can be recognized by the listeners from the works of a composer without really experiencing it.
Musicians educate and familiarize themselves to the elements of music, and how these elements can be synthesized to effect an abundance of different musical styles.
However, even non-musicians can deem those styles keenly, despite the inability to detail their likeness and distinctness.
Therefore, what does musical genre mean?
Genre refers to the category that defines musical compositions and group them through certain instrumentation, the specific use and even ethnicity.
This is the DNA of the song, the derivative if musical style should be taken of from the structure of the song, in other words, the origin from which the style came from.
Elsewise, it is a category of composition in music that makes them identifiable to music listeners.
There is what they call a sub-genre where the style and genre are entwined and lies the difficult of discerning them apart.
The border delineating the two becomes thinner and can commonly cause lost in translation. This is the sub category of genre which is crucial in recognizing the “lyrical themes and differences of regions.”
For example, music which is written or composed of a rapper rapping over a produced beat is collectively known as hip-hop.
Nonetheless, if the contents and style is specific to a certain group of artists and geographic regions, it is known as gangsta rap, a sub-genre of hiphop.
Country pop and country rock are also one of the numerous sub-genres surfacing nowadays.
In most instances there are sub-genres that are becoming vast and big to acquire the genre title.
This is owing to the fact that they are said to be constantly changing because employing certain styles can create a whole another or different sub-genre.
What are the characteristics of musical style?
Across the different known styles of music, they all have a consensus on the basic musical elements that hereunder shall be briefly explained. One if which is the sound where in composing of overtone, timbre, pitch, amplitude and duration.
Overtone is the one responsible on the uniqueness of each note. The “tone color” is known as the timbre which is the result of the overtones. The frequency, on the other hand, is the note’s vibration.
The loudness or softness of a sound is amplitude, and the length of the sound is duration. Another element is called melody, progression of musical notes or pitches organized into phrases.
Harmony is the combination of notes, forming the specific chords. Rhythm is the arrangement of musical notes in time. The thickness or thinness of layers of sounds, melodies, and rhythms in a musical piece.
Under the texture, there are three types: Monophony, Homophony, and Polyphony. If it’s a solo voice or single layer of sound, it is monophony. Homophony happens when a singer is accompanied by instruments, such as a guitar or piano.
Lastly, Polyphony are independent voices of a two or more singers. The structure or form of the music, as per sections, should also be considered.
How can you tell the genre of music?
The genre of the music can be determined by identifying the patterns within each songs and relating them with a genre description. The “description of a genre” is the collection of patterns in a song or music.
It is to note that songs sharing traditions or patterns are grouped into a genre and these patterns, at best, may be found on the dynamics of any music, such as instrumentation, rhythm, progression, speed, key, and so on.
This is not always the case because since composers are creative, not all songs can be grouped into a defined genre. The abundance of combinations musicians can do to their musical work made it possible.
In addition, these may create a whole new pattern to the extent that it cannot even be associated with any genre at all.
A new genre can naturally grow from a derivative or from any inspiration because there’s no demarcation of boundaries on taxonomy of genre, all can be inclusive, as well as no rule that genres should not overlap may it be in small or large part.
If the genre represent a substantial number pf which it represents then there’s no problem in acknowledging such genre. This is also true in the aspect of composer’s creative freedom to integrate as many genre as possible in his work to meet the music he desires.
Is rap a genre of music, why?
Yes, rap is considered a genre as early as in the 1970s. It began in New York City when the MCs whose responsibility is to keep the crowd hype up would talk joke and generally interact with the audience between the DJs’ extended, isolated percussion breaks of several genre, such as funk, soul, and even disco songs.
This tradition paved way to MCs or rappers who’ll customarily talk and even rhyme over with the music.
Rap or Hip hop music made big contributions on the modern pop culture during the 1980s. It comprises of rapping and DJ-ing. It typically consists of “rhythmic lyrics accompanied by any “instrumental track”, often referred as a “beat.”
This beat as mentioned before has been created using multitudinous percussions breaks of songs, usually from recordings of any funk and soul music. To further aestheticize the songs, other sounds that are synthesized or performed is added.
Before the beginning of 1980s, it became one of the popular music genre that entered the American trend.
By 1990s, Gangsta rap, another form of hip hop, became a major component of the American music that it was extensively used by the people to speak up as against violence, misogyny, and drug use.
Furthermore, during 2000s to present, it is now the well sought-after music in charts and performed in varying styles globally.
Final Thoughts
Music is the most liberated and commonly known form of an art that’s why defining the same had put people into confusion as to which is which.
All countries, as well as their lifestyle, traditions, values, and heritages, are all musically inclined in the most unconventional way, the richness of their music.
People might consider a certain musical style as superior from the others and vice versa. On the other hand, one may consider one a style while the others do not.
Nevertheless, nothing can change the fact that the art of music, though complex, is one of the easiest way for oneself to express almost all types of emotions, relaying it to audience that may either accept or veer away from such feeling.
Despite that, it will always remain everyone’s right to express themselves in any way that they would wish to. Since people are accustomed in assimilating it in their everyday lives, the music vastly changing from time to time and also across different cultures.
However, the fact remains that regardless of the style and/or genre of a particular piece or song, most people are more minded to the way the musicians convey their message, sensibilities, and compassion on their creative music freedom.
