Modern music trend

Modern Musical Genres
People who are not professional musicians don’t always understand what is “modern music trend”. But in order to keep up with the times, you need to know the musical genres, the styles and the trends of modern music.

The main genres of modern music
Most music critics divide genres into three types:
Pop.
Rock.
Rap.
Modern music styles:
1. Pop music is not only a musical genre, but also a kind of mass culture, which has a large number of branches:
europop,
disco,
country,
folk,
pop rock,
rythm’n’blues.
Its main features are ease of perception and accessibility for a mass audience. It is characterized by simplicity of instrumentation and rhythm, its main focus is on the songs performance and shows.
2. Folk – musical and poetic creative work, passed down from generation to generation.
3. Classical instrumental style consists of many parts and is performed by separate instruments.
4. Rock is one of the most popular music genres. It is characterized by rhythm and increased performance dynamics (loudness). One of the rock hallmarks is the dominance of mostly electric guitars and the creative self-sufficiency of performers. It is divided into many branches: folk, pop, punk rock, grunge, hard rock and others.
5. Blues is characterized by the guitar performance, wind instruments, especially the saxophone, and keyboards. They give the music a sad sound.
6. Jazz is a genre where musicians are not obliged to strictly follow their score, it is distinguished by the improvisation and experimental performance.
7. Chanson is cabaret music. It is characterized by the penetrating, trusting attitude of the singer to the listener. Usually the songwriter is the performer. It is interesting that chanson in Russia is treated as songs about the life and customs of the criminal environment.
8. Electronic or club music is created using the electric instruments and computer technology. It began to develop when the first synthesizers appeared. It’s usually created by DJs at nightclubs. It’s perhaps the most popular and commercially demanded music in the 21st century.
9. Hip-hop is characterized by the use of two elements: rap (clearly rhymed recitative) and rhythm set by the DJ.
These are the main musical styles, but new types of modern music appear every year.
A guide to modern music genres
Modern music is musical works mainly of the XX and XXI centuries, which, unlike classical works, are aimed at mass audience (as “mass product”).
In a larger sense, this is a trend that appeared from the contradiction between the classics and folk motives.
What is modern music?
Here are some popular genres:
beat;
rock;
heavy metal;
punk;
rap;
r n b;
techno;
house;
rave;
dubstep;
pop.
Electronic
Although electronic music has many subgenres, it is sometimes considered an independent genre. This is actually a bit confusing as many people use the term “electronic” to refer to the songs they hear on the charts – David Guetta, Calvin Harris, etc.
In fact, this genre should be treated as a general term for any kind of works produced mainly with the electronic instruments.
Hip-hop
Hip-hop traditionally consists of four main elements: rap (MC-ing), DJs, dance (such as break dance, funky, locking, etc.), and graffiti.
There is also a fifth element – beat-box (creating musical accompaniment without instruments, only through the mouth).
What modern music style “rock” means
Rock is a musical movement that tried to take place between jazz and classical music. The movement began in Europe with such bands as Pink Floyd and Genesis in the 1960s and peaked in the 1970s with the release of Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd) and Tubular Bells. The main characteristics were long compositions, complex lyrics and a wide range of used instruments.
Punk rock
Punk rock was originally a hard rock style with high play speed, with simple words, and less than three chords. Such bands as Television, Ramones and Sex Pistols were punk rock style ancestors. Later such styles as hardcore punk (faster tempo), new wave (influenced by pop), post-punk, grunge (fusion of hardcore and alternative rock) were developed.
Heavy metal
Heavy metal is a musical form characterized by aggressive, energetic rhythms and amplified electric guitars with distortion, huge lyrics and virtuoso instrument playing. The centerpiece is riffs as melodic and narrative elements.
Heavy metal originated in such bands as Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.
Pop

The essence of modern music is targeting the widest possible audience. Pop songs usually consist of puzzles and choruses with a predictable structure. The texts are undemanding and the themes are repetitive.
What does modern music mean? Disputes about which musical genre is better have been going on for a long time and often lead to disagreements and contradictions. Folk or opera, jazz or pop, rock or hip-hop? In fact, a good composition doesn’t depend on its style.
Pop music is a world culture area intended for the mass audience. It has certain features. Songs line up in a traditional way: verse + chorus. A simple, tangible, and easy-to-listen melody is created. The accompaniment takes second place. Pop musicians who are accompanying don’t have solos, usually they are not credited to the song, and don’t lead a music group.
In this genre the rhythmic structure is very important. Most pop songs are created to back a dance. They have a clear beat that barely changes. The main musical unit in this direction of art is a specific song or single. The average duration of a song is 2-4 minutes. This fits into the radio format standards. Singles with a longer duration, with lengthy instrumental parts are extremely rare. Albums with a common compositional idea and history are also uncommon.
Lyrics usually tell about personal experience and feelings, such as love, suffering, or joy. Visual details – concerts and clips – play an important role. That’s why pop artists often try on a striking image that catches attention.
Hip-hop

Hip-hop music, also called rap, is a popular genre that appeared in the United States. It was developed by the citizens of African and Latin American origin who lived in the poor areas of the Bronx in New York in the 1970s. Hip-hop is stylized music used to read RAP – rhythmic rhymed reciting speech. This musical direction developed as a component of hip-hop culture, subculture. It was defined by the following main parts:
MC-ing – rap reading;
DJing – making music using vinyl turntables;
brakedance;
graffiti style images.
Additional elements include synthesized beats, bass lines, original sound reproduction – beatbox. Despite the fact that the term “hip-hop” is commonly used to define RAP-compositions, its wider meaning is the subculture practice in general.
Reggae
Popular Jamaican reggae music dates back to the 1960s. It originates from the ska and toasting music styles, popular among the local population at street discos, which were arranged by the owners of powerful mobile sound systems. Toasting is considered the predecessor of hip-hop, because it is typical for it to comment on a song over the music.
One of the directions is Early reggae, which appeared in 1968, later known as Skinhead reggae, since it was popular in the corresponding subculture.
On the basis of early reggae and drum rhythm the direction of roots-reggae developed. It is characterized by religious musical texts.
Dub is an experimental and psychedelic musical direction. There the rhythm section comes to the fore while the sound of other instruments and vocals are present remotely. Sound effects are actively used, such as echo, reverb, rhythm frequencies, which gives the music a mystical shade.
In the early 1980s a new dance direction appeared, which is called dancehall. In the early 1990s – Euro reggae, closely related to the popular European electronic music of that period.