The word "genre" comes from the French genre - "genus" and denotes in music a combination of form and content, as well as a way of performance. Rhythm, melody and means of expression allow to determine the genre of a piece of music.
Instructions
Step 1
Select the work whose genre you want to define. Listen to it, paying attention to the rhythm and manner of performance. Folklore motives indicate belonging to folk music. An uneven, improvised performance suggests that the piece of music you have selected is likely to be in the genre of jazz or blues. The use of chorales or singing "a cappella" (polyphony without musical accompaniment) indicates a type of sacred music.
Step 2
Read the encyclopedia of music for a list of the main genres and their subdivisions. So, under the concept of "European classical music" fit wedding marches, and chorales, and operettas, and electronic music includes both house and new age or technodense. Remembering every single direction without being a practitioner or music theorist is difficult. It is enough to be guided by the general tendencies. In addition, from time to time musicians invent new genres or mix old ones, giving them original names.
Step 3
Classify music by genre, recalling artists you already know with a similar manner of sound. So, if you are sure that Metallica's songs fit the concept of "rock", it would be logical to assume that Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Sabbath, Nazareth and other bands, which necessarily include guitarists, play in the same genre and bass players, and the vocalist mainly performs his own songs.
Step 4
Refer to the help of virtual guides to genres of music. On the Internet, on specialized sites, you can find examples of songs of a certain style, or consult with experts on the forums about a particular song. On the air of many radio stations, DJs conduct explanatory programs, where they comment on the belonging of the listened musical work to a certain genre.
