Explanation of Styles
Categorising musical styles is difficult and limited, due to the fact that most styles are either influenced byf or have similarities to other styles. As music grows, different styles draw upon a broader range of influences and hence change and expand.
Therefore the explanations below of the main style headings used in this book, are purely broad guidelines. The only way to fully understand any style, is to listen to a broad range of artists who have been so categorised. With this thought in mindf examples of musicians and/or bands which epitomise a specific style have been included in each category.
Rock - Accent on beats one and three; simple chords. Artists include The Rolling Stones, Dire Straits, The Who, Led Zeppelin etc.
Blues - Refers primarily to music which relies harmonically upon the blues scale. Most common song form is twelve bars. Artists include Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Albert King.
Shuffle - Uses a triplet feel and a strong backbeat (beats 2 and 4). No specific artists are listed here for 2 reasons:
(1) No single artist plays shuffle grooves exclusively.
(2) Shuffle grooves can appear in different style categories.
Heavy Metal - Similarities to rock; relies heavily upon sound production. Artists include Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Deep Purple.
Reggae - Style originating in Jamaica which places rhythmic emphasis on the off-beats. Artists include Bob Marley, Third World, Peter Tosh.
Rap -Similarities to funk and rock. Accents on beats one and three; uses syncopation and anticipation; relies heavily upon 'Sampling'. Artists include Kool Here, De La Soul, M.C Hammer, Public Enemy, Eric B and Rakim, Run D.M.C
Go-Go - Uses a triplet feel; draws upon aspects of funk, rock and rap. Artists include Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers, Macceo Parker.
Funk/Fusion - Similarities to rock, but uses staccato feel, syncopation and anticipation, and more complex rhythm and harmony more often. Artists include Billy Cobham, Tower of Power, Harvey Mason, Miles Davis (post 1970).
Jazz - Uses a triplet feel and complex harmony and melody. Syncopation, anticipation and emphasis of offbeats are common occurrences in jazz. Artists include Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane.
Latin - Latin music refers to the numerous musical styles originating from various regions found primarily in South America. Numerous sub-styles occur within this broad category. The style generally uses straight eighth notes and contains very syncopated rhythms and strong emphasis of offbeats. Artists include Tito Puente, Tania Maria, Eddy Palmieri.
