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Combining the famous “Mood Meter” with Musical Genres charted based upon their cultural, historical, and musical characteristics. Hover over each word to see a list of Mood Adjectives, and click on the Music Icon to link to an audio sample!

Transcript

METAL

ROCK

TECHNO

DANCE

POP

RAP

JAZZ

HIP HOP

SAD/SOMBER

BLUES

R&B

FOLK/COUNTRY

CHILL

DANCE Excited Ecstatic Euphoric Dance is as old as music itself, and perhaps even older. The genre is a broad one, but there are a few key elements of dance music. Namely a danceable beat, accessible melodies, and kinetic rhythms from strong percussion.

METAL Furious Enraged Aggressive Considered by some to be quite angry, Metal has a cathartic place among many music lovers. An extension of Rock, Metal came about in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Defined by loud guitar, heavy drums, and powerful vocals!

ELECTRONIC/TECHNO Electrified Upbeat Pulsing Named for technology used to make it, Electronic music arose as early as the 1960’s but has evolved over decades to become a very diverse genre of music. Synths, beats, and electronic sound make this genre!

HIP-HOP (BEAT) Playful Thrilling Grateful The upbeat cousin of Rap music, Hip-Hop is in and of itself a culture. This movement began in the late 70’s and helped free a generation from apathy. Rhythm, catchy hooks, and danceable beats define this genre.

COUNTRY/FOLK Calm Blessed Easygoing An offshoot of the blues, country/folk music often tells tales of woe or relates a common story. Defined by instruments such as acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, and swaggering vocals, Country/Folk is pure Americana.

POP Pleasant Cheerful Motivated Short for “popular”, Pop music tends to reflect the profile of the given culture and time period it comes from. Pop from one decade often sounds totally different than another. Easy to enjoy, upbeat, and catchy music.

CHILL Carefree Balanced Serene A wide term applied to many different kinds of music, Chill or Calm music has had a place in society for centuries. Be it classical or contemporary, a great deal of music has been made specifically to calm the nerves.

ROCK N’ ROLL Intense Energetic Expressive An early offshoot of the Blues and Pop music, Rock is a very widely respected if not broadly defined genre. Usually including live instruments, Rock music is one of the most accessible genres dating back to the 1940’s.

BLUES Sad Exhausted Depressed A cousin of Jazz music, the Blues is a form of working class storytelling. Blues is the music of the downtrodden, be it emotionally or otherwise. Defined by wailing guitars, walking basses, and self expressive catharsis.

SAD/SOMBER Down Reflective Discouraged A loosely defined genre that has toes in cinematic music, pop music, and even some forms of rock. This genre is characterized by emotional expression through ballads, love songs, and musical tributes of many kinds.

JAZZ Uneasy Apathetic Relaxed Joyful A widely respected and well appreciated genre. Rooted in African American culture, and coming of age in Kansas City, New Orleans, and New York, Jazz represents working class America and the struggles of the 1900’s.

R&B Thoughtful Mellow Tired Rhythm & Blues is a wide genre that has evolved from the 1920’s to now encompassing several other genres such as hip-hop, pop, soul and many more. Defined by laid back beats, beautiful singing, and many stories to tell.

RAP (VERSE) Expressive Troubled Alienated “Rapping” is a technique that changed the world. Defined by the poetic and rhythmic quality of the vocal style, the genre of Rap Music itself has been a force of cultural liberation and freedom from oppression.