Music is popular all over the world – learn more about the five most popular genres and test you knowledge of some curious facts related to music.
You will learn something new and your listening will improve!!
All about Culture – Musical Genres with Coach Brittany
Before I hand you over to our excellent coach Brittany, I couldn`t resist making a little question for you.
The topic of today`s podcast is music. Now, I have three facts about music, but which of these is true?
1. Musicians live on average 25 years less than the general population. I hope not.
2. In 2016, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart sold more CDs than Beyoncé.
3. The oldest musical instrument in the world is a 35,000-year-old flute made from a chicken bone.
Well, you listen to Brittany, find out more about musical genres, answer her questions, and then I`ll tell you which of these is true.
Do you love music? Music has been known as a universal language
Can you think of a world without music? I don’t think any of us want to try. In this podcast, we will learn different styles of music. People of all nationalities and languages can feel happy and joyful just by listening to music.
Genre is a is a type of organizational style that helps you place different styles of music in a particular category. Let’s expound on that.
We are going to talk about the top five genres in the world.
Are you ready? Because it’s going to be fun
First, I have a trivia question for you. In 2020, what was the most popular music in the world?
You’re going to have to stick around to the end to find out.
I know that piece sounds familiar to you. That is a piece from Beethoven. Some famous artists of classical music are Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven. Did you know that their style of music is called classical music?
What is classical music? Classical music comes from Europe. The term classical was not around when they became popular. It’s interesting to know that Mozart and Beethoven did not even know they were writing classical music, but it started in the 1700s. And when you listen to classical music you can hear instruments such as the violin and the piano, and when you listen to great orchestras, you can hear the flute, clarinet, trumpets and even horns.
Oh, the sound of jazz. Jazz is a style of genre or style of music that blends African music, Spanish music and blues. One of the most unique aspects of jazz is its improvisation. This is when the music is made up while playing the song.
Jazz started in the 1800s in the African American communities.
Some of the instruments you will hear: clarinet, the drums, the piano, the saxophone, the trumpet, the trombone, and sometimes you will hear vocalists singing, but it`s not too common. Jazz has been called “America’s Classical Music.”
If you want to hear some great jazz music, head over to YouTube and search Miles Davis or Louis Armstrong.
Now, let’s go to the next genre.
If you guessed rock music, you would be right.
Rock music is a mix of blues and country music
It all started in the 1950s. Before a band would start playing rock music, you would usually hear them say, “Let’s rock ’n roll!”
Some of the instruments that they use are electric guitars with drums, the electric bass. Sometimes you can even hear the piano.
Some famous artists that you may have heard of would be The Beatles, The Rolling Stones. All of their music would be considered rock music.
Who doesn’t love a good pop song? What you just heard is classified as pop music. ‘Pop’ is short for popular music. Pop music is short, catchy tunes that are easy to remember. It has a great rhythm, and everyone loves them all over the world. Pop music started in the 1950s, and some of the great famous artists you will love to hear over and over again would be Arianna Grande and Taylor Swift. I know you know who they are.
Now to the fifth and final genre. Are you ready?
What you just heard is hip hop music. Hip hop music is where artists rap over beats.
Rap music started in the 1970s, and it was created by African Americans, Latino Americans, and Caribbean Americans in the Bronx, New York city.
If you want to check out some famous hip hop artists, Eminem is number one in the world. Then you have Jay-Z and Kayne West.
We have gone through five music genres: classical, jazz, rock, pop, hip hop.
Are you ready to review? Do you remember our trivia question in the very beginning?
What was the most popular music in the world in 2020? hip-hop and rap music
Did you get it right? I didn’t. I thought it was pop music, but it was hip hop. Hip hop and rap music was the most popular music in the world in 2020.
Let’s go over some review questions.
What is pop music short for? If you answered popular music, you are correct.
Who are some famous hip hop artists? Eminem, Jay-Z and Kayne West
When did classical music start? That’s right, in the 1700s. That was a long time ago.
What is rock music? Rock music is a mix of blues and country music.
We have one more question to go.
What instruments are used in jazz? the clarinet, the drums, the piano, the saxophone, the trumpet, the trombone
My favorite style of music is pop music because I love to dance. What is your favorite genre of music? Let me know.
Thank you for asking Brittany. My favourite type of music is rap and hip-hop. If you were paying attention and listening carefully, there`s a clue in this podcast as to why.
But before we go, which of the three statements I gave you at the beginning of this podcast are true? Remember …
- Musicians live on average 25 years less than the general population.
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart sold more CDs than Beyoncé in 2016.
- The oldest musical instrument in the world is a 35,000-year-old flute made from a chicken bone.
Well, in fact, they are all true, except for one small detail. It wasn`t a chicken bone. It was a vulture bone. If you don`t know what a vulture is, ask your VivaLing coach.
Thank you for listening, Bye!
