As I was living in Brazil I was trying to learn how to distinguish between the different genres and styles in the music of the country. I found it hard to come across any literature that could explain it step by step. So I came up with my personal guide in order to make learning how to differentiate and define a style easier. Here are some steps to help you understand and learn a certain type of music faster
1.Ask the Questions
Write a list of things that you think would describe a genre.
- Instrumentation: What instruments are playing and how? Do you keep hearing a guitar or a piano as an accompanying instrument? Acoustic or electric guitar? Is there a singer in many songs or a choir?
- Form: Is it possible that the form can be typical for the genre? Try to find the parts of a song that repeat and define how long they are. For example, Jazz Standards typically has an AABA form which is a common trade for the genre. Try to find a common structure between the songs you listen to.
- What are the roles of the instruments? Are they accompanying, soloing, improvising, call and response etc.
- How long are the songs? This is also a part of the topic of “form”.
- What are the “original” purposes of the song? For example 30’s Swing was made for dancing how does this influence the playing of the music? Fast, slow, loud, energetic, sad etc.?
- Find more questions that help you personally understand a style more. Don’t be afraid to ask anything that you find interesting.
2. Write down what you hear
Write down details that you think distinguishes the song from other genres you know. Depending on your previous experience and knowledge you can go in more detail for this section. If you can read sheet music and have experience in transcribing what you hear, you can write down the melodic and rhythmic patterns you hear. Figure out the guitar chords, the melody of the saxophone, the bass notes… There’s really a lot to discover in this phase. If you don’t know how to read music try writing down in words a description of what you hear (layers of different melodies on top of each other, drum solo, chords changing faster/slower in a certain section etc.) Any method that makes sense to you for learning is acceptable in this phase of discovering a new style!
3.Play what you’ve heard
Repeating what you’ve heard will always help you internalize the feel of the music. Don’t worry about playing everything perfectly on your instrument or singing everything you can in the very first tries. Try to get a spirit of what is happening in the piece and imitate! For example, if you can sing the essentials of a drumbeat you’ve already come far!
4.Listen to other songs and see if you can find the similarities
Check out other songs and find the similar points or things that you think repeats or resembles each other (instrumentation, rhythmic patterns, singing styles…) Keep in mind that even though some things don’t occur in all songs that doesn’t mean they are not part of the style. Try remembering even the small details that stand out!
5. Learn facts about the composer
If possible learn a bit about the composer, group, historical context or anything you can to help yourself get a better picture of that song. Learning about these things will usually lead you to other songs, albums and composers who are linked to the genre you’re interested in.
6. Ask
Ask people who might know more if they can give some insight about the music. You can use Internet, books, teachers, musicians of the style as your source of information. You can also ask your teacher in mymusicschool.com for a direction to follow in learning more about a style.
7.Compose your own song in the style!
If you enjoy writing your own songs, a good idea is to try this in the style you’ve learnt. This helps you notice all the things you’ve discovered and personalize them!