When listening to music, there are several things you can do to determine how it sounds. Some of these attributes are determined by what part of the song you are listening to, such as whether it is a verse or a chorus, and then how those parts sound in relation to each other.

The instrumentation of a piece also makes a difference in how it sounds. A song with only piano chords will sound very different from one that has guitar, bass, and drums in it. The genre of the song also affects what instruments are used, and how they are used.

Popular rock music styles

Certain types of songs are categorized as popular rock music genres. These include hardcore, soft rock, alternative, grunge, jazz, country, folk, and more. Technically, these aren’t all just one genre!

But we can talk about how some of them sound like they belong in the same category. For example, both hard rock and heavy metal have strong rhythms that listeners can count along to.

Become a 'Drummer 4/4 Life' with our exclusive JA t-shirt!

Show your dedication to rhythm with our unique 'Drummer 4/4 Life' t-shirt. Proudly display a music staff with the 4/4 time signature, the heart of most popular music beats. This piece of Jam Addict attire not only makes a bold statement about your passion for drumming, but it also lets you be a part of the JA community, a team dedicated to fostering musicians for years.

And soft rock often features smooth melodies and lyrics that appeal to most people. Jazz and blues also contain rhythm and melody that win over audiences.

Heavy metal

Metal is often described as being very aggressive, but that isn’t the whole story. Some forms of heavy music are actually quite melodic and contain catchy melodies and rhythms.

Heavy metals like doom, groove, thrash or death may have some harsh vocals or growls, but they also feature complex instrumental riffs and patterns that stick in your head.

Certain songs use a rhythm pattern called polyrhythm which features more than one pulse per measure (like six beats in a row). This can be done at a very fast tempo or a slow one, and it creates a feeling of tension until you figure out what the next pattern will be!

Music with lots of striking parallels between chords is another way to hear how metal uses harmony. Even when there aren’t any chord changes, every note contributes to creating an atmosphere or feel for the song.

Running bass lines, high pitched notes and low groaning tones are all characteristics of heavy music. In fact, many musicians say that having good bass guitar tone is a key part of becoming successful in the music industry.

Hip hop

As we have discussed, music is a medium through which people express themselves. Artists use certain instruments, lyrics, voice, etc to convey their messages and emotions. Some types of songs are very well known, while others remain obscure and unseen except for their lyrics.

With that said, let’s take a look at one of the most popular musical genres – hip hop!

Hip-hop was first coined in 1983 when MC Run (rapper) performed his style of rapping called rap. Rap is a type of music where the artist speaks or sings about things from their life or experiences, usually with an emphasis on language that “means something.”

The second part of the term comes from the word funk, which means fun or playful. So, the combination of these two terms makes sense – it’s music that focuses on talking about things that are either fun or thoughtful.