Music Genre's

There are many many different genre's of music, which are, in essence, made infinite by the sub genres that fall under each individual genre. The blending of different genre's and sub genres create new genres and for this reason genre's such as "breakcore" or "black metal" come into being.


What is Music?

Dictionaries and encyclopedias define music as "an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner." It is also defined as "any pleasing and harmonious sound" and "the sounds produced by singers or musical instruments." (Source: wordnet.princeton.edu)
There are a lot of definitions for music and it will take a whole book to explore the subject of music. If there is one true definition of music it is this; music is universal and yet it is also relative and subjective. What may be music to one may not be so to another.

Take a moment to ponder what the meaning of music is for you.


Origin and History of Music

There are many theories regarding when and where music originated. Many agree that music began even before man existed. Historiographers point out that there are six periods of music and each period has a particular style of music that greatly contributed to what music is today. Here are some resources for you to better understand the history of music. Links are arranged chronologically and is a great primer to learn more about every stage of music development.

Medieval/Middle Ages

Music during the Middle Ages is characterized by the beginning of musical notation as well as polyphony. During this time, there were two general types of music styles; the monophonic and the polyphonic.