Advanced Vocabulary - Types of Music

Types of Music

acid house noun

music a style of house music that developed in the US in the middle of the 1980s and became very popular in the UK in the late 1980s when it was played at rave parties.

acid jazz noun

music a type of music that mixes various styles such as funk , disco , and latin , and combines electronic production with acoustic instruments and sometimes singing.

ambient noun

music a type of music that developed as a reaction against disco and dance music and that uses relaxing electronic sounds, usually without strong beats or voices.

background music noun

quiet music that plays in a public place.

background music noun

the music used in a film to create a particular mood.

backing noun

music music that is played or sung to add to the main singer’s voice.

backup noun

music mainly American music that is played or sung to add to the main singer’s voice.

bebop noun

music a type of jazz music that developed in the US during the 1940s among musicians who emphasized the complicated structure of the music, rather than the tune.

bhangra noun

music a type of dance music that combines traditional music from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan with Western styles such as reggae and jungle.

bluegrass noun

music a type of music from the southern US that is played on musical instruments such as violins and banjos.

blues noun

music a type of slow and sad music that developed from the songs of black slaves in the southern US.

boogie noun

music a type of disco music that was popular in the late 1970s.

boogie-woogie noun

an early style of jazz played on the piano, with a strong fast beat.

bop noun

bebop.

breakbeat noun

music any type of dance music that uses breakbeats.

C&W noun

music country and western music.

canon noun

music a type of music in which different instruments or voices start the same series of notes, one after another.

chamber music noun

music a type of classical music played by a small group of musicians.

chillout noun

ambient music.

classical music noun

music written according to standard European forms or structures by people such as Mozart and Beethoven.

country noun

country music.

country and western noun

country music.

country music noun

a type of popular music based on the traditional music of the southern US, usually containing singing, guitars, and violins.

dancehall noun

ragga.

dance music noun

music a type of music with a strong beat for dancing to in clubs, often involving a lot of electronic production.

disco noun

music a type of music with a strong beat that is easy to dance to, popular especially in the 1970s.

Dixieland noun

music a type of jazz with a strong beat, originally developed in New Orleans in the early 1900s and usually involving a large group of musicians who improvise together.

doo-wop noun

music a type of rock and roll consisting of small groups of singers singing in harmony and often without musical instruments.

downbeat noun

music downtempo.

downtempo noun

music any type of electronic music that is for listening to instead of dancing to.

drum ’n’ bass noun

music jungle music, especially a style influenced by jazz or ambient.

dub noun

music an electronic type of music based on reggae music.

easy listening noun

music relaxing music without complicated tunes or a strong beat.

electro noun

music a type of African-American electronic music that developed in the 1980s and often includes rap.

electronica noun

music music that is produced using electronic instruments.

filmi noun

cinema Indian English the music used in Indian films.

folk noun

folk music.

folk music noun

traditional music from a particular country, region, or community, especially music developed by people who were not professional musicians.

folk music noun

a type of modern popular music developed from traditional folk music, played on guitars and consisting of short songs about personal or social subjects.

funk noun

music a type of music that developed in the late 1960s from soul and early rock and roll , containing lively drum beats, repeated electric bass lines, and often singing.

fusion noun

music a type of modern music that is a mixture of different styles.

gangsta noun

informal gangsta rap.

gangsta rap noun

music a type of black US rap music that talks about life in the city, especially about guns, violence, and sex.

garage noun

music a type of US rock music that developed in the 1960s and is influenced by British rock and roll . It was mainly played by people who were not professional musicians.

garage noun

music a type of US dance music that developed from house music in the 1980s and is influenced by disco music.

gospel noun

music a type of Christian music influenced by soul and r and b that developed in the churches that black people went to in the south of the US in the past. It is sung by groups of singers who have powerful voices.

Goth noun

music a type of modern popular music that is loud and has a strong beat.

grunge noun

music a type of rock music played on electric guitars that developed in the late 1980s and was influenced by punk and heavy metal.

hardcore noun

music a type of British dance music with a very fast beat that developed as part of rave culture in the early 1990s.

hardcore noun

music electronic music that is loud and fast and sounds aggressive.

hard rock noun

music a type of rock music that is loud and has a strong beat.

heavy metal noun

music a type of loud rock music that developed in the 1970s, played on drums and electric guitars.

highlife noun

music a type of dance music that developed in West Africa from jazz.

hip hop noun

music a type of music that developed among African-American musicians using rap and samples short pieces of recorded music or sound that are repeated and combined with musical instruments.

honky-tonk noun

music a simple style of country music that developed in the 1950s, using guitars, violins , and singing.

house noun

music a type of modern electronic music that developed in the 1980s, replacing disco as the most popular form of dance music . It combines deep bass sounds with parts that are sung or played on a synthesizer .

Impressionism noun

music a style of music that uses sound to produce feelings and moods, rather than concentrating on the structure of the music Impressionism developed in France at the end of the 19th century .

incidental music noun

music music that is played in the background of a film, play, or television programme and helps to create a particular feeling or mood.

indie noun

music a type of rock music that developed in the 1990s, usually influenced by punk and produced by small independent record companies.

indie noun

music music that is produced by small independent record companies.

jazz noun

a type of music that developed in the late 19th century in which there is a strong lively beat and the players often improvise make up the music as they play.

jazz fusion noun

music a type of music that developed in the 1970s, combining jazz styles with rock music and using electronic instruments such as guitars and synthesizers.

jungle noun

music British a type of dance music that developed in the 1990s from hardcore and ragga and uses fast complicated beats and deep electronic sounds.

kwela noun

music a type of popular music developed by black people in South Africa.

latin noun

music a type of music from Latin America or influenced by music from Latin America, especially dance music such as salsa.

mariachi noun

music a type of traditional Mexican music played by a small group of musicians.

metal noun

heavy metal.

minimalism noun

music a style of music that developed in the 1960s and uses simple repeated rhythms and patterns of musical notes.

mood music noun

music that is intended to help you feel a particular way, especially relaxed.

MOR abbreviation

music middle-of-the-road: used for describing music that is pleasant but not very interesting or exciting.

Motown

music a type of African-American soul music from the US city of Detroit, popular in the 1960s and 1970s.

Muzak

trademark quiet music played in shops, restaurants, and other public places.

new age noun

music a type of music that uses relaxing electronic sounds and sounds from nature to encourage meditation.

new wave noun

music a type of music that developed in the early 1980s from punk , combining popular styles with the use of electronic synthesizers.

piped music noun

British quiet music that is played continuously in public places such as shops and restaurants It is intended to create a pleasant atmosphere, but some people do not like it .

polyphony noun

music a type of music that combines several different tunes at the same time.

pop noun

pop music.

pop music noun

a type of music, usually played on electronic instruments, that is popular with many people because it consists of short songs with a strong beat and simple tunes that are easy to remember. Pop music is often simply called pop .

pop music noun

any music that is popular at a particular time.

programme music noun

music music that describes a picture, a story, or an idea.

punk noun

music a type of music that developed in the 1970s from rock and roll , consisting of simple tunes played quickly and loudly on electronic instruments and words that often express anger against society.

ragga noun

music a type of popular music that developed in the 1980s from reggae and uses a singing style similar to rap.

ragtime noun

music a type of piano music that is influenced by jazz and was popular in the US in the early 20th century.

rai noun

music a type of popular North African folk music that has been mixed with various styles such as rock , funk , and reggae since the 1960s.

R & B noun

music rhythm and blues: a type of music that combines blues and soul styles with modern beats and production methods.

rap noun

music music that uses rap, especially styles of hip hop.

rap noun

music a way of talking using rhythm and rhyme , usually over a strong musical beat.

rave noun

music the type of music played at raves, especially forms of techno and hardcore.

reggae noun

music a type of music that developed in Jamaica in the 1960s with songs about social and political subjects and heavy bass sounds.

rhythm and blues noun

music a type of popular music that African American musicians developed from blues and jazz. Rhythm and blues is often called R and B .

rock noun

rock music.

rockabilly noun

music a type of music that is a mixture of early rock ’n’ roll and traditional country music.

rock and roll noun

rock ’n’ roll.

rock music noun

music a type of music that developed from rock ’n’ roll and uses a heavy regular beat, electric guitars, singing, and a tune that is easy to remember.

rock ’n’ roll noun

music a type of music that was popular in the 1950s and combined simple blues structures played on guitars with strong regular beats.

ska noun

music a type of music that developed in Jamaica in the 1950s, combining US styles of jazz, rock , and r & b with traditional Jamaican mento.

skiffle noun

music a type of music popular in the 1950s, often played with unusual instruments.

soul noun

music soul music.

soul music noun

music a type of African-American music that developed in the 1960s, combining r & b with pop , rock ’n’ roll , and gospel styles. Soul music usually has a strong beat and places emphasis on singing. It is often simply called soul .

sounds noun

British informal recorded music.

swing noun

music a type of jazz dance music that was popular in the 1930s and 1940s, played by large groups of musicians and combining simple tunes with more complicated improvisation.

syncopation noun

music a type of musical rhythm in which the weak beats are emphasized instead of the strong beats.

synthesis noun

the production of sounds using a piece of equipment called a synthesizer.

techno noun

music a type of dance music that developed in the 1980s, consisting of hard repeated beats, heavy drum sounds, and funk influences.

thrash noun

music a type of music developed in the 1980s that combines punk and speed metal.

trad jazz noun

music a type of jazz that was popular between the 1920s and the 1940s, or jazz influenced by styles such as dixieland.

trance noun

music a type of dance music with fast regular beats and electronic sounds that developed from techno in the early 1990s.

trip hop noun

music a type of dance music influenced by hip hop in its speed and style of beats but using more instruments.

two-step noun

music a type of British dance music that combines garage beats and r & b singing.

world music noun

music in western Europe and North America, music from other cultures.

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