Reggae Music

What exactly is reggae? Reggae music is a rhythm that has many beats to it. It was first originated in Jamaica, which is why the picture above shows the Jamaican colors. Most instruments used to create this music are guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, horns, or trumpets. Also, many artists you may be familiar with that sing this type of music include Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Joe Gibbs, and many more. Like many genres of music, it has changed over-time. Personally, I would prefer reggae how it was in the old times because it sounds better without all the technology and smartsounds editors use nowadays. For those of you that are not familiar with reggae, a branch of this genre you might be familiar with is reggaeton. Reggaeton is danced by Latin Americans. It started in the early 1990s. Though reggae started in Jamaica, it has touched many different countries, and each one has its own interpretation of it.

-Musical Marbella

Sources: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8oprEmvBnbJbf6odjlML-PkFAzT1rLtegXGDyH6i6Yvg6qpi_BxUeF3rm1lCRydUFI95nWf-uFFHxoU2RjlAJqtowt6AGZBjhuVt4qFA9zzFHg3vLjWoCJQxP1hatkxoN1IkjtZjcXPg/s1600/rege.gif
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae

Classical Music

Let's start by saying that classical music, is one of the most recognized types of music all over the world. Though most teens may think it is boring, it is proven that classical music helps children concentrate while doing homework. This is because they are not concentrated on the lyrics of the song, but rather on their homework because the song contains no lyrics. When you think of classical music, what comes to mind? Some things that may come to mind include instruments, famous composers, or some of your favorite songs. A famous classical music composer is Beethoven. Beethoven was deaf, but his love for music did not stop there. He composed many famous pieces, and had a passion for it. Classical music is also used in plays. One you may be familiar with is the Blue Danube Waltz. This piece is used frequently in musicals, as well as the famous ballet The Nutcracker. Though most teens think classical music is boring and pointless, it speaks more than just rhythm.  

Country Song

Above, you will find a video of a song by Taylor Swift. This is a good example of modern country music because it is one of the first songs she made that sounded more country-ish. I hope you enjoy it!

Country Music

            What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word country? I don't know about you, but  I think of hillbillies, corn, wheat, country music, and country accents. Though country music is not preferred as much nowadays, before, country was very popular. Country music started getting popular around the 1940s, and was often called "hillbilly music." People mostly appreciated this type of music because the rhythm of the music made people want to dance. Some types of dancing you might be familiar with are square dancing, line dancing, do-see-do, and many more.

          The sound of country music has modified since it originally started. What has mostly changed, are the instruments. They have gone from banjos to drums to guitars to ukeleles, to a lot more. Many present day artists include: Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Sara Evans, Kenny Chesney, Dolly Parton, and more!  

-Musical Marbella

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_music

Rock N Roll Music

Rock n Roll music is a type of music that got started in the 1950's and 1960's. First, the music became popular in small clubs and on the radio. Later on, it started to expand more both positively and negatively. Teenagers in the 1950s and 60s listened to this type of music a lot, though many parents didn't approve of the dancing, naughty lyrics, and the loud and fast beat. In the beginning of this "golden age" of music, the instruments used included electrically amplified guitars, harmonicas, and drummers that emphasized after beats. Now as you can imagine, technology was not as advanced as it is today, so it sounded different of course, but was a very desired genre of music. Many artists you can recall from this era of music would be the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the cast from Grease, Elvis Presely, Little Richard, James Brown, and many more!

Above, you will find a video of the Beatle's cover of I'm Happy Just to Dance With You. This song is about the singer's love for a girl. It talks about how much he loves her, and how no one is ever going to take her place. It also talks about how happy he is to dance with her.

Sources: youtube.com

http://42explore.com/rocnroll.htm

-Musical Marbella

Jazz Music

Jazz began at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities. Jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th century. The word "jazz" (in early years also spelled "jass") began as a West Coast slang term and was first used to refer to music. Jazz is composed of four musical elements: melody, harmony, rhythm, and tone color. However, harmony does not play such a role in the evolving of the music itself. The melody, rhythm, and tone of color make up the primary elements of jazz. Jazz is mostly instrumental music with no words. Commonly, people listen to Jazz music to help them concentrate since it is just instruments. There are many different interpretations of Jazz music, one of them including blues.

Blues also came from African American communities since they are a branch of Jazz. They were often referred to as spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants. Blues also usually reflect on a sad or extremely melancholy tone. What is the first color that comes to mind when you think of the word sad? Most people say blue, and this is another reason why they are called blues because they touch on sadness or depression.
-Musical Marbella


Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz
http://www.essortment.com/all/jazztypesmusic_remi.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues

Salt-N-Pepa - Heaven 'n Hell

Above you will see a music video of Salt-n-Pepa's song "Heaven'n Hell. This song is about how Earth is like both heaven and hell. It talks about the pro's and cons of the Earth.

Rap Music

The origin of rap music came from 80's rappers like the Sugar Hill Gang and also artists like Salt-n-Pepa. Every era has it's specific own genre of music. In the 50's it was rock n roll, in the 60's it was the Mowtown sound. By the 70's it was folk music and disco, and of course 80's was rap. Rap developed from African people. Its origins can be traced to West Africa where tribesmen held "men of words". Later when slaves were brought to the New World, the inmates mixed American music with beats they remembered from Africa. Another origin of rap is a form of Jamaican folk stories called "toasts". Toasts are narrative poems that tell stories in rhyme. 

Rap and hip-hop have similar characteristics. Of course, hip-hop is more popular today, while rap music has progressed and changed overtime. Present day rap artists often like to re-mix original songs, tweak them a bit, and make them their own. And thanks to artists like Kid Rock and Eminem, African-Americans are not the only ones listening to rap anymore. Also, the female audience has grown steadily with the emergence of ladies behind the microphone like Salt-n-Pepa, Queen Latifah, and Li'l Kim. So we can thank African-American's for introducing this genre of music to our generation.

-Musical Marbella


Sources: http://www.allsands.com/music/bio/historyofrapm_xrw_gn.htm

The background of Music

Historians have come to the conclusion that the first music, or musical sounds, developed in the Pre-historic times. It is said that the earliest forms of music were created by the first people who roamed the Earth. It started with banging rocks, sticks, and pebbles against the ground which made rhythm. It is known that around 4000 BCE Egyptians created harps and flutes, and by 3500 BCE double-reeded clarinets had been progressed. Also, classical music is rooted from Greek evolution.

There was also a time in history where music and art became an outburst. This is known as the Renaissance Period, or Enlightenment Period. Music was an important part of life in the Renaissance. The most important music of the early Renaissance was polyphonic. It was composed for church masses in Latin. As you can see, music has many different roots and origins of where it came from. It just depends on what specific type of music you are referring to. Well, that's just a little dose of what is yet to come, so please keep reading!

-Musical Marbella

Sources: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/renm/hd_renm.htm

http://method-behind-the-music.com/history/history