A Question Of Genre

[Geraint]

Whenever people ask what my hobbies are, my answer is the same. "Composing. Also, creating little creatures by glue-gunning pipe-cleaners to everyday objects."

Unsurprisingly, they tactfully ignore the second, and ask me "what kind of music" I write, and I respond "Erm. Sort of... pop?".

On the one hand, I'd like to be able to say some kind of recognisable phrase so people could tell if they might like it. On the other hand, it irks me when people say "My influences are Cher and Ray Charles, and my music is an electro-punk Beethoven-Nickelback fusion", because that's just bewildering and unhelpful. What I really want them to say is "Minimalist techno, but I sample a lot of classical pieces". Simple, unpretentious and enlightening.

So... could you help me please? I know exactly what and who I would like my music to sound like, but that's not helpful to other people!

Some tracks to listen to:

• http://brokencity.co.uk/Completed/Music%20Box.mp3
  
• http://brokencity.co.uk/Completed/This%20Is%20How.mp3 (has vocals)
  
• http://brokencity.co.uk/Completed/Love%20Theme.mp3
  
• http://brokencity.co.uk/Completed/Streetlights.mp3
  
• http://brokencity.co.uk/Completed/Life%20Of%20A%20Spiral.mp3
  
• http://brokencity.co.uk/Exhibition/Coriolis.mp3 (has vocals)
  

And some works-in-progress (everything done apart from vocals):

• http://brokencity.co.uk/Incomplete/Unknown.mp3
  
• http://brokencity.co.uk/Incomplete/Sing.mp3
  

--Geraint

Edited January 6, 2009 by Geraint

[john]

Hi

You want to be constrained by genre? I've always had the same problem when answering the same question because I like mixing musical styles and am influenced by everything I hear. Well almost

I have grown to like the fact that I struggle to define where my music sits and become less and less interested in tying my own hands and setting limitations like that.

John

[Nightwolf]

ummm, what kind of creatures do you create?

[Nightwolf]

Sounds like electronica to me, but I know little about that genre.

I have to agree with John, I chafe when someone asks me what kind of Music I play. I hate trying to pigeon hole my stuff

I usually say Jazz/Rock/Metal/Blues

Good sounds you got going on there

[roxhythe]

Actually. "ele4ctgro-punk Beethoven" makes perfect sense to me. I'd just leave it at that. If they insist on further explanation, just tell 'em, "It's pipe cleaner music, man."

When I played with The dodson Drifters, we would routinel;y be asked what kind of music we played. We decided the stock answer we'd give everybody was "Bluegrass punk." They would usually nod knowingly and go away. Worked every time.

I maintain "genre" is the box the record store is going to put your CDs in after you die. Until then, I don't plan on worrying about it. (Actually, *after* then I don't plan on worrying about it, either.)

Joe

[Geraint]

Nightwolf: I think "Jazz/Rock/Metal/Blues" is perfectly helpful! I'd accept something like that. At least you wouldn't expect all-male close-harmony singing from that description, you'd be expecting it to involve guitars at least in part. I'm also not averse to saying "Some X, some Y, occasionally a bit of Z". I feel genre can be useful - otherwise it's a bit like going to the cinema without seeing any trailers or posters for that movie; you can still enjoy the film, but there's a strange 15 minutes at the start where you judge the explosions-to-relationships ratio.

I agree about not wanting to be pidgeon-holed, and I can't imagine ever thinking "no, that wouldn't fit, it's outside my genre". However, the people who talk to me about my music are in no way connected to the professional music scene. It's not a question of which box a music retailer puts my music in. It's a question of whether a friend's friend actually checks out the music, or just smiles and nods and says "Well done you!".

I think that if some-one forwarded me a link to ten songs, and he/she says they are "Blues", I wouldn't listen to all ten if the first few weren't that great. Good Blues is lovely, and I'll bookmark the ones I like, but I've never found it breathtaking enough that it's worth sifting through only "reasonably-good" songs to find stellar examples.

However, if they said "Symphonic Rock", then I'd probably listen to all ten, because I know that even if the first nine were only mediocre, then the tenth might send shivers up my spine.

[john]

Hey

I guess that is the thin Geraint, when you write across different styles, each song can have a different balance, a different dominant genre. The whatever genre you pick overall is likely to be a vague and less valuable general statement.

I find that my material fits roughly into a few categories but probably best fits in Alternative category. I incorporate all kinds of styles from blues lead to folk acoustic, electronica to heavy rock, 30s style close harmony to hip hop beats and classical orchestral arrangement. The blend varies for every song.

So, at a suggestion, try categorizing your individual songs and take it from there as a cumulative running total

Cheers

John

[Nightwolf]

Nightwolf: I think "Jazz/Rock/Metal/Blues" is perfectly helpful! I'd accept something like that. At least you wouldn't expect all-male close-harmony singing from that description, you'd be expecting it to involve guitars at least in part. I'm also not averse to saying "Some X, some Y, occasionally a bit of Z". I feel genre can be useful - otherwise it's a bit like going to the cinema without seeing any trailers or posters for that movie; you can still enjoy the film, but there's a strange 15 minutes at the start where you judge the explosions-to-relationships ratio.

I agree about not wanting to be pidgeon-holed, and I can't imagine ever thinking "no, that wouldn't fit, it's outside my genre". However, the people who talk to me about my music are in no way connected to the professional music scene. It's not a question of which box a music retailer puts my music in. It's a question of whether a friend's friend actually checks out the music, or just smiles and nods and says "Well done you!".

I think that if some-one forwarded me a link to ten songs, and he/she says they are "Blues", I wouldn't listen to all ten if the first few weren't that great. Good Blues is lovely, and I'll bookmark the ones I like, but I've never found it breathtaking enough that it's worth sifting through only "reasonably-good" songs to find stellar examples.

However, if they said "Symphonic Rock", then I'd probably listen to all ten, because I know that even if the first nine were only mediocre, then the tenth might send shivers up my spine.

Dig this>>All Symphonic Rock HERE

[Guest Mason]

Slightly related to your question about genre is an area that me and my friends are trying to do. 'Creating a band name' and funny enough the people whom have asked for ideas have all responded 'well what kind of music do you play?' and to begin with I asked whether that was relevant and someone said 'Yes, if you are an all male rock band, you aren't going to call yourself Girls Aloud but you may call yourselves Girls Allowed'. The point being that your genre, I think....? does dictate the name of your act, and (something Im thinking about at the moment) maybe even the songs that you create. I couldn't see Springsteen performing Radiohead for example.

Radiohead as a band name seems to sum up their own style/genre etc, which I feel incorporates many things but can still be placed in a record store at the same time. This idea of don't worry about genre because its just something the record stores want completely bewilders me, I would prefer to operate in a holistic framework and record stores are just one option and method of getting your music to an audience. No im not saying you can't make the music you want to, but I would recommend you find a label for your music so that way when someone is browsing through a record store and purchases your CD, THEN they decide what genre it is. The tracks are heard somewhere and they go buy. Hell the amount of times Ive placed a CD into iTunes and the track information came up which I don't agree with 'Sly stone' 'R&B?', hmm I just edited the genre to say 'R&B/Soul/Funk/Rock Fusion'. The point being that you should have a genre for the record store narrowminded-ness, or the pigeonholing and if your fans really like your music they would decide for themselves if the genre doesn't fit. If like you say it is just for your friends to say 'well done you' then why not ask them and say what genre does this feel like to you? Then pick the best response you get. Also if it's just for friends is genre something you really need to worry about, rather than say imroving and honing your skills?

Mason.

[Donna]

...the CD Baby guy has an interesting take, which is to expressly define one's genre.

And at the same time to intentionally alienate (might be

too strong of a word) or discourage audiences which aren't "your own".

It did make sense when I read it! :0

[Rudi]

What does it matter? Focus on the content, not the bag. Its irrelevant.