Evolution Of a Genre
It is true that for most genres , be it Country, Hip Hop, Pop, Swing, Jazz, Rock, the music at the beginning sounds different than the music toward to end or more modern examples (example early delta blues vs. John Mayor). In other words there is an evolution to the life of the music.
For this assignment you will pick a genre, research examples, and with analysis and interpretation discuss how this genre has changed throughout the course of its life.
Step 1 : Choose a Genre
Give some background on the genre. This should include things like:
-Approximate year of when the genre started
-A couple of the first songs/recordings of the genre
-Some Important or influential artists within that genre
- Some modern / present artists within that genre
You may choose any genre, but Remember to make things as easy as possible on yourself.
******** The more the genre has changed over the course of it's life, the more differences you will have to talk about******
***** Stick to larger, broader genres - example "house" music would be a sub genre of "electronic dance music" *****
Give some background on the genre. This should include things like:
-Approximate year of when the genre started
-A couple of the first songs/recordings of the genre
-Some Important or influential artists within that genre
- Some modern / present artists within that genre
You may choose any genre, but Remember to make things as easy as possible on yourself.
******** The more the genre has changed over the course of it's life, the more differences you will have to talk about******
***** Stick to larger, broader genres - example "house" music would be a sub genre of "electronic dance music" *****
Step 2: Choose Recordings
Pick THREE SONGS (single songs not albums) from within your genre
You may pick any songs from within your genre with one requirement
You must pick:
1 from EARLY in your genre's 'life'
1 from the MIDDLE of your genre's 'life'
1 from CURRENT example
Example:
Rock:
Life = 1950's - Present
Early ; 50-60 Middle ; 80 - 90 Late ; 2010 - present
Jazz:
Life - 1920's - Present
Early ; 20's Middle ; 60-70 Late; 20-pres
Be selective here ; remember you want to pick songs that best exemplify the evolution of the genre - I.E. your Current example should sound VERY different from your older example.
Pick THREE SONGS (single songs not albums) from within your genre
You may pick any songs from within your genre with one requirement
You must pick:
1 from EARLY in your genre's 'life'
1 from the MIDDLE of your genre's 'life'
1 from CURRENT example
Example:
Rock:
Life = 1950's - Present
Early ; 50-60 Middle ; 80 - 90 Late ; 2010 - present
Jazz:
Life - 1920's - Present
Early ; 20's Middle ; 60-70 Late; 20-pres
Be selective here ; remember you want to pick songs that best exemplify the evolution of the genre - I.E. your Current example should sound VERY different from your older example.
Step 3: Analysis and Examination
For each example, provide a brief but detailed analysis - Listen to your examples a few times and try to come up with as many of the musical characteristics and components as possible. These could include, but are not limited to:
Instrumentation, Artist Background**, Recording Quality,
Possible uses for the song,
Pictures it paints in your head , Memories it reminds you of,
Melody - Delivery, What/who is providing it, their vocal qualities,subject matter, lyrics/word choice,
*******This should be in Paragraph form*****
Give concrete observations about the examples ! - We should be able to hear the things you are talking about when we listen to your examples.
Instrumentation, Artist Background**, Recording Quality,
Possible uses for the song,
Pictures it paints in your head , Memories it reminds you of,
Melody - Delivery, What/who is providing it, their vocal qualities,subject matter, lyrics/word choice,
*******This should be in Paragraph form*****
Give concrete observations about the examples ! - We should be able to hear the things you are talking about when we listen to your examples.
Step 4: Interpretation
Write a couple paragraphs (1-2 pages dbl. Spaced) giving and opinion about the changes.
These are some questions you should answer, however you are not limited to these:
- Summarize / give a brief synopsis of the evolution/changes that have occurred in the genre
- What do you think has been the biggest change in the genre?
- What were some EVENTS and PEOPLE that were instrumental to the Evolution of the Genre?
- What is your idea of the "true" genre? The Early examples or the Modern Examples? Why?
Write a couple paragraphs (1-2 pages dbl. Spaced) giving and opinion about the changes.
These are some questions you should answer, however you are not limited to these:
- Summarize / give a brief synopsis of the evolution/changes that have occurred in the genre
- What do you think has been the biggest change in the genre?
- What were some EVENTS and PEOPLE that were instrumental to the Evolution of the Genre?
- What is your idea of the "true" genre? The Early examples or the Modern Examples? Why?
*****Example Genres that work well : Rap/HipHop , Country , Rock & Roll , Blues , Jazz*****