Everyone has their favourite genres of music. What’s more, everyone thinks about their favourite music differently. We all lead different lives, have had different experiences, and find joy in different musical genres, songs, and even tempos. This, of course, also applies to musicians, and even music students.

The fact is, it’s easy to get comfortable once we find our favourite kind of music. The moment we figure out what we like, we have a tendency to put everything else aside. It doesn’t matter if it’s pop, rock, rap, EDM, country, or whatever. Once we discover our loves, we quickly become creatures of musical habit.

But the truth is, we don’t know what we’re missing out on! Listening to different kinds and genres of music is a great way to help aspiring musicians expand their horizons and discover new things about the instruments they play and the art they make. Every genre offers different lessons about what it means to make music.

If you’re a music student looking to learn all you can, check out these genres you may not listen to frequently for new and exciting lessons!

Genres of Music to Explore

Classical Music and the Fundamentals

Outside of the big names, like Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart, most people don’t have a lot of experience with classical music. But they should! Classical music is the source of what is today considered the fundamentals of Western music theory. Many legendary musicians have classical training, and the genre is a great starting place for learning the basics of any instrument.

Jazz and Improvisation

On the one hand, jazz is a highly technical form of music. On the other hand, jazz’s true beauty is in its musician’s incredible and unique ability to improvise around the fundamental techniques they’ve mastered. Jazz musicians are among the most highly trained and skilled musicians. It’s this mastery of their instruments that lets them experiment with incredible success, even while playing live. One of the principle lessons jazz can teach any learning musician is the power of improvisation. It’s all about knowing when – and how – to leave the written music and do something truly unique.

Rock & Roll and Power and Timing

One of the most amazing things about rock & roll is how diverse it is. There are wildly different kinds of rock music, each with its own distinct sound and tempo. But what all these facets of rock have in common is pacing and timing. Rock utilizes pacing and intensity along with its sounds and tones to create winning combinations that make for great music. With a spectrum that includes everything from high-powered thrash metal to soft, calm, folk rock, rock & roll is a great way to learn to change up your songwriting’s power and timing.

Blues & Rhythm

While blues may not be as technical as jazz, or as intense as some forms of rock, it is no less difficult to master. Blues, which got its start in the African American communities of the Southern United States around the turn of the 20th century, is all about rhythm. Borrowing from both traditional African sounds and Western folk music, blues is a masterclass in using drum-like sounds in unusual ways, and creating incredible and unique rhythmic patterns.

Reggae and Syncopation

Syncopation happens when notes are played off the beat. And reggae is all about syncopation. In fact, one of the genre’s defining qualities is that accents are generally played on the down beat – the second and fourth notes in 4/4 time. This creates the genre’s characteristic groove. When you add in the fact that reggae borrows a lot of inspiration from both blues and jazz, especially when it comes to unorthodox rhythmic patterns, you’ll see what a powerful genre it is.

Closing Thoughts

Of course, this is just a sampling of the kinds of lessons you can learn from listening to a broader range of music than what you generally like. In practice, the more music you listen to, the more lessons you can learn, and the more you get out of the experience. What’s more, you can bring these powerful lessons with you into your favourite genres. Just imagine the incredible music you can write with the fundamentals of classical music, the rhythm of blues, the power of rock, the syncopation of reggae, and the occasional jazz-inspired improvisation!

If you’re looking to get moving on your own musical journey, The Music Studio is here to help! With professionally taught programs for all ages and skill levels, we’re excited to guide musicians of all stripes.