Appreciate Different Styles of Music

Learning to appreciate different styles of music can be a rewarding experience for anyone looking to broaden their musical horizons. While everyone has their own preferences when it comes to music, you can learn to appreciate music for what it is even if you don’t personally prefer to listen to it. Appreciating music at this level doesn’t require any music expertise, but a few simple tips can help you better find, understand, and respect different styles.

Steps

Exploring Different Genres

1. Test out different subgenres of music you already like. It can be easier to appreciate music that is similar to what you’re already familiar with. To start out, take a look at your usual playlists and classify your favorite music by genre. If you’re unsure exactly what styles your favorite bands fall into, try searching for their names on a site like http://everynoise.com. Then search online to make a list of different subgenres within that style.
   • For example, if you like punk rock, you could make your way through different punk subgenres, such as Anarcho-punk, Celtic punk, Cowpunk (a combination of country and punk rock), Christian punk, Gypsy punk, Hardcore, Pop punk, Psychobilly, Riot Grrrl, Ska, and Street punk.
2. Listen to related music styles to step further outside your comfort zone. Many modern musical genres are related to one another in that they developed from the same styles. Jazz, for example, heavily influenced both modern rock and contemporary R&B music. Try to explore both the related genres and the root influencers of your favorite styles. For many people, it can be easier to appreciate a new style of music if you can recognize familiar instruments, chord progressions, lyrical themes, or song formats.
   • For example, if you’re a fan of contemporary country music, you could try listening to modern bluegrass or Americana styles. You could also listen to country music’s roots in folk music or western swing.
   • To find genres and bands related to your preferred styles, use websites like http://musicmap.info and http://everynoise.com.
3. Try something on the opposite end of the spectrum. Another great way to learn about and appreciate different styles of music is to listen to something completely outside your normal listening range. While this can be jarring, it can help broaden your understanding of what’s out there. If you need inspiration, find your favorite genres on http://everynoise.com and scroll to the names that are furthest away on the page.
   • For example, if you’re really into black metal, try something completely different such as reggae or cumbia. Love smooth jazz? Listen to some hardcore punk tunes.
4. Sample a few different artists in each genre. Even if you don’t like or appreciate a new style of music right away, try listening to a few different bands. Most genres include many different types of artists, each of whom interprets the style in their own unique ways.
   • If you’re trying an entirely new kind of music, listen to musicians from different subgenres within that style. Say, for example, you’re listening to country music for the first time. While you might not like country-pop music like Luke Bryan and Taylor Swift, you may appreciate the 1970s-1980s outlaw country singers such as Willie Nelson or Hank Williams Jr.

Learning More About New Styles

1. Research the history and context of the genre online. All musical styles are influenced by the contexts in which they developed. To more fully understand and appreciate why a musical style sounds the way that it does, it can be helpful to do some research into what kinds of music it grew out of (or in reaction to), what social movements it was influenced by, and what types of people were involved in its creation.
   • For example, if you want to better Appreciate Jazz Music, it can be helpful to understand that it developed from West African Black folk music and European popular music during the early 1900s. This can help you identify certain musical elements in jazz and better appreciate its innovations.
   • Similarly, if you’re working to Appreciate Gangsta Rap, you’ll want to know that it was pioneered in the mid-1980s as a way to paint a picture of inner-city life. Understanding the historical and social context of rappers like Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Biggie Smalls can help you better understand and appreciate both the lyrics and the sound.
2. Ask a friend or family member for an overview of their favorite genre. Often, it can be helpful to have a true fan introduce you to a new style of music. While they may not know a lot about the historical development of the genre, fans can usually provide you with a general lay of the land, including the major musicians, influencers, and subgenres within a certain style. Ask them to recommend a few of their favorite songs, albums, or bands so you have somewhere to start listening. Their enthusiasm may also rub off on you and help you appreciate an unfamiliar style.
   • Interested in learning about an older style of music? Try speaking with your parents or grandparents about what they liked when they were younger. They may have an old CD or record collection that you could listen to.
3. Read up about artists you’re not familiar with. While you don’t necessarily need to read an entire biography, it can be helpful to learn a bit more about specific musicians in order to appreciate their work. Search online or at your local library to learn about the background of an artist and what their life was like at the time they wrote a specific album or song. This can help you better understand their work and appreciate what it may mean.
   • Bob Dylan, for example, is famous for some of his protest songs. To fully understand and appreciate his work, you could do some digging into his involvement with the Civil Rights movement and background as a political activist.
4. Attempt a song in a different style if you play an instrument. If you are a musician yourself, trying to play a song in a new genre can help you better appreciate the style. Attempting a new sound can help you identify the chords, rhythms, and styles of the unfamiliar genre, while also building an appreciation for the skill that goes into creating that type of music.
   • Even if you don’t play an instrument, having a basic familiarity with the common chords of a certain style of music can help to eliminate the dissonance of an unfamiliar sound and make it more pleasant to listen to.

Listening Actively to Better Appreciate New Sounds

1. Find a quiet environment with nothing around to distract you. In our everyday life, we hear music in many different settings: at the grocery store, while we’re on hold, at bars or parties. But if you’re trying to better appreciate a new style, it’s important to be able to actually listen to it, rather than simply hear it in the background. Generally, the best way to do this is to eliminate other distractions-- especially noisy ones. Try to find a quiet room to help you focus and concentrate on the many aspects of the music.
   • If you live with others or have close neighbors, consider investing in a good pair of headphones. That way, you’ll be able to turn the volume loud enough to hear all the different elements of the music without disturbing others.
2. Pay attention to the lyrics to decipher the message behind the song. If the song you’re listening to has lyrics, they can help you Figure Out a Song's Meaning. Even if you don’t love the style of music, deciphering lyrics can help bring a sense of meaning and a greater appreciation of both the song and the genre.
   • It can be difficult to hear the lyrics in certain genres, such as death metal or particularly fast rap. If you can’t decipher the words, try looking the lyrics up online.
   • Certain sites such as SongMeanings, SongFacts, and LyricInterpretations can also help you interpret the meanings of songs.
3. Note the types of instruments and sounds used in the genre. One of the best things about exploring different types of music is discovering new sounds that may be unique to the style. For example, if you’re new to classical music, you may be surprised by how string instruments can be used to build tension and communicate emotion. Or, if you’ve never listened to a capella, you’ll be introduced to the many different ways to use just the human voice.
   • Although most songs are intended to be holistic sounds with different voices and instruments working together, it can be interesting and helpful to focus on a single instrument in order to more fully appreciate the piece. Try to isolate one instrument, noting when it comes in, when it goes out, and how it supports the other sounds. This can help you better understand the new style.
4. Try not to criticize the first time you listen. Remember that you can appreciate a different style of music without personally liking it. If you don’t enjoy a song during the first few seconds, try listening to the whole tune anyway. You can still take note of the lyrics, melodies, instruments, and form to gain a better appreciation of the artistry behind the song.
   • Don’t write off an entire genre of music just because you don’t like one song: remember that there is often a lot of diversity within each style. Try a few different musicians or subgenres before moving on.

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