Judy Ames KARAOKEMANIA 9/98 Article KARAOKE STAR
SONG CATEGORIES- A Quick Overlook
Karaoke San Diego is gearing up for the big ENTERTAINER of the YEAR competition and show!
We are invited to participate all over town in different musical categories and try our
performance and singing skills out against other singers. Many people know exactly which
songs and which style they do best, but some of us are versatile in several styles, or
sing songs that might fall between the lines. I thought that a brief musical history from
this viewpoint might clarify the categories and interest you.There are two basic roots of
American pop music:
1.) European folk music (and to a lesser degree Classical-esp. Broadway) This includes
Northern Europe and also French, Germanic and Slavic folk songs and dances. Most of our
American folk songs are directly related and may only have a change of lyrics. Country
& Western music is mostly based on this heritage. This is characterized by definate
chordal structure and
cadences(endings) and a major or minor or modal half tone scale melody. Rhythmically
simple, the beat is usually in 4(march) or 3(waltz).
2.) African music- the rich addition of the rhythmic complexities, solo vamps,
statement/response and tonal bending blended to European tradition created whole new
musical forms such as: A) The Blues- generally statement/response( i.e.”They call it
Stormy Monday but Tuesday’s just as bad. .”They call it Stormy Monday but
Tuesday’s just as bad”) with blue tones -bending tones from major to minor keys
and using a pentatonic (5 note) scale. B) Reggae- addition of island music to European
and African using a special syncopation beat. C) French Creole, Cajun and the new Zydeco
sound native to New Orleans, Louisiana with island influence. D)Latin - Island, Mexican
and South American sound has become increasingly influencial and popular. These also blend
their european roots which include moorish(arab) tonalities with african rhythms and also
Catholic church tradition. Percussion and a dancing drive play a large role. E) Jazz
-starting with Dixieland Jazz blends folk music, blues, New Orleans sound and the church
hymns with african rhythm and solo technique. Later, jazz added new instruments, atonal
melodies and irregular rhythic structures. Fusion and popular “lights out”
jazz blends solo vamp form with rock or R&B
structure. Nowadays traditional jazzers really dislike calling this mix “jazz”F)
Standards, Swing, Big Band- these are based on blues and jazz and even folk roots with
classical forms. Here’s where definitions get very tricky. Most of the music in this
category is centered around the 30’s, 40’s and early 50’s. Shuffle and
swing beat kept the dancers on the floor and the
ballads were often from Broadway musicals. Some people define standards as anything that
is well known, but this could include too many different songs depending on your
viewpoint. G) Oldies- Once again it combines blues, folk and swing jazz. The 50’s and
the jitterbug, which was really a souped up swing, Elvis and others who popularized the
early Rhythm & Blues giants were all the beginnings of Rock & Roll. Up to mid
60’s. H)Rhythm & Blues- All the great motown vocal groups, dance groups of the
60’s&70’s added (again) the rich church chords & harmonies to a driving
grooving funky beat. Horns and larger groups with choreographed steps are the norm. I)
Rock- Still using blues and folk as a base, most rock has a faster tempo
and less groove(space or scyncopation between beats) Harsh screaming vocals, wild looks
and message are part of it with differing styles i.e. heavy metal, acid, hard rock. J) Top
40/Pop- This our catch all middle of the road category. Everything
that has been popular in the last 15-20 years and is not polarized into a particular box
especially ballads is here. All the influences blend into our great American sound! K) The
90’s brought us Rap, Alternative Rock, Old School-Can you guess their roots?
I hope this helps you to sort out your specialty. If not, just ask your host. I’m
sure you will find you know more song variety than you thought. See you soon!
Love,Judy
More articles by Judy Ames
"Luck" | Smoking Ban | Musician or Magician | Song Categories | Stage Fright | Servers or Singers