Styles

Country and Western

Music which developed out of the cowboy culture of the USA. Listen to this example in which you can hear lead vocal, backing vocals, and a piano obbligato, or counter melody.

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Blues scale

In the key of C the main blues notes are C, Eb, F, Gb, G, Bb, C. Listen to an example of descending blues scales, which is the continuation and ending of the boogie woogie excerpt above.

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Minimalist

A 20th century style of music based on repeated patterns of notes, eg several ostinato played at the one time. Listen to some music of John Adams - ‘Shaker Loops’. 

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Impressionist

A style of music from the early 20th century which attempted to imitate in sound what artists such as Monet and Degas did with paint, by giving a musical impression of a scene or story. Much of this music used the whole tone scale, eg the works of Debussy. Listen to an example of orchestral music which gives the impression of an approaching procession.

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Aleatoric

Chance music, random music, music which is just made up without any real plan. Listen to an example.

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Whole tone scale

A common interval in western music which consists of two semitones, ie starting on C, D, E, F#, G#, A#, C. Listen to an example of piano music which uses a whole tone scale. 

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