Music Library Manager > Genres and Moods

The MP3, MP4, WinAmp and other standards define many music styles or "genres". Some systems also allow the user to enter his own non-standard genres. Having so many genres, with rather subtle differences, makes it very difficult to choose one. Everybody has slightly different ideas of what the genre should be, which makes it even more confusing.

For example, how many kinds of 'Rock' can you think of? Which one would you use to describe your favorite rock track?

Progressive Rock, Surf Rock, Celtic Rock, Gothic, Symphonic, Heavy Rock, Soft, Classic, Punk, Grunge, Garage, Space Rock, Jam Band, Shred, Krautrock, Underground, Rock and Roll, Psychedelic, Hard Rock, Rockabilly, Shoegaze, Industrial, Contemporary, Emo, Pessimistic post-hardcore, Glam Rock, Pagan, Stoner, Avantgarde, Americana, Folk Rock, Blues Rock, Jazz-Rock, Metal, Heavy Metal, Death Metal, New Wave, Brighton Rock, ...

If you could choose any of these for each of your Rock tracks, then how would you be able to filter by 'Rock' music? How long would it take you to choose the right genre for a new track?

MuMan solves this problem by using a reduced [rationalized] set of 40 genres. When importing or scanning music files, the genre will be converted to one of the MuMan genres according to the table below. This conversion may not always be what you think is right, so it's a good idea to check the assigned genre according to your own interpretation.

MuMan Genre	Matching MP3/WinAmp/MP4 Genres	Description
	Other	blank = undefined or undefinable genre
Acoustic	Acoustic	Usually real musicians playing real instruments.
Alternative	House, Lo-Fi, Avantgarde, Contemporary	Non-mainstream pop or rock, unique sound.
Ambient	Ambient, Soundscape	Background music, natural sounds.
Bizarre	Cult, Revival, Primus	Acid skiffle, weird music.
Blues	Rhythm & Blues, Blues Rock, Harmonica	Any kind of blues which is not Jazz.
Celtic	Celtic Folk, Celtic Rock	Traditional Celtic folk or rock.
Classical	Opera, Chamber Music, Sonata, Symphony, Orchestral, Piano, Baroque, Choral, Gregorian Chant, Medieval, Organ, Renaissance, Quartet, Waltz, Canon, Church, Harp, Woodwind, Cantata, Erudita, Violin	Real musicians playing real instruments.
Disco	Party, Pop-Funk	1970's style disco dance and funk.
Electronic	Synthesizer	Synthesizer music, but not Techno or Electronica.
Electronica	Synth-Pop	Simple but elegant pop music played on or by a machine, often with female vocals.
Folk	Polka, Folklore, Balkan, Cajan, String Band, Dirge, Gypsy, Bluegrass, Country and Western, Hillbilly	Traditional folk, usually played on real instruments, empty cider bottles or washboards.
Folk Rock	Folk-Rock, Americana	Folk with electric guitars, drums, keyboards etc.
Funk	Funk-Rock, Jazz-Funk	Lively groovy bass, often with a tight horn section.
Fusion	Freestyle, Crossover	Complex mix of jazz, rock and world styles.
Gothic	Darkwave, Symphonic Rock	Dark symphonic rock, usually with ethereal female vocals.
Hip-Hop/Rap	Trip-hop, Gangsta, Booty Bass, Drums & Bass, Beat, Urban, Tribal House, Deep House, Reggaeton, Trap, Rap, Blackboot	Drum machine (or dude playing like a machine) with syncopated lyrics/spoken word.
Humour	Pranks, Comedy, Satire, Standup	Funny music, acid skiffle, or spoken word that's funny.
Indie	Grunge, Dream, Shoegaze, Garage, Emo	Soft alternative pop with meaningful vocals.
Instrumental	Guitar, Classical	Real instruments played by real musicians, electric or acoustic, may be classical, without vocals.
Jazz	Acid Jazz, Swing, Bebop, Dance Hall, Skiffle, Ragtime, Dixieland, Modern Jazz, Brass Band, Improvisation	Jazz, more traditional style, with/without vocals.
Jazz Rock	Jazz Rock	Modern jazz or fusion with electric guitars and keyboards.
Latin	Tango, Samba, Salsa, Flamenco, Bolero, Mambo, Mariachi, Rhumba, Rumba, Lambada, Bossa Nova, Merengue, Latin Jazz, Spanish	South American, Spanish, etc.
Lounge	Space, Big Band, Easy Listening, Elevator, Chillout, Sofa, Smooth Jazz	Easy listening, soft jazz, laid back, sofa music.
Metal	Death Metal, Hardcore, Terror, Black Metal, Thrash, Death Grind, Hardstyle	Loud, fast and heavy, screaming guitars and vocals.
New Age	Meditation, Relaxation	Music with sounds of nature, relaxing, meditative, modern style.
Pop	Top 40, New Wave, BritPop, Anime, JPop, New Romantic, Doo-Wop, Bubblegum, Karaoke, Nederpop, Euro-Pop	Commercial music, music from pop radio and TV.
Psychedelic	Pagan, Stoner, Psych Rock, Jam Band	Far out rock music, hippy or spacey music.
Punk	Anything with 'Punk' in its name	Lively driving rock, may be aggressive, with or without spitting.
Reggae	Ska, Dub, Roots, Caribbean	Lively Jamaican-style or afro rhythms.
Retro	Oldies, Porn Groove	Hammond organ, 1960's style, lounge-rock, early rock and pop.
Rock	Classic Rock, Bass, Progressive, Symphonic Rock, Slow Jam, Drum Solo, Krautrock, Space Rock, Underground	Rock is rock.
Rock & Roll	Rock & Roll, Rockabilly	The original pop-rock music, Chuck Berry etc.
Soul	Gospel, Motown, Spiritual	See left, laid-back funk.
Soundtrack	Game, Showtunes, Trailer, Musical	Film and game soundtracks.
Sound Clip	Sound Clip	Natural sounds, recordings of events.
Spoken Word	Speech, Poetry, Audio Book, Prose, Sketch, Educational, E-Book, Podcast, Lecture	See left. Spoken Word may also be Humour, see above.
Surf Rock	Surf Rock, Californian Surf	Californian surf, 1960's style guitar (could use Rock, but Surf has a very distinctive style, so it gets its own genre).
Techno/Dance	Dance, Techno, Industrial, Noise, Rave, Club, Electronic Dance Music, EDM, Trance	Repetitive music played by a machine.
Vocal	Cabaret, Chorus, Chanson, Ballad, Duet, A Capella, Schlager	Songs where the singing is the important bit and music is incidental, or not even there.
World	Ethnic, Jungle, Native American, Tribal, Goa, Calypso, African, Afro-Cuban, Asian, Tropical, Bhangra, Creole, Hawaiian, Bollywood, Steel Band	Non-western folk music, hang drum, nose flute, sitar, tabla, didgeridoo, bongos, tree trunks, etc.

In addition, MuMan uniquely supports a music 'Mood'. So you can select 'Heavy Rock', 'Spacey Rock' etc. You can even have 'Relaxing Punk' or 'Heavy New Age', if you can find any.

MuMan Mood	Description
	blank = mood not defined (or undefinable)
Heavy	Use this for Heavy Rock, Heavy Metal etc. Music that's loud and annoys your neighbors or parents.
Light	Easy listening, inoffensive, background music, your parents would probably like it.
Lively	Party music, music that makes you want to move about, dance or disco music.
Relaxing	Music that makes you want to lay down and fall asleep, or pass out.
Spacey	Far out music for when you are spaced out on the sofa, soundscapes, weird music, acid skiffle.