<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Genres and Moods |
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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. |