Anthology: Anthologies are collections of short stories, essays, or poems, often by various authors and usually centered around a common theme.
Children’s: Children’s literature is written to entertain, educate, and instill moral values in young readers. Stories often involve whimsical elements and easily relatable characters.
Drama: Dramatic novels focus on character development and emotional narratives, often dealing with intense, thought-provoking themes.
Education: This genre delves into the theories and practices of education, instructional methods, and educational policy. It is essential for educators, policymakers, and those interested in the philosophy of education.
Health and Wellness: Books in this genre offer advice and knowledge on physical, mental, and emotional health. From nutrition guides to mental health memoirs, these works aim to improve the reader’s well-being.
History: History books explore past events, civilizations, and the evolution of societies. They provide an in-depth analysis of significant historical periods and individuals, and their impact on the world.
Inspirational: Inspirational fiction often contains stories that offer hope, encourage positive thinking, or convey moral messages.
International: This features different languages and provides an opportunity for international authors to showcase their books. .
Memoir: Memoirs are personal accounts that capture specific moments, experiences, or periods in an author’s life. These books allow readers to step into the author’s shoes and gain insights into their unique perspectives and journeys.
Mystery: Mystery novels involve a crime or puzzle that needs solving, often led by a detective or amateur sleuth.
Poetry: Poetry books are collections of poems, ranging from traditional forms to free verse, exploring various themes and emotions.
Science Fiction: Science fiction explores futuristic concepts, advanced technology, space exploration, time travel, and parallel universes..
Self-Help: Self-help books provide guidance, advice, and strategies for personal growth, improvement, and achieving specific goals. These books offer practical tools, insights, and exercises to help readers overcome challenges, develop new skills, and enhance their well-being.
Technology: Technology books explore the current state and the future implications of technology. They discuss how it shapes our society, the ethical dilemmas it presents, and its potential for innovation.
Travel: Travel books take readers on journeys to different destinations, providing vivid descriptions, cultural insights, and personal experiences. These books inspire wanderlust, broaden horizons, and provide practical travel information and tips. They often combine personal narrative with historical and cultural information to give a rounded view of a destination. Travel books can range from memoirs and adventure stories to guides and essays.
Western: Western novels are set in the American Old West and are characterized by frontier adventure, outlaws, and lawmen.
Young Adult: Young adult fiction addresses issues faced by teenagers and young adults, often through coming-of-age stories.
Information to help select the right genre for your fiction, non fiction, children’s book or music. The marketing websites are organized according to popular genre, so it is essential to understand which category your book should belong. Many books filter over into more than one category, so it can be in more than one. There are so many genres of books it is impossible to do web pages for all of them; so we have sub-categories under some.
https://prowritingaid.com/book-genres#article-head5
Selecting the right genre for your book is a crucial decision that can greatly impact your writing journey.
When I first started writing my first book based on my travels in South America, I wasn’t sure which genre it fell into. It had elements of adventure, mystery, thriller, and even a touch of romance. After careful consideration, I decided to classify it as a thriller with elements of magical realism.
In fact, as we’ll see, most books straddle multiple genres to some extent, but it’s still important to know what your primary genres will be.
Selecting the right genre for your book
Selecting the right genre for your book is a crucial decision that can significantly impact its success.
Understanding the genre of your book is essential because each genre has certain expectations and conventions that readers anticipate.
In this section, we will provide guidance on how to choose the most suitable genre for your book and offer tips on experimenting with genre combinations.
Understand your target audience: One of the key factors to consider when selecting a genre is your target audience. Different genres attract different readerships, and it’s important to tailor your book to the preferences and interests of your intended audience. For example, if you’re writing a romance novel, your target audience will likely be fans of love stories and relationships. Understanding your readership will help you create a book that resonates with them.
Consider your personal interests: While it’s crucial to consider your target audience, it’s equally important to write in a genre that you’re passionate about. Writing a book is a long and challenging process, and your enthusiasm for the genre will keep you motivated throughout. If you have a deep interest in science fiction, for instance, exploring that genre will allow you to tap into your creativity and bring your unique vision to life.
Research market trends: Keeping an eye on market trends can provide valuable insights into what genres are currently popular and in demand. While it’s essential to write a book that aligns with your interests, understanding the market can help you position your work strategically and increase its chances of success. By researching market trends, you can identify genres that have a dedicated readership and tailor your book accordingly.
Experiment with genre combinations: Sometimes, the most captivating stories emerge from blending genres. Don’t be afraid to experiment with genre combinations to create a unique and compelling narrative. For example, you can blend elements of mystery and fantasy to create an intriguing plot or combine romance and science fiction to explore love in a futuristic setting. Genre combinations can provide fresh and exciting experiences for readers.
Create new subgenres: If you have a story idea that doesn’t neatly fit into any existing genre, consider creating a new subgenre. By introducing a fresh perspective or unique elements, you can carve out a niche for your book and attract readers looking for something different. Creating a new subgenre allows you to push the boundaries of traditional genres and offer readers a novel reading experience.
Here are five reasons you should know what your primary genres will be when writing.
Choosing my genre not only helped me shape the story in a way that resonated with readers, but it also allowed me to tap into the unique aspects of the genre.
By infusing magical realism into the narrative, I was able to transport readers to the vibrant landscapes of South America and weave in fantastical elements that added depth and intrigue to the story.
Choosing the right genre gave me a clear direction for my writing and helped me connect with a specific audience. Readers who enjoy adventure novels with a touch of magic were drawn to my book.
So, let’s take a look at the most common fiction and nonfiction genres.
https://prowritingaid.com/book-genres#article-head5
Action: Action novels are typified by dynamic pacing, exhilarating sequences, and protagonists who often possess physical prowess. They face high-stakes challenges, usually with physical confrontations at the core.
Adventure: Adventure literature takes readers on an exciting journey, often to exotic locations. The heroes embark on quests filled with danger, exploration, and discovery.
Alternate History: Alternate history books explore what might have happened if key historical events had different outcomes. These narratives blend real historical context with imaginative twists.
Anthology: Anthologies are collections of short stories, essays, or poems, often by various authors and usually centered around a common theme.
Children's: Children's literature is written to entertain, educate, and instill moral values in young readers. Stories often involve whimsical elements and easily relatable characters. Books in this genre are written with readers under the age of twelve in mind. Of course, kids will do a lot of growing between the ages of zero and twelve, which is why children’s books range from baby board books all the way up to middle grade ‘epics’ of 50,000 words.
Comedy: Comedy novels are designed to amuse, featuring humor, wit, and often-satirical elements. They may deal with absurd situations or quirky characters.
Contemporary Fiction: This book genre is occasionally lumped in with others to indicate that the book takes place in the present day. But in its simplest form, contemporary fiction is better understood as the absence of a genre. Your book doesn’t need tropes and trappings, monsters and mysteries, when its tension, drama, and conflict lies in the quirks and quandaries of your protagonist’s everyday life: work, politics, relationships, and the struggles of the modern era.
Crime: Crime fiction centers on criminal acts, often featuring detectives or amateur sleuths working to solve a mystery.
Drama: Dramatic novels focus on character development and emotional narratives, often dealing with intense, thought-provoking themes.
Dystopian: Dystopian novels present an imagined future society that is dehumanized or frightening, often exploring themes of totalitarian governments or environmental disasters.
Espionage: Espionage novels involve spies and secret agents, with plots revolving around intelligence gathering and covert operations.
Fairy Tale: Fairy tales are stories featuring magical and fantastical elements, often intended for children but enjoyed by adults as well.
Fantasy: Fantasy novels create worlds where magic and mythical creatures exist. This book genre is characterized by elements of magic or the supernatural and is often inspired by mythology or folklore.
Gothic: Gothic fiction combines horror, romance, and mystery, set against dark, brooding environments.
Historical Fiction: Historical fiction novels are set in the past, with authors integrating historical facts with fictional characters and events. This book genre encompasses fictional stories in a historical setting, carefully balancing creativity and facts. In most cases, the characters and events are imagined by the author and enriched with historically accurate details from a specific time period.
Horror: Horror fiction aims to scare or unsettle readers, with stories about ghosts, monsters, or other supernatural entities.
Inspirational: Inspirational fiction often contains stories that offer hope, encourage positive thinking, or convey moral messages.
LGBTQ+: LGBTQ+ fiction includes stories that focus on LGBTQ+ characters and themes, exploring the experiences and relationships of the LGBTQ+ community. Any fiction with authentic LGBTQ+ representation falls into this book genre. It’s important to note that while the book’s characters should feature in the main plot, the centerpiece of the plot doesn’t have to be a romance.
Literary Fiction: Literary fiction focuses on stylistic prose and complex character development, often addressing serious subjects.
Mystery: Mystery novels involve a crime or puzzle that needs solving, often led by a detective or amateur sleuth. Also called detective fiction, this book genre is characterized by a gripping plot that revolves around a mystery. The core of any mystery is a crime that must be solved by the protagonist.
Poetry: Poetry books are collections of poems, ranging from traditional forms to free verse, exploring various themes and emotions.
Romance: Romance novels focus on love and relationships, with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. The core of these stories is the romantic relationship between the protagonists. The key thing to remember is that the romantic relationship must be the center point of the plot.
Satire: Satire fiction uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to critique politics, society, or individuals.
Science Fiction: Science fiction explores futuristic concepts, advanced technology, space exploration, time travel, and parallel universes. Though science fiction and fantasy are often considered two sides of the same (speculative fiction) coin, sci-fi is distinguished by its preoccupation with real or real-feeling science.
Short Story: Short story collections are composed of brief, focused narratives that explore a variety of themes and styles. Though they can belong to any of the other book genres on this list, short stories are frequently grouped together in their own genre because they’re, well, so much shorter than novels. Often the author will compile a collection linked together by a narrative thread or, more commonly, a shared theme.
Suspense: Suspense novels keep readers on the edge of their seats with tension, excitement, and uncertainty.
Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast-paced, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful enemies.
War: War fiction portrays the realities of war, focusing on the experiences of soldiers and civilians.
Western: Western novels are set in the American Old West and are characterized by frontier adventure, outlaws, and lawmen.
Women’s Fiction: Women’s fiction is an umbrella term for books written to target a female audience, generally reflecting on the shared experience of being a woman or the growth of a female protagonist. Because of this rather broad definition, authors will quite often write a romance novel or mystery, for example, that could also be labeled women’s fiction.
Young Adult: Young adult fiction addresses issues faced by teenagers and young adults, often through coming-of-age stories. Young adult fiction, or YA, targets readers aged 12-18 and reflects its readership by following teenage characters as they grapple with the unique challenges of adolescence. Most works of YA fiction can be labeled “coming-of-age novels”, in which the characters exit childhood and enter adulthood — a transition that results in a loss of innocence and a shifting sense of identity.
Nonfiction genres encompass a wide range of informative and educational books that delve into various subjects and real-life experiences. These genres provide readers with valuable insights, knowledge, and perspectives on different topics.
Art & Photography: Books united by their love of art. It is a vibrant and stylish genre which discusses an artist’s work or an artistic style in detail. It may teach a specific art method, explores a facet of art history, or if it showcase art in a coffee-table book way.
Biography: Biography books tell the life stories of real individuals, providing readers with a glimpse into their achievements, struggles, and impact on society. They are often notable figures, both historical and contemporary. Written in the third person by someone other than the subject.
Business and Economics: Books in this genre provide insights into the functioning of businesses and economies. They cover topics like leadership, economic theory, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.
Cookbooks: Cookbooks are collections of recipes and cooking advice, but they often go beyond mere instruction, to explore the history and culture of food. They can provide insight into the regional cuisines of the world, the science of cooking, or the biography of a chef.
Education: This genre delves into the theories and practices of education, instructional methods, and educational policy. It is essential for educators, policymakers, and those interested in the philosophy of education.
Essays: An essay may sound like a boring assignment from your school years, but the books in this genre are among some of the most moving and inspirational works of literature there are. Many powerful voices — like James Baldwin and Roxane Gay — have used these short works to reflect on their own personal experiences and views, combining them into a collection that serves as an eye-opening social commentary on a particular theme or subject.
Food & Drink: Food and drink is one of nonfiction’s hottest book genres, making it a crowded and highly competitive market. As a result, today’s cookbooks tend to cater to specific cuisines, dietary, and/or lifestyle needs. If you’re writing a cookbook, you might consider pairing recipes with nutritional information, short autobiographical narratives, or even workouts.
Health and Wellness: Books in this genre offer advice and knowledge on physical, mental, and emotional health. From nutrition guides to mental health memoirs, these works aim to improve the reader's well-being.
History: History books explore past events, civilizations, and the evolution of societies. They provide an in-depth analysis of significant historical periods and individuals, and their impact on the world. The books in this genre lay down the known facts about a historical era, event, or figure. And since this is nonfiction, all the facts have to be accurate (though that doesn’t mean there’s no room for inference or opinion). The goal of these books is to educate and inform the reader, so this genre does include all those textbooks you used in school. But many history books ditch the play-by-play format to chronicle the past in a way more akin to storytelling. One of our favorite history books is Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind by Yuval Noah Harari.
Humanities & Social Sciences: Got something wise to say? Then your book might just belong among the books of this eclectic genre — as long as it discusses a topic related to (deep breath): philosophy, history, literature, language, art, religion, music, or the human condition. This might seem like a pretty wide net to fall into, but keep in mind that books in this genre are typically quite academic; if you’ve written more of a free-flowing spiritual guide, it probably belongs in the previous genre.
Memoir: Memoirs are personal accounts that capture specific moments, experiences, or periods in an author's life. These books allow readers to step into the author's shoes and gain insights into their unique perspectives and journeys.
Parenting & Families: Parents and families struggling with discipline, education, bonding, the care of a newborn baby, or a child with special needs, can turn to this well-stocked genre of books when they need to bring in the reinforcements. If you’ve written a memoir that’ll have families whole-heartedly nodding in agreement, or a guide brimming with advice for frazzled parents, then you can find a place for your book in the parenting and families section
Philosophy: Philosophy books explore fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. These works can be both historical, discussing the philosophies of the past, and contemporary, tackling current philosophical debates.
Political Science: Books in the political science genre examine the theory and practice of politics, political systems, and political behavior. These works often analyze current events and political developments, offering readers insights into the workings of government and international relations.
Psychology: Psychology books explore the human mind, behavior, emotions, and mental processes. These books offer insights into various psychological theories, research findings, and practical applications. Psychology books help readers understand themselves and others better, providing valuable tools for personal growth and interpersonal relationships.
Religion and Spirituality: This genre covers a broad range of beliefs and practices around the world. It includes sacred texts, theological treatises, and books that explore the personal experience of faith. From histories of the Catholic Church to spiritual guidebooks and memoirs of the Eat, Pray, Love variety, this genre has a place for anything and everything related to the topics of religion and spirituality.
Science: Science books cover a wide range of scientific disciplines, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the natural world, technological advancements, and scientific discoveries. These books make complex concepts accessible and engage readers with fascinating insights into the wonders of the universe.
Science & Technology: The job of science nonfiction is not to predict the future, but to make sense of the world we’re currently living in — which, quite honestly, can feel like science fiction to some of us! Readers of this genre range from complete beginners trying to understand the things around them to technophiles whose brains are whirring to keep up with the pace of change, so there’s bound to be a niche for your book, however advanced it is.
Self-Help: Self-help books provide guidance, advice, and strategies for personal growth, improvement, and achieving specific goals. These books offer practical tools, insights, and exercises to help readers overcome challenges, develop new skills, and enhance their well-being. Some of the bestselling books in nonfiction, self-help books encourage personal improvement and confidence. Whether the focus is on relationships, emotional well-being, or finances, if you’re writing a book that aims to uplift and empower the reader, then you’re probably writing self-help.
Social Sciences: Books in social sciences explore aspects of human society, touching upon anthropology, sociology, and human geography. They examine cultural norms, societal structures, and human behavior in a social context.
Travel: Travel memoirs and travelogues, like Jonathan Glancey’s The Journey Matters, take us all over the world, giving even the most devoted homebodies a tantalizing taste of adventure, wildlife, and the great outdoors. These pocket-sized books — featuring destination reviews, lists of where to eat and what to see, and tips for traveling on a budget — are without a doubt some of the most useful titles on the shelves.
True Crime: True crime books delve into real-life criminal cases, exploring the details of investigations, trials, and the psychology of both criminals and victims. These books offer a gripping and often chilling look into the dark side of human behavior. Crime-fiction writers have put some pretty twisted plots to paper, but if you prefer to chronicle real crimes in all their haunting and fascinating detail, then the true crime genre is where your book belongs. From infamous murders to domestic disappearances, works in this genre pen true stories, about all things fearful and forbidden, that read as smoothly as well-crafted fiction.
Technology: Technology books explore the current state and the future implications of technology. They discuss how it shapes our society, the ethical dilemmas it presents, and its potential for innovation.
Travel: Travel books take readers on journeys to different destinations, providing vivid descriptions, cultural insights, and personal experiences. These books inspire wanderlust, broaden horizons, and provide practical travel information and tips. They often combine personal narrative with historical and cultural information to give a rounded view of a destination. Travel books can range from memoirs and adventure stories to guides and essays.
Resources:
https://www.tckpublishing.com/difference-between-childrens-literature-genres/
https://angelamisaacs.com/writers-guide-to-childrens-book-genres/
You can also save yourself a lot of heartache by sticking to genre guidelines. If your book doesn’t fit into one of the genres:
Selecting genre for children
Fiction for young readers is big business.
That’s because kids aren’t the only ones reading it. Look at the success of series like Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, Divergent, and more—everyone can enjoy the themes of finding yourself, establishing relationships, and seeking change in the world.
But every genre that breaks out of its niche into the mainstream gets complicated fast. Gone are the days when there was just the “Juvenile Fiction” section at the library, cramming together picture books and books for teens.
Today, we have an explosion of categories for younger readers: children’s books, kidlit, middle grade, YA, new adult, books for young readers…the list goes on.
What’s the difference between all these different categories? And do they really matter?
Children's genre
https://angelamisaacs.com/writers-guide-to-childrens-book-genres/
One of the best ways to learn about a genre is to read books in that genre. So I’ve listed four books for each genre. One is a book you probably already know (a classic or recent bestseller) to help you get a sense of that genre. The other three books are modern books to jump-start your research. You can find ever more to read on my book recommendation posts.
Board Books
Age range: Birth to age 2
Word count: up to around 200 words
Popular content and tropes: faces; every day objects and activities
Board books are named after their thick cardboard pages that are easier for chubby fingers to turn and hold up to chewing. These books are very short to match short attention spans. They’re designed to be read by an adult to a child.
I love board books! I have a whole blog post that dives into board books are designed to meet babies’ developmental needs.
Picture Books
Age range: Age 3 to 8, can be further divided into younger and older picture books
Word count: up to around 550 words (though nonfiction can be up to around 1200 words)
Popular content and tropes: bedtime stories, school stories
“Picture book” does not mean any book with a picture. (Sorry for the confusion.) These are often what people think of when you say “children’s book.” They’re fully-illustrated books that are almost universally 32 pages long. They are usually read to an adult by a child.
Early Readers and Chapter Books
A note: Early Readers and Chapter Books are really two separate categories. I’ve lumped them together in my infographic for space reasons.
Age range: Children learning to read, typically age 5 to 8
Word count: from less than 100 words (for the easiest easy readers) to 10,000 words (for chapter books)
Popular content and tropes: school stories
Early readers are usually the first books that a child reads – they’re extremely short and have highly controlled content and word choice to guide new readers. They’re usually divided into levels of increasing difficulty.
Chapter books refer specifically to shorter books divided into chapters. They bridge the gap between easy readers and novels. Usually, these are parts of series, so once a child finds one they like, they can keep reading.
Middle Grade Novels
Age range: Age 8 to 12
Word count: 25,000 to 65,000 words
Popular content and tropes: coming of age stories, some budding romance (but often not more than a crush and a kiss on the cheek)
Middle grade is usually what people think of when you say “children’s novel.” These books often can be further divided into the same content categories as adult novels (for instance, A Wrinkle in Time could be called a Middle-Grade fantasy novel).
Young Adult
Age range: Age 13+
Word count: 40,000 to 85,000 words
Popular content and tropes: romance, increasing independence
Young Adult novels are just as long, complex, and intense as many adult novels – but feature teenage protagonists and teenage problems. That’s one reason YA has a strong readership among adults.
Teens are independent, often buying their own books. That shows in the content of YA novels, which may include adult-unapproved topics like violence, and sex.
Children’s genre--from another source
Picture books
Picture books are targeted at children ages 2 to 8. They primarily use illustrations to tell the story and often share life lessons related to emotional intelligence (empathy, forgiveness, kindness), relationships, social connections, and morals. The books must be fun and interesting because they help children learn not just to read, but to navigate their world. These books usually have 50 to 1,000 words.
Chapter books
Chapter books are for children ages 7 to 9 and they are 4,000-15,000 words in length. These books have more content and more complex language than the children may have seen before. Therefore, they are broken into chapters to help the readers better comprehend the material.
Easy Reader
Easy Reader books, also called Emerging Reader or Beginning Reader books, are for children who are just learning to read by themselves, usually from five to nine years old. These books may look like picture books when written for the younger ages and like chapter books for the higher end of this age group. The books have characters, settings, and themes relevant to this age group, such as challenges the child might face, like feeling left out or making friends. The books include short, uncomplicated story lines that are told with words and illustrations, but the illustrations are secondary and not necessary for understanding the story. Words are simple, sentences are short, and there is plenty of action and dialog. The entire book has 200-1500 words and is 48-64 pages.
Juvenile books
Juvenile books can be fiction or nonfiction. These books speak to the emotions and intellect of the reader. They are written on subjects that are very relevant to the reader’s life and that capture the attention of children a little older and younger than the target age. Popular subjects include sex, drugs, alcohol, and family life. This genre is for children from 7-18 years of age and can include chapter books as well as books for middle grade, teen, and young adult readers. For 7 to 9 year olds, books are usually 2,000 – 10,000 words; for 9 to 12 year olds, books are 20,000-40,000 words. For 13-18 year olds books are 40,000 – 80,000 words in length.
Middle grade
Middle grade books are for 8-12 year old children. The age of reader is connected to the age of the main character. Plot lines include sibling rivalry, fitting in with friends, becoming attracted to others. Books in this genre usually include 20,000-40,000 words.
Young Adult books are for readers aged 12-18 and 16-25. These books can be nonfiction or fiction, educational and entertaining, and they must hold the attention of the target age group and speak to them emotionally and intellectually by being very relevant to their lives. YA books can be written in any genre (historical, crime, romance, etc.). Books in this genre are 40,000-80,000 words in length. Young adult includes a relatively new category of books (since 2009) called New Adult. This is for the 18-25 year olds and the content focuses on topics like leaving home, going to school, deciding on a career, and exploring sexuality.
Screenwriting is the art of writing a script for a feature film or television show, and there are many different genres of screenplays to write. Each genre is unique in the types of stories they tell and in the way they are written. Learning the intricacies of each genre will help you become a more balanced screenwriter.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/9-popular-screenplay-genres-a-guide-to-different-movie-genres
9 Popular Screenplay Genres: A Guide to Different Movie Genres
Written by MasterClass
9 Popular Screenplay Genres
Christian Music
https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/different-types-of-christian-music-a-look-at-the-genres/
Christian music is an expression of our faith in the trinity and is an outlet to praise and bring glory to the Father. Christian music also is written to encourage our fellow brothers and sisters in their walks with the Lord. What makes a song Christian is simply the lyrics. The content of what is sung must be congruent with the principals of God and His Holy Word. So, let us look at some of the different styles of Christian music that bring glory to God.
Praise/Worship Music
This well-known type of music is used widely in church services. This style is dedicated to beautifully arranged musical themes and lyrics that help us focus on God as we sing to Him. Most praise music today uses drums, electric guitars and acoustic guitars with some piano too. This style is widely accepted by Christians abroad. Some of the artists you may sing songs of in church include: Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, The David Crowder Band and Michael Gungor. These are just a handful of the many talented artists that have impacted the kingdom with praise/worship music.
Gospel Music
Gospel music has really upbeat tempos or very somber, “soulful” tempos. It is full of piano, organ, drums and vocal harmonies. There is much to appreciate in this style for it is sung with such admiration to our Father. I have been to churches predominantly attended by African Americans and I always love it! The gospel choirs make you smile for the joy that they radiate. You cannot attend a gospel choir without feeling that joy welling up inside of you. Some gospel artists include: Marvin Winans, Andrae Crouch, and Marvin Sapp.
Rap
Rap music is widely known for its emphasis on lyrical expression and rhymes with the use of synthesized sounds and bass. When coupled with the life of a Christian spreading the gospel, it is a wonderful genre of music. An artist that is worth looking at is Lecrae. His song “Don’t Waste Your Life” is an honest one about living a genuine Christian life and not wasting the time we have here on meaningless stuff. When you watch the video for this song (In The Upper Right Corner of this page), you can see how authentic for Christ he is and how talented he is too. This is why I have chosen this lyric video on this article. It also features UK’s Dwayne Tryumf in the song.
Pop
Christian pop music is heard all over Christian radio today. It features a wide array of instruments including: synthesizers, piano, drums, drum machines, bass, violin, guitar and many others. Most songs are very catchy and have upbeat tempos to draw you in. Some artists worth checking out are Britt Nicole, Rachel Chan, Tenth Avenue North, Brandon Heath, Matthew West and Sanctus Real.
Blues
Blues music is well known but not as well known in Christian music. Blues music doesn’t change a whole lot and you can always tell when you hear it. Songs are always very upbeat or very slow and sorrowful sounding. Blues music uses mostly drums, elec. Guitar, acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocals. Blues music incorporates the “12 bar blues” in many songs. One band that I must mention is “The Rex Carroll Band”. Rex Carroll made his debut through a band called “Whitecross” back in the 80’s. There he established his unmatched guitar playing. After “Whitecross”, he formed “The Rex Carroll Band” where he really brought the blues into Christian music. An artist of old is Rev. Dan Smith. He is a gospel blues artist that started in the early 60’s. He was one of those “tell you how it is” guys, and he does just that in his music.
Metal
This is by far my favorite genre. Christian metal is one of the bigger influences in junior highers and high schoolers of the church today. The music is very heavy and incorporates mostly elec. guitar, drums, bass and vocals. There are many kinds of metal, but they all incorporate intense drumming and guitar solos, along with awesome heavy breakdowns in between. Kids want to see real Christians. When kids find out I love metal, they already share a bond with me. It is like bikers when they wave to each other. They have a bond over motorcycles. There are so many bands to choose from, but here are a few worth checking out: Living Sacrifice(1997-present), As I Lay dying, Becoming the Archetype, August Burns Red, and The Devil Wears Prada.
Conclusion
There are many genres of Christian music. I hope this article has helped you see the broad spectrum of Christian music out there. God is so good, and there are many talented musicians/bands out there to showcase the Father’s love in musical form. If you have any favorite artists or bands, please feel free to mention them. “Lift up your hands to the Holy place and bless the Lord!” (Psalm 134:2)
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