The Tidelanders sing and perform songs from a within a relatively small range of genres all things considered. Spotify claims that there are over 1,300 different music genres worldwide (1,383 to be exact).
As of 2022, according to Pandora the top 10 music genres are:
Songs that are performed without musical instruments accompanying the singers.
Afterglow songs are sung after either a chapter meeting or a show. They can include casual singing or might be a continuation of the original performance. Would you like to see the songs we sing?
Barbershop music can be characterized by harmonies with four voice parts, syncopation, tempo changes, and specific “barbershop” chords. Interested in learning more about Barbershop music? Read our article on Basics of Barbershopping Explained.
Blues originated in the deep south in the in the African American community around the 1860s. It’s a form of music with roots tied to African American spirituality and work songs. It originally included shouts, chants, and hollers. Blues notes have pitches using “worried notes”. The blues shares it with jazz.
Country originated in the American South and Southwest in gospel and church music with ties to blues, folk, old-time, and spiritual music. It often consists of ballads with simple forms and harmonies.
Doo-wop originated in the 1940s as a variation of rhythm and blues within African American youth. If features little or no instrumentation and vocal group harmonies sometimes with nonsensical syllables.
This genre of music is typically considered rural in its origins. It can be defined as music transmitted orally or played on traditional instruments. Typically this genre includes songs tied to cultural or national identify, changes between generations, or a people’s folklore.
Holiday music is specifically oriented around classical holidays. The Tidelanders perform both religious and secular Christmas music at our shows in December. The English combined circle dances with singing during the Middle Ages and called them carols. In modern times, the word carol came to mean festive Christmas songs sung door to door (ie, caroling). It can also refer to a group standing still singing Christmas songs but most Americans likely think of caroling as a walking and singing activity. The genre also includes love songs during Valentines, and scary songs during Halloween.
Jazz originated as a form of musical expression in New Orleans, Louisiana in the African American community. Jazz includes call and response vocals typically found in West African music traditions. It’s a form of music characterized by swing and blues notes, complex chords, and improvisation. Jazz is and was heavily influenced by blues music.
Patriotic songs highlight American history and culture since our founding into the 18th and 19th centuries. Songs of this nature serve to encourage feelings of pride and honor.
Polecats are short songs in the 1-2 minute range that can easily be learned and sung in small groups or quartets consisting of each of the 4 parts (tenor, lead, baritone, bass). These might be sung during an afterglow.
Pop spans a wide range of musical art styles and forms including folk, rick, hip-hop, R&B, country, and even dance. It is a loosely defined category of music and is defined less by the style of music and more by how popular it becomes over time. The success of pop music is defined by it’s success and accessibility.
Ragtime is another musical genre with roots in the African American community. It’s distinction is that it has a “ragged” or syncopated rhythm. It’s also considered a variation of the march style of music.
Rock is a broad genre of music. It originated as “rock and roll” in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This genre originally drew on R&B and country music and includes influences from other styles of music like jazz and classical.
Love songs! This genre is typically considered being born of the Romantic era of the 19th century. It is sometimes called Classical music or Romanticism and is most often associated with romantic love songs. In general, this type of music is implied to be very personal and tender.
Blues is traditionally sung with vocals and no accompanied instruments. R&B is characterized by similar musical devices but is accompanied by musical instruments.
These are songs that originated from musical performance pieces. The songs in this genre may have come from live performances like Broadway shows, off-Broadway productions, movies, or other theatrical events.
Typically solo or voice in combination with or without musical accompaniment. Well known vocal music includes Gregorian chants and art songs.
