Most of these genres came from the Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. I took the liberty of combining some and adding others. If I can't really define a genre-sound, hopefully the artists represented will help. Some of these terms are opinionated in definition. Bear with me on this. Adjust your opinion accordingly to get what you want out of this document. In other words, if I say I don't like a soprano-warbling sound, but you do, think to yourself, "Hmm. He doesn't like this one. Maybe I will."

• AC: Adult Contemporary --probably the most popular Christian music radio format. Usually light/soft rock/pop or stuff with less edge than that. "Easy Listening" --often "safe" and unchallenging.
• ACID ROCK: Harder psychedelic rock. "True" acid and psychedelic rock have a possibly drug-induced sound. For purposes of Christian music, it refers to a sound, and is not to imply the artists are stoned. I rather enjoy the sound.
• Airy: Ethereal, floating feel to the music -not necessarily light.
• Album Oriented Rock -AOR: Usually arena rock going for an overall sound rather than catchy hooks. The emphasis is on the whole, and not singles.
• ALTERNATIVE: A contemporary name for what I'd call "hard progressive rock". It's hard and frequently has a classic sound. I get argument, saying it's a term for typical 90s music. Use your own judgment. It's the stuff that pushed heavy metal out of popularity around the mid '90s.
• Alto: The vocal range where males and females overlap most. It sounds high for men, but, I think it sounds rather pleasant for women.
• AMERICANA: Musical genre incorporating typically American styles --folk, blues, country. It's close to lots of genres, but not quite.
• Anesthetic: Despite what it sounds like, this isn't a negative term. It's music which is soothingly relaxing --it could put you to sleep with a smile on your face.
• ARENA ROCK: Big sound, lots of echos very typical of the late '70s to early '90s. Think "'80s rock"
• ART ROCK: Experimental rock, usually with a small, but dedicated, following.
• Baritone: Deep vocals, which cover the low tenor through upper bass ranges.
• Bass: The lowest toned vocals -you can almost feel the individual soundwaves from a good bass singer.
• Biblical Lyrics: Scriptural or Bible-story based lyrics.
• BLUES ROCK: Back to basics rock style -usually more laid back, though not so much Light or soft.
• BOOGIE: Peppy bluesy piano/big-band sound originating in the '30s and '40s.
• BOYBAND: An all-boy bubblegum group.
• Breathy: Huffy puffy vocals --often hampers intelligibility. (Hit's hoften more hemotional than hi can hendure.)
• BUBBLEGUM: Picture a sparkly-eyed boy or girl band with sparkling teeth singing sparkly songs to appeal to sparkly 9-15 year old girls.
• Bubble-Throated: Think of that little bubble in your throat that sometimes causes a strange sound to come out while you're speaking. It sounds like trying to talk from the back of your throat. A bubble-throated vocalist usually does this on purpose, but maybe without knowing. It's not normally a natural sound.
• CCM: A frequently used abbreviation for Contemporary Christian Music. (see SCCM)
• CHR: Christian Hit Radio (Contemporary Hit Radio). A radio format which includes AC and harder stuff, but not much kid's extreme music.
• COFFEEHOUSE: laid back softer rock, but often with edgier lyrics and more acoustic sound than other rock. Think Waterdeep, Over the Rhine, Sarah Masen and maybe even Ginny Owens.
• COUNTRY ROCK: Synonyms for country are: folk, old-time, hillbilly, country and western. Country rock is rock with a twang --Honky-tonk, southern and swamp rock could also be called country rock.
• DANCE: Disco with a more updated name.
• DISCO: '70s dance fad style (with SCCM, it's far from dead yet) I've lumped it in with the more contemporary term, "dance".
• '80s: Everybody wanted to sound like Guns & Roses/Whitesnake/Motley Crue of the 80s and early
• 90s. The vocals feature lots of whining, harmonies and squealing (like David Lee Roth, who could almost do it in an un-irritating manner). This sound made the 80s rather unimpressive for hard rock. Common and fun synonym: Big hair and spandex metal. Arena rock.
• ELECTRIC: (as opposed to synthesizer) Real instrumental and vocal sounds altered electronically
• Ethereal: Airy, sometimes mysterious
• FOLK ROCK: Down-home music of "the people" often with acoustic instruments -usually about mundane life. Folk rock is also characteristic of '60s and '70s protest music. I use the genre term more for the sound than lyrical content.
• FUNK: Soul with an earthier style.
• GIRLGROUP: An all-girl bubblegum group.
• GLAM ROCK: I'm not sure how to really describe it, but it's got a distinctive sound. Think T-Rex, Donovan, Gary Glitter. I think it's close to what's called trance or shoegazer.
• Guttural vocals: Dark, harsh-growly voice. If Satan wasn't trying to sweet-talk you into temptation, he'd probably sound like this.
• Hardcore: the intense stuff --intentionally not relaxing. Thrash
• HARD ROCK: Heavy vocals and guitar-driven instrumentals -see also, heavy metal.
• HEAVY METAL: Harder hard rock. Lots of it borders on mere noise. --usually '80s sound. "Heavy" isn't used as much anymore. Metal.
• Indian: Using Asian-Indian musical instruments, or getting a sort of Indian sound. George Harrison used Indian instruments in much of his Hare Krishna-related music.
• JAZZ ROCK: Syncopated soft artsy rock - like Steely Dan, Blood Sweat and Tears, and some Charlie Peacock.
• Kick back music: Music to listen to as opposed to sing-along or background music. This is the kind of stuff I like to "kick back" with a big glass of tea to relax to. Headphone music is another way to describe it. I used to kick back to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.
• LATIN ROCK: Rock with a Mexican sound.
• LIGHT POP: Almost-bubblegum pop.
• LIGHT ROCK: A little more lively than soft rock -clearer vocals, not so breathy/warbling/slurred. A bit heavier on the instrumentals, too.
• Melisma: using multiple notes to sing a single syllable --I often call it warbling.
• Middle Of the Road -MOR: This stuff really isn't rock, but it's still "popular" music. It includes lots of movie theme songs, show-tunes, cabaret-stuff, and so on. Think Barry Manilow or Barbara Streisand
• Nasal: Singing from the back of the throat: the words, "I'm going to" coming out as, "Hying ngoing due" or "glory" coming out as "nglory". I don't know if this communicates it, but the "nasal" vocalist doesn't enunciate. It's similar to bubble-throated vocals.
• Native American: Heavy tom-tom-like beat as in Paul Revere and the Raiders or Cher's "Cherokee People," or The Eagles' "Witchy Woman"
• NEW WAVE: Laid back punk with class. Think "The Cars"
• No-Fault: This artist doesn't seem to exhibit any of the little things that bug me, like warbling (melisma), slurred words, incessant cymbal use, jangly white-noise guitar, throaty or breathy vocals and so on. No-Fault normally refers to vocals.
• POP: The stuff on the radio. Songs from any genre could, on occasion, fit the pop genre.
• Pouter: like the vocalist is ready to cry, or has been crying. A pouter uses this technique to express strong emotion.
• Prayer: This term refers to the lyrics, rather than the vocalist's style. It's a message "to" God, and not "about" Him.
• Preachy: Lyrics where the artist is singing to a human audience about what they should and shouldn't do. If you're into Christian music, or fairly strong in the Faith, preachy lyrics could be equated to "preaching to the choir." I hazard to say, it's a rhetorical/cliché (though very valid) message. Some call it "turn or burn" lyrics.
• PROGRESSIVE: A leading edge of rock experimentation (along with art rock), but still close enough to pop to not alienate too many listeners. I don't think it's really a current term. "Alternative" may have taken its place.
• PSYCHEDELIC: Softer acid rock, like Hawkwind of the '70s, David Bowie
• PUNK: Garage-band sound -noisily aggressive instrumentals and anti-authority/sneering/anything-goes vocals.
• RAP: Spoken or yelled (not sung) lyrics to hard rhythm by anything that'll make noise. Often (foul-mouthed in mainstream) conjuring images of anger and bad-attitude. East Coast rap tends to be more sneering and angrier than West Coast rap.
• REGGAE: Rock with a Caribbean sound.
• ROCK: A catch-all term: usually pop, and usually guitar and drum driven, but not always. A good beat is almost always present, and it's typically, but not always, 4/4.
• ROCKABILLY: Early Rock and Roll -un-refined '50s sound. As the term implies, it sounds like hillbilly rock (Stray cats, The W's).
• ROCK & ROLL: Rock of the '50s and early '60s. Like with "heavy" metal, the "and roll" is usually dropped. for later rock.
• Rhythm & Blues -R&B: small-band swing - rock style.
• SCCM: Stereotyped Contemporary Christian Music (see CCM) SCCM is usually light pop or soft rock. It's the sort of music most people think of when they think, "Contemporary Christian Music". Most AC radio is SCCM. I considered calling it drippy-sweet cotton-candy music or light blue and pink music (like the Barbie aisle at major department stores). Some of it can be quite good. Easy listening.
• Screamer: A vocalist is a screamer when he or she yells, rather than sings lyrics. It's a technique employed for volume only. I can't see how it could be called musical or artistic at all. But, I once didn't appreciate rap, either.
• SKA: Rock with lots of brass -often fast and syncopated. There's a fine line between SKA and punk.
• SOFT ROCK: Diluted rock -everything is softened: percussion, guitars, vocals. It's rock without its edge --more like sponge.
• Soprano: The high vocals -too often ear-piercing. Not many female vocalists can do it painlessly (unless that's the point), and a male vocalist shouldn't be proud of being a soprano, at least if he wants to be considered masculine.
• SOUL: The sound of Gospel music put to rock instruments.
• SOUTHERN ROCK: Redneck rock.
• Squealer: I think long ago, some male vocalist was forcing out some words, when his voice cracked, and an ultra-soprano squeal broke through. Someone heard it, and thought it sounded good. Michael Jackson does it. David Lee Roth does it almost acceptably. Bride does it too much for my taste. It's an 80s thing, I think. Hopefully, the music industry will grow out of it.
• Strained: like vocalist is straining to get the note or volume he or she is after. (singing while being choked?) Some used this strained sound to make it sound as if they're singing with more feeling.
• SURFER: fun in the sun, surf, fast cars, faithful relationships, Americana
• SYNTHESIZER: Electronic distortion -new sounds - psychedelic. A synthesizer is so versatile, hardliners call it cheating to use 'em. Kraftwerk, a '70s group who sounded very synthesized, proudly announced that it used no synthesizers.
• TECHNO: Modern synthetic/computer sounds --sampling, drum loops, '90s and newer stuff. As the term implies --lots of sound technology. Often ultra-fast beat.
• Tenor: A powerful vocal range, normally occupied by men. It's that range just under typically female ranges.
• THRASH/SPEED METAL: Head-banging, loud, yelling, noise, incessantly-hissing cymbals -It's tiring even to listen to. I could hardly imagine playing it.
• Twitter: nervous-sounding vibrato
• Warbler: This vocal technique is thought, I guess, to be artistic. I think it's an excuse not to have to hold a steady tone. You hear it quite a bit when a female vocalist sings the national anthem at a sports event. When I use the term, it's usually not meant positively. Popular gimmick employed by "divas". The technical term is "melisma" when a singer sings a single syllable with multiple notes.
• Witness: A lyrical style where the artist sings of personal experience. It's a this-happened-to-me sort of approach. I like this approach far more than a preachy approach. Preachy lyrics run the risk of getting too cliché.
• Worship: Very similar to the prayer-technique of lyrics. It's speaking to or about God, and not targeting other listeners as to how they should behave, like with the preachy-technique.
• WTU: Words They Use to describe musical artists. "They" can be record clubs, companies, or anyone other than me.
• Yawner: When I call a song or artist a yawner, it means I find their style quite boring. To me, most of the popular CCM is yawner-music. It's what gives CCM a bad name.

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