Genre lexicon

Tempo

100 BPM 55–160

Origin

Mississippi Delta, USA 1860

Feel

Shuffle 67% swing

Keys

E major, A major

Subgenres

8 Delta Blues

Born from the spirituals, work songs, and field hollers of enslaved African Americans, the blues is the root of virtually all American popular music. Its 12-bar structure, bent notes, and raw emotional expression are the DNA of rock, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop.

Tempo

120 BPM 70–160

Origin

Southeastern USA 1920

Feel

Straight 55% swing

Keys

G major, C major

Subgenres

8 Traditional/Honky-Tonk

Rooted in Appalachian folk, blues, and gospel, country music is built on storytelling, simple diatonic harmony, and the unmistakable sound of a Fender Telecaster with slapback delay. The genre's rhythmic backbone is the 'boom-chicka' alternating bass pattern, and its harmonic identity lives in the Mixolydian bVII chord and the space between major and pentatonic scales.

Tempo

128 BPM 100–180

Origin

Chicago / Detroit, USA → Berlin, Germany → Global 1977

Feel

Straight 50% swing

Keys

A minor, C major

Subgenres

8 House

Electronic dance music is built on synthesizers, drum machines, and the relentless four-on-the-floor kick. From the warehouses of Chicago and Detroit to festival main stages, EDM is engineered to move bodies — its power comes from tension-and-release dynamics, sidechain compression, and the euphoric payoff of the drop.

Tempo

100 BPM 60–160

Origin

Germany (Cologne, Berlin) → UK → Global 1960

Feel

Straight 50% swing

Keys

A minor, C major

Subgenres

8 Ambient

Electronic music beyond the dancefloor — a vast sonic territory spanning ambient landscapes, glitchy deconstructions, analog synthesizer odysseys, and algorithmic experiments. From Stockhausen's tape manipulations to Aphex Twin's fractal rhythms, this is music that treats the studio itself as the instrument, prioritizing texture, space, and emotional depth over four-on-the-floor beats.

Tempo

108 BPM 85–130

Origin

USA 1965

Feel

Syncopated 51% swing

Keys

E minor, A minor

Subgenres

8 Classic Funk

Funk is the groove — everything serves the rhythm. Born from James Brown's revolution of putting 'The One' first, funk is syncopated bass lines, chicken-scratch guitar, ghost-note drumming, and the irresistible urge to move. It's the DNA of hip-hop, house, and modern pop.

Tempo

110 BPM 55–160

Origin

USA (African American churches) 1930

Feel

Swung 62% swing

Keys

Db major, Ab major

Subgenres

7 Traditional/Choir Gospel

The most harmonically complex popular music genre, born in Black American churches. Gospel is defined by lush extended chords (maj7, dom9, 7#9), chromatic diminished passing chords, the signature IV-to-IVm resolution, and fluid, spirit-led structures that prioritize emotional transcendence over rigid form. The piano and Hammond B3 organ are its harmonic foundation, and the choir is its defining voice.

Tempo

90 BPM 65–115

Origin

New York, USA 1973

Feel

Swung 58% swing

Keys

C minor, G minor

Subgenres

8 Boom-Bap

Born in the Bronx from block parties and breakbeats, hip-hop is built on sampled grooves, heavy bass, and rhythmic vocal delivery. The genre's DNA lives in the tension between a rigid hi-hat grid and a loose, behind-the-beat kick-snare pocket.

Tempo

120 BPM 40–300

Origin

New Orleans, USA 1900

Feel

Swung 67% swing

Keys

Bb major, F major

Subgenres

8 Bebop

Jazz is the art of spontaneous composition — musicians 'speaking' to each other in real time through harmony, rhythm, and melody. Built on blues tonality, swing rhythm, and improvisation over chord changes, jazz is the foundation of modern Western harmony and the birthplace of concepts like extended chords, modal playing, and rhythmic freedom.

Tempo

100 BPM 70–180

Origin

Caribbean, Latin America 1930

Feel

Syncopated 50% swing

Keys

C major, G major

Subgenres

8 Salsa

A rhythmic universe built on the clave — a two-bar asymmetric pattern that organizes all musical elements. From Afro-Cuban son to Brazilian bossa nova, Latin music is defined by layered polyrhythmic percussion, syncopated bass tumbaos, and harmonic vocabularies ranging from simple two-chord montunos to sophisticated jazz-influenced voicings.

Tempo

120 BPM 60–140

Origin

USA/UK 1950

Feel

Straight 50% swing

Keys

C major, G major

Subgenres

8 Dance-Pop

Pop is the art of the perfect song — catchy melodies, universal lyrics, and polished production designed to reach the widest possible audience. From the Beatles to Billie Eilish, pop absorbs and redefines every genre it touches.

Tempo

175 BPM 140–220

Origin

New York City / London, UK 1974

Feel

Straight 50% swing

Keys

E major, A major

Subgenres

8 Hardcore Punk

Three chords, the truth, and a middle finger to the music industry. Punk stripped rock to its raw bones — fast tempos, power chords, two-minute songs, and a DIY ethos that said anyone can (and should) start a band. From the Ramones' bubblegum fury to Black Flag's sonic assault, punk is anti-virtuosity, anti-establishment, and permanently urgent.

Tempo

90 BPM 60–130

Origin

USA 1940

Feel

Swung 58% swing

Keys

Eb major, Ab major

Subgenres

7 Motown / Classic Soul

Rooted in African-American gospel, jazz, and blues, R&B is defined by expressive vocals, rich extended harmony, and deep groove. From Motown to neo-soul, it remains the emotional backbone of popular music.

Tempo

80 BPM 60–110

Origin

Jamaica 1968

Feel

Straight 50% swing

Keys

G major, C major

Subgenres

8 Roots Reggae

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, reggae is defined by its offbeat guitar skank, deep melodic bass, one-drop drum pattern, and spiritual consciousness. From Bob Marley to dub soundscapes, it carries the rhythmic heartbeat of the Caribbean to the world.

Tempo

120 BPM 70–200

Origin

USA/UK 1950

Feel

Straight 50% swing

Keys

E major, E minor

Subgenres

8 Classic Rock

Built on electric guitars, driving drums, and raw energy, rock is rebellion made music. From Chuck Berry's riffs to Nirvana's noise, rock channels emotion through volume, distortion, and the power chord.