Brainstorm as many suitable words and phrases as you can into each category below.
Genres of music
Positive words to describe music
Negative words to describe music
Ways of making music (instruments, etc)
Ways of listening to music
People related to music (including groups of people)
Places related to music/ Places to listen to music
Other music vocabulary
Use these sub-categories to help with the brainstorm task above, putting them in the right place and then brainstorming examples.
- alternative rock/ indie
- brass
- dance music
- electronics
- group
- jazz
- keyboards
- Latin
- musicians
- people behind the scenes
- percussion
- pop
- religious music
- rock (including metal)
- strings
- using your body
- using your mouth
- woodwind
- world music
Compare your ideas as a class. You get one point for each correct expression which isn’t on other groups’ sheets and/ or isn’t on the vocabulary and phrases sheets above.
Suggested music vocabulary
Genres of music
- …s music (e.g. 70s music)
- ambient/ chillout
- background music/ elevator music/ muzak
- barbershop/ acapella
- bluegrass/ country/ country and western
- blues
- brass band
- chanson
- choral music
- (Western) classical music (chamber music, string quartets, symphonies, concertos)
- comic songs/ novelty songs
- (traditional) court music
- crooners
- dance (EDM, drum and bass/ jungle, garage, house, trance, techno, etc)
- dubstep
- easy listening
- (traditional) folk music/ folk rock
- funk
- grime
- indie/ alternative/ alternative rock (post-rock, Brit pop, grunge, emo, shoegaze, etc)
- (big band/ acid) jazz/ be-bop/ jazz funk/ fusion
- K-pop
- Latin (salsa, reggaeton, samba, bossa nova, etc)
- love songs
- marching band
- Mersey beat
- (death/ thrash/ nu/ speed/ heavy) metal
- military music
- minimalist music
- musicals/ operetta/ opera
- national anthems/ patriotic songs
- New Age music
- new romantic
- new wave/ post-punk
- (bubble gum/ synth) pop (boy bands, girl groups, etc)
- protest music
- psychedelic
- punk
- rap/ hip hop
- reggae/ ska/ dancehall
- religious music (hymns, Christmas carols, gospel, Gregorian chant, etc)
- (classic/ heavy/ progressive/ prog/ pub/ soft) rock/ MOR/ AOR
- rock’n’roll
- singer songwriters
- skiffle
- soul/ R&B
- top forty music/ chart music/ mainstream music
- world music (African, calypso, flamenco, etc)
Positive words to describe music
- angelic
- anthem/ anthemic
- avantgarde
- blissful
- catchy
- a (cult) classic
- danceable
- deep
- eclectic
- evocative
- exotic
- experimental
- funky
- heartfelt
- (instantly) hummable
- iconic
- influential
- innovative
- (acknowledged/ undiscovered) masterpiece
- melodic
- moving
- old school
- original/ unique
- relaxing
- rhythmic
- romantic
- simple
- soothing
- timeless
- toe tapping
- underground
- upbeat
Negative words to describe music
- amateurish
- annoying/ irritating
- bland/ boring/ dull
- caterwauling
- cheesy
- childish lyrics
- difficult second album
- flat
- (instantly) forgettable
- manufactured
- melodramatic
- mid-tempo
- mindless
- monotonous
- notorious
- off key
- out of tune
- over the top
- overpriced
- overrated
- predictable
- pretentious
- a racket
- repetitive
- ridiculous/ silly (lyrics)
- rude/ taboo (lyrics)
- screeching
- self-indulgent
- sentimental/ soppy
- tone deaf
- uninspired
- unoriginal
- violent
- weird
Ways of making music (instruments, etc)
- accordion
- bagpipes
- bass (guitar)
- brass (bugle, trumpet, cornet, French horn, tuba, trombone, etc)
- comb
- electronics (amps/ amplifiers, decks, sampling, scratching, remix, mic/ microphone, loudspeakers/ speakers, etc)
- (12-string/ acoustic/ electric) guitar
- handbell
- harmonica/ mouth organ
- keyboard (synthesizer/ keyboard, piano, grand piano, electric piano, organ, harpsichord, Melodica, etc)
- maracas
- percussion (xylophone, glockenspiel, tambourine, snare drum, bass drum, steel pans, cymbals, high hat, castanets, etc)
- spoons
- strings/ string instruments (viola, violin, bass/ double bass, harp, ukulele, banjo, etc)
- using your body (clapping, clicking your fingers, etc)
- using your mouth (humming, whistling, scat/ scat singing, etc)
- washboard
- wine glass
- woodwind (flute, piccolo, recorder, reed instruments such as clarinet, oboe and bassoon)
Ways of listening to music
- album
- app/ application
- car stereo
- cassette (recorder)/ tape (player)
- CD (player)
- (greatest hits) compilations
- (illegal) downloads
- headphones
- juke box
- juke box musicals
- live (festival, gig/ concert, etc)
- mp3 (player)
- personal stereo/ Walkman
- pop videos/ music television (MTV, etc)
- (internet/ digital) radio/ DAB
- radio cassette player/ ghetto blaster
- record/ vinyl
- reel to reel (tape recorder)
- single/ seven inch/ seven-inch single
- smartphone
- stereo/ hi-fi
- streaming (Spotify, etc)
- TV talent shows (American Idol, The Voice, The X Factor, etc)
- twelve inch (single)
People related to music (including groups of people)
- busker/ street musician (one-man band, etc)
- choreographer
- composer
- conductor
- DJ/ disk jockey
- group (duo, trio, quartet, quintet, choir, etc)
- lyricist
- MC
- music teacher
- musician (percussionist, soloist, violinist, lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, drummer, bassist, pianist, session musician, etc)
- people behind the scenes (concert promoter, manager/ Svengali, A&R man, recording engineer, etc)
- singer/ vocalist (soprano, falsetto, lead singer, backing singer, choirboy, diva, opera singer, etc)
Places related to music/ Places to listen to music
- ballroom
- cabaret (club)
- church/ cathedral
- club/ disco
- concert hall/ opera house
- concert venue/ music venue
- (outdoor/ music) festival
- at the gym
- music shop
- pub
- (second hand) record shop
- stadium
- studio
- the street
- on transport (in the car, on public transport, etc)
- warehouse
Other music vocabulary
- acoustic/ unplugged
- beat/ drumbeat
- chorus
- concept album
- cover (version)
- duet
- earworm
- echo
- (guitar) feedback
- improvisation/ jamming/ jam session
- jingle
- karaoke
- lip-synching
- lyrics
- music documentaries
- overture
- release (date)
- retro
- (guitar) solo
- (movie) soundtracks
- symphony
- tune
- verse
- vocals
Ask about any vocabulary above you don’t understand, trying to make a sentence using it each time. Then ask about the phrases, trying to use them each time.
———————–
PDF for easy saving and printing:
Related pages
