Music Taxonomy
Classification of music genres and meta-genres in four hierarchical levels
Music Taxonomy
What is EML Music Taxonomy?
EML Music Taxonomy is a classification of standard and new popular music genres collected in four levels usually described as "umbrella" or "super-genres".
What is a Music Taxonomy
A music taxonomy refers to a systematic classification or categorization of music based on various criteria. It is a way to organize and understand the diverse range of musical genres, styles, and subgenres that exist. Taxonomies help musicologists, researchers, and music enthusiasts to analyse, compare, and discuss different types of music more effectively.For example, a taxonomy could start with broad categories like "Classical Music," "Popular Music," and "Folk Music," and then further divide each category into subgenres such as "Baroque," "Jazz," or "Country."
These subgenres can then be further divided into more specific styles or variations. EMC, Euphonic Music Classification has four levels that emphasize the sound features, the geographical context, the languages used, the cultural roots, the periods, the inspirational paths (from generation to generation) etc
You can choose from what level start from:
Level 1 Frames to have few terms and a wide selection of genres,
Level 2 Broad Genres if you want to read around thirty standard definitions of genres (e.g. Hip Hop, Rock,Metal, Folk etc..) ,
Level 4 Clusters if you know what to choose between over 100 styles or variations;
Level 4 Genres if you really know what you are looking for in over 1000 genres published as sample of the test version.
What is EMC Music Classification?
The term EMC might be related to different meaning within the EML pages. It can be:
one of the Sections of EML consisting in five pages plus four EMC Features pages;
one of the three Main Sections of EML that creates contents and functionalities for all the other ones;
an abstract list of standard terms used in music taxonomy to define the "music genres" as basic unit and some not-standard ones; these genres creates the fourth and last (or the first if you prefer) levels of EMC called Genres or Main Genres;
a way to juxtapose and make a taxomic system such lists, through different paths of genres, styles, historical periods, music markets, movements and cultural scenes etc.;such paths are the Level 3 of EMC called Clusters ;
groups of these paths creating other wider sets of genres called "Broad Genres", in which you can see the boundaries of a wide list of sound and contents rules defining group of similar genres; these umbrellas usually are called simly genres, and are the more commons name that you see in any databases or streaming platform as Rock, Punk; EDM, Hip Hop, and some more specific as Western Pop or Underground Dance;
a set of ten wide cultural movements that all together define the entire universe of popular music; maybe these are not enought, but currently these ten sets are called Frames because is in EML is far more important "how" and "what" Broad Genres they encircle than how they are defined in popular music. Such sets creates the EMC Level 1.
What are the diffences between EMC Music Classification and EML Music Taxonomy?
EMC Music Classification
Fundamentally EMC Music Classification includes the EML Taxonomy as its main content.
EMC includes also the links toward all the related content of every levels in the same page.
IN EMC you can navigate with a sidebar up and down in the levels and from a system to another WITH D-Pad
In EMC you have all the internal links to "level-related content" in the page.
EMC (as ELL and EMC Media) are limited to the Levels.
All the entries are managed by EML Taxonomy.
Music Taxonomy
EML Music Taxonomy and the other systems are: the main content of EMC;
In EML Music Taxonomy (so as the other system) :
is always visualized only one list with tabs at the top of the page that you can use to pass from a list to another, not only within the systems but also to overviews;
you can pass from a level to another, from the a taxonomy system to another with graphic elements as D-Pad or button;
you can use the External Media functionalities to search the entries in third party media services (in Test Version this option is limited to collaborator only):
you can see all the entries and not only the Levels as in EMC.
Levels of Music Taxonomy
L1 Music Frames
Code:EC-1FR
Level 1- Frames: the ten wider sets in EMC showing the pivotal cultural movements in popular music.
These EMC Entries include genres and metagenres with also very different styles and sound rules, but all of them are originated by the same ethnic, geographic or cultural roots. African American Music, Electronic Music or Pop Music in EML are Frames.
L2 Broad Genres
Code: EC-2BG
Level 2- Broad Genres : thirty one standard groups of genres representing the boundaries of each genre sound rules.
Even if they might be called metagenres, are used generically as basic classes in most of standard streaming services.
Rock, Hip Hop, Western Pop, International Pop, Country or Folk in EML are called Broad Genre.
L3 Music Clusters
Code: EC-3CL
Level 3- Music Clusters : these almost two hundred groups of genres are intermediate steps between two standard EMC Levels (L2 and L4). They represent artists and repertoires following different kind of musical paths within the same Broad Genre.
Radio Format as Classic Rock, Alternative Rock, Traditional pop are Clusters. Geographic-based movements as French Rock or Japanese Traditional Music, age-based styles or variation of the same genres as Classic Pop, Contemporary Folk, or specific cultural movements as Gangsta Rap , Jungle or House Music are also Clusters.
L4 Main Genres
EC-4GE
Level 4- Genres: In EML "Genre" is a term used with the same meaning as conventional taxonomy: "sound units and style characteristics".
Genres in EML are also called "Main Genres" to identify the main definition of an artist or work and to emphasize that they do not represent all genres in popular music, but about a thousand considered the most influential and recognizable forms of musical movements better defined in a specific period, in a geographical context, or as a sound contamination as Blues Rock, Teen Pop, Progressive Rock, Contemporary Soul etc.
While the Broad Genre is the extreme limit of the rules of gender, beyond which it is defined artists and repertoire with totally different sound and strategies (for example from Rock to Punk) remaining in the same wide "family" of the cultural or historical movement (e.g in the same Rock Frame) the Genres are the boundaries of a well-defined aesthetic sound rules and lyrics themes within a set, Cluster, that identifies the historical, inspirational, geographical , path or artists with same language or origins.
Although it is sometimes impossible to define it precisely the parameters and methods that creates the boundaries of a Main Genres in the EMC Features you will find some definitions.
How has been created EML Music Taxonomy?
Classification of music genres and meta-genres created on the basis of his system has been adapted selecting only music industry-related terms.
Even if there isn't a universally accepted standard music taxonomy, as music categorization can vary depending on different perspectives, cultural contexts, and research purposes, there are a few commonly used taxonomies or genre classification systems that have gained widespread recognition and are often referenced in music-related discussions.
However, there are several widely recognized and commonly used taxonomies in the field of music.
To build up the first version of EMC the Author has used as basis of sources the classification listed in this EML Wiki article, the Wikipedia open source database, essay , print encyclopedia, articles, documentary, academic papers, interviews of artists and musicologists, articles of magazines, webzines, newspapers etc..
Official collaboration with third parties or external volunteers will improve this version as soon as possible.
What are the contents of EML Music Taxonomy?
This system are semantically build up on non exhaustive classifications of two basic units: the L4 Music Genres (or Main Genres) , and the L3 groups of Genres called Music Clusters, identifying paths of style, language, inspiration, periods, technical equipments used, regional scenes etc.. The elements included in the two basic levels L3 and L4 are usually called genre. For example Alternative Rock or Western Folk Music.
In EML a Music Cluster and a Music Frame should be considered containers of genres and styles, more than genres itself.
The terms used to represent Genres and Broad Genres are in almost all the cases standard and so are their features.
The methods to name a container are less strict than in a standard sets.
Te same method should be applied to the higher levels: L2 Broad Genres, and the widest sets: L1 Music Frames.
Also between these two groups stand the same relationship that stand between the L4 and L3, where, the first one, L2 Broad Genre are widely well-knew terms used often as genres (as Hip Hop, Rock, Rythm and Blues, Country). The first level, Music Frames are also widely accepted terms (except for Rock Frames) as Pop Music, African American Music, Folk and Country, R'nB and Soul , Dance Music etc..But they are absolutely intended as wide cultural movements, that span far over their music-related definitions. L2 and L3 has the same children-parent relationship of the other levels, and can be considered the most practical steps to get to the list of genres. For example, who have a quite knowledge of music, can use the list of broad genres as starting point, select and save one fro the next search (see how save a Default Broad Genre in this article) and select the quite few Clusters that we list for each Broad Genre (in average 3-6 except for International Pop).
Example of path. System > Levels > Entry
For example L2 Rock has only four well defined Clusters: Classic Rock, Alternative Rock, Space Rock (not the genre) and International Rock.
if you are evaluating EML for collaborations or to release authorizations, this particular URL path is suggested because is the only one filled with enough related content to represent a valid sample.
EMC is by far the more relevant classification in EML because on its entries and levels are build up lists and series of lists of Artistic Overviews (the core of our level-based content ) and in the final version of EML it will generate other non artistic results combining the industry and the media taxonomy and their related data.
How has the system been made up?
EMC is a music classification of popular music genres based on human listening and developed in four hierarchical levels: Frames, Broad Genres, Clusters and Genres. Currently our Genrs list include almost 1000 Genres and our target is not to collect as much terms as possible, but to add what is strictly necessary to the definitions of the Main Genres (see chapter ___),including only music movement that can be furtherly subdivided in subgenres.
Why even relevant Subgenres are not part of the levels?
We do not use the subgenres as level, but we indicate in the features a list of movements that match this definitions.
In the Genres Overviews you can find listed the major subgenres or music scenes related to the current one.
Is EMC a fixed system or is an editable one?
In some sense both the options are true.
EMC is not carved in the rock. It's a starting point to create a system of rapid recognition of music genres usable for anyone, even for those who do not have extensive knowledge in the world of music.
In this Test Version it has not even been verified and corrected by any of the collaborator and it's just a draft created to proceed in a direction.
Anyway, particularly for the higher levels, no major updates or changes are planned
Future updates and fixes will be highlighted properly by creating lists ordered according to the latest updates as in a blog.
What are the Author's sources used to create EMC?
The major sources are print and digital media, musicians, experts and our users tips.
All the media that are listed in EMC Media have been used by the Author as sources. Each in the way that more is related to the kind of source and with significant differences in terms of how and how much deep they have been used.
EMC has been developed on one or more standard taxonomic systems
The structure is slightly different in the content from the standard definitions. Some genres and metagenres has been made up and included in the lists to better fit for the purpose of EML.
Some redirect users to the most useful web resources.
Some are strictly standar terms.
The structure has been elaborate according to the information collected in all the sources that are listed in EMC Media. Some of them have been used as path to follow for their extremely accurate indication of the sound relationship between genres (as Music Maps or .........). But this kind of sources, that we are glad to list in our selected media, are too elaborate for our approach, and the Author has crated the levels basing his choices on the listening and on the historical and musical facts.
Plus, the structure and the cross relation between genres and between genres and their related metagenres in EML follow more practical and logical rules, according to the general idea of providing terms that may be able to groups genres , artists and repertoires by:
sound features ;
geographical origins;
ages;
music scenes;
a way that fit as much as possible the web search.
The latter rules does indicate that the Author created new genres for adapting its music taxonomy to the web search, but that some new terms identifying clearly in particular the crossover genres with mixed atributes (e.g the Genre Alternative Hard Rock) had been necesary to fill some holes in the standard definitions.
Is not a strict music classification a old-fashioned idea, disconnected by the current trends of crossover genres and styles?
Yes and no.
YES: the current artists hardly stand the stricty definitions of a traditional music taxonomy.
Who try to incapsulate an artists' expression in just one movement is seen as a killer of the music progress.
NO: In EML the aim of compriming iconic artists showing multistranded talent and playing unidentified sound objects is not a forcing of the system, but a way to enhance the best of the colorful musical identity of a multicentric artist and to make it reach the audience that is more connected to such sensibility, or describe the artists with that part of its repertoire that objectively has contributed most and clearly to its success.
NO: indicate to the users "what is the best definition of an artists' genres or works, as nearest as possible to their pivotal sound features" sometimes has been and will be one of the Author's greatest challenges and in in the future it will be for the collaborators too. The results is infact called "Main Genres" particuarly inthe Artists Overviews.
YES : sometimes any definition that has been attempted to attribute to an artist is adequate as a skypass tucked into the turnstile of a subway. For example it has been the case of Wolf Alice.
I have been listening their repertoire for a month, everyday, with session of hours. I have compared the high quality and the sound features of their tracks with band identified as stoner rock, dream pop, shoegaze, psychedelic folk, psychedelic rock, neopsichedelia, spoken word, crossover rock, electronic rock, adult alternative space rock, alternative punk rock, noise rock, noise pop, math rock, punk rock, post punk, new wave, no wave (for some shut and syncopate drill), art pop, indy pop, space rock genre, occult rock (for some sound passage, not for the lirics), grunge, folk pop, sludge metal, folk rock, UK folk, and some other subgenres. Well, I ended up by using the so-called "Bowie Method": i listen Wolf Alice in Art Rock.
YES: but if you think that Level 4 curbs the artists' ambitions and circulars too much about his identity, you can avoid that level and search for the highest.
The importance of this layered system is exactly to highlight the artists' common origins and how difficult it is today to adapt an "algebraic system of definitions" to a complicated and human "system of expressions"
Why create new terms? Cannot they lead to confusion rather than identify the artists' sound features?
YES and NO.
NO : in certain cases, the creation of new terms has been necessary to fill holes in the standard definitions.
The case of the Muses is the most peculiar , not of lack of identification of the artist, but total lack of a sub-attribute related to all the artists of the "Alternative Rock"movement. The Muse produced clearly and enthusiastically from the beginning of their career and with enormous success and excellent results, sounds, contents and texts inspired by a Space Rock era , by Progressive Rock , infused by a light psychedelia, but, without any contradiction they are an integral part of the alternative rock.
NO : In this case the definition "Alternative Space Rock" was forced, and is exactly the opposite case to the Wolf Alice or David Bowie's cases, where too many and existing styles rise up from the same unidentifiable artist.
NO : especially for some geographic Clusters, the Author had to integrate absolutely understandable and used terms, like Thailand Rock or Mauritania Pop in order to define the upper levels.
YES: but how you can read in the chapter Level Features, the Author had some basic rule to follow during its works: not follow strictly the rules, but adhere strictly to the EMC method to offer continuity in the search modes and let them understand, step by step, how to get to the right desidered point.
What are the rules underlying the identification of an artist in a genre
In EMC most of the gender definitions attributed to artists are in most cases the same as those found in standard definitions.
The problem was more to identify what they were and where it was possible to find a standard definition and accepted by anyone, from musicologists to artists themselves to music professionals.
From what has emerged in the searches this list does not exist. Or at least there are several of great professional depth and others immensely tested by online evaluation. Both types of classifications are extremely qualified because they derive either from the great experience of a pool of professionals, or from a huge number of evaluations in the form of visits to a site and any changes made.
These two opposing concepts refer: the first to the lists of musicologists, academies and traditional music media , while the second to sites like Wikipedia.
The Author, also to simplify the first part of the work used :
as a starting point the definition expressed by Wikipedia or other music media of international dimension;
In the most obvious and clear cases, the Frame and the Broad Genres were identified without further verification other than the listening of the most important songs for the duty to do so. Qeusto for cases like The Beatles in the Pop Rock category, (although their influences are endless), Led Zeppelin in Hard Rock or Tupac Shakur in Hip Hop,
in the most controversial cases, as a first test tool, we consulted other online digital media specialized, academic publications, encyclopedias written, articles by critics or musicologists etc.
simultaneously we proceeded with the listening and comparison of the same with similar artists and clearly identified as in the previous point;
from the sum of these important first verifications has been proceeded to the classification in Clusters and subsequently in the most obvious Genres as possible.
When no existing genres matched the artists, and when a series of artists had the same kind of sound features and lyrics themes , hte Author proceeded with creating a new Genres, that could match two Cluters or two Genres.
When and why did the Author decide to create new definitions of genres and to abolish other ones?
Some Genre has been abolished with the only purpose of simplify and reduce their number and having as main evaluation parameters:
The Genres that has not been listed with their original terms and collected in a new definitions are that ones having :
similarity in style, descriptive features of sounds (estethical features)
similiarity in prescriptive rule of music language (poietical features)
too much differences between each other to me comprised in a L4 Genres. In this cases they have been classified as Clusters
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