Music Genres in English
From folk to jazz – talk about the music you love.
Everyone has a favourite kind of music. Learn the names of the main genres and the words that go with them, so you can talk about your taste and discover new music.
Key Words
Ten essential words with their German meaning and an example sentence.
| English | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
| genre | Genre, Musikrichtung | What's your favourite genre? |
| folk music | Folk, Volksmusik | Irish folk music is full of fiddles and stories. |
| jazz | Jazz | Jazz musicians often improvise. |
| blues | Blues | The blues grew out of African American music in the southern US. |
| gospel | Gospel | Gospel choirs sing with huge energy. |
| musical theatre | Musical | She loves musical theatre and knows every song from the show. |
| opera | Oper | We went to the opera last night. |
| choral music | Chormusik | Choral music sounds wonderful in old churches. |
| a cappella | a cappella | They sing a cappella, without instruments. |
| singer-songwriter | Liedermacher(in) | She's a singer-songwriter who writes all her own songs. |
Word Partners
Natural English depends on words that belong together. Learn these as complete phrases.
- musical taste
- to be into (jazz)
- a classic
- live music
- to improvise
- a cover version
- mainstream music
- an acquired taste
"I'm really into jazz at the moment, but opera is an acquired taste for me."
Useful Phrases
Sentence patterns you can use straight away.
Talking about your taste
- I'm really into folk at the moment.
- I listen to all sorts of music.
- I can't stand…
- I grew up listening to…
Recommending music
- Have you heard of…?
- If you like…, you'll love…
- It's a bit like… but slower.
- You should listen to it live.
Talk About It
Answer these questions aloud, write a short paragraph, or discuss them with a partner.
- What kind of music did you grow up with?
- Is there a genre you didn't like before but enjoy now?
- Which genre is best for singing along?
- Is there typical German music that you would recommend to an English speaker?
Test Yourself
Click a question to see the answer.
1. What does "a cappella" mean?
Singing without instruments.
2. What is "Liedermacher" in English?
Singer-songwriter.
3. "Opera is an acquired taste." What does this mean?
You need time to learn to like it.
Explore More
More pages in the Voice & Singing series.
Share your musical taste.
Learn the words, use them in real sentences and enjoy using your voice in English.
Explore. Listen. Share.