English is a language that does not stop surprising you. It has some good number of adjective words like sweet, melodic, jazzy, funky etc. which you can use to describe music.
All the music lovers won’t be having any difficulty while explaining various music notes, instruments or types of music.
Adjective Words to Describe Music
Following is a concise list of words you can use to describe types of music and sounds made by musical instruments.
1. Soft: a soft sound is quiet and pleasant to listen to
Example: The room was lit with candles, placed at intervals throughout the room and there was soft music playing in the background.
2. Musical: pleasant to listen to because of sounding like music
Example: Musical instruments were lined up along the way leading to the newly built auditorium.
3. Sweet: pleasant in smell, sound, or appearance
Example: Here as the cymbals and drums make sweet music, hundreds of families gather to pray.
4. Melodic: beautiful to listen to
Example: A lack of warm cantabile tone, tone subtleties, and tonal gradation impoverished the rich melodic lines of the mentioned works.
5. Tuneful: producing a pleasant sound
Example: In this case, the Strokes return the favor by turning in some tuneful, varied and above all catchy songs.
6. Mellow: with a soft, smooth, and pleasant sound
Example: He seems considerably more mellow to me today than he did then and still a man of impeccable integrity.
7. Rich: a rich color, sound, or smell is strong in a pleasant way
Example: Acoustic drums, n’goni, and balafon, as well as the man’s own rich voice, lock in so smoothly with the tasteful studio smithery of Yves Wernert that the contrast vanishes.
8. Lilting: forming a pleasant rising and falling pattern of sounds
Example: Still, the performances were admirable for their lilting rhythmic endurance and sensitivity.
9. Melodious: beautiful to listen to
Example: His melodious and lyrical voice cradled the cries of infants and raged passionately against the dying of the light.
10. Mellifluous: pleasant to listen to
Example: We are divided at times by language, which is a shame because there is nothing so mellifluous as broad Glaswegian with an Asian accent.
11. Acoustic: music an acoustic musical instrument does not use electronic equipment to make its sound louder
Example: To achieve this coordination, songbirds must open and close their beaks in register with the acoustic frequency of the sound being produced.
12. Atonal: atonal music is not written or played in any one key (=a set of notes)
Example: The serial and atonal composers vehemently brought this issue forward in mid-century.
13. Bass: a bass voice or instrument
Example: A modern set has a bag, a chanter, a blowpipe, two tenor drones, and one bass drone.
14. Discordant: music discordant music sounds strange because it contains discords
Example: Now, however, the vast lobby is eerily silent save a single discordant chord struck repeatedly by a piano tuner.
15. Funky: music funky music has a strong simple beat that is good for dancing
Example: There were peace signs everywhere, a dream catcher on top of her bed and there was all this funky music.
16. Harmonic: relating to the way that musical notes are combined to create chords
Example: When he wasn’t soloing there were too many vamping and unimaginative and predictable harmonic progressions.
17. Jazzy: informal jazzy music has a strong lively beat, like jazz
Example: It’s a little too jazzy for my tastes at first, but the last hour is great sweaty junglist action.
18. Melodic: music relating to the melody (=main tune) of a piece of music
Example: A lack of warm cantabile tone, tone subtleties, and tonal gradation impoverished the rich melodic lines of the mentioned works.
19. Modal: music relating to a musical mode
Example: Moreover, the inability to assert theorems containing free variables makes it impossible to prove any de re modal validities.
20. Orchestral: connected with, written for, or played by an orchestra
Example: With its orchestral arrangements, dragging tempos and saccharine delivery, it seems less like pop music than easy listening.
21. Philharmonic: a philharmonic orchestra performs classical music
Example: He was recently invited to perform with the youth philharmonic orchestra, but declined in order to continue touring with the family.
22. Pizzicato: if you play the violin or another stringed instrument pizzicato, you play it by pulling the strings with your fingers instead of using the bow
Example: I seem to remember that although I couldn’t play a note on the violin with the bow, I wasn’t too bad at pizzicato.
23. Electric
The word electric can be used to describe the genre of music that is based on upbeat and thrilling melodies and tempo.
E.g. “No one can stay in one place when this song comes on. It’s so electric!”
24. Classic
Call a rap or country song a classic because it is regarded as having great quality and setting the tone for other songs that follow.
E.g. “I love his classic style of rap. It brings me back to the days of Biggie and Tupac.”
25. Funky
Funky is a good word to describe music styles that have strong dance rhythms, such as pop, dancehall, or reggae.
E.g. “I enjoy funky styles of music, like the type of music made by Jimmy Bob, Jane Doe, and Ryan Lowe. ”
26. Hardcore
Hardcore music styles generally refer to rock, heavy metal, and/or rap that are more intense than other styles of music.
E.g. “I respect how hardcore his rap has gotten. It makes me feel like I’m there with him in the streets.”
27. Nostalgic
Nostalgic genres are like r&b, jazz, and country music because these genres are known for telling stories through their lyrics.
E.g. “I’m a huge fan of Frankie. His nostalgic style of music is a real tear-jerker.”
28. Relaxing
Relaxing is a good word to describe music styles such as reggae, jazz and the blues because they are usually easy going and mellow.
E.g. “Listening to this relaxing music makes me feel like I’m somewhere tropical, and I’m drinking fruity drinks from a coconut.”
29. Rhythmic
Rhythmic music can refer to any genre with upbeat melodies and rhythms that move you.
E.g. “It was refreshing to hear someone perform something rhythmic. This talent show was becoming a snooze fest with all those somber ballads.”
30. Sensual
Sensual music styles are those that allude you to think about intimacy and physical interactions, such as r&b, jazz, and alternative rock.
E.g. “I can’t go one weekend without visiting that place downtown because they play sensual jazz music all through the night, and I love that.”
31. Complex
The word complex means that something is not simple, easy, or straightforward. Instead, it is intricate and likely made of multiple parts.
E.g. “I overheard that song in a restaurant and tried to play it at home, but I didn’t realize how complex the melodies were!
32. Harmonic
Harmonic is a word used to describe anything that goes well together
E.g. “My favorite thing to do is to visit the cafe and hear Jeffery play his new music with his band. They are going somewhere; their music is clean and harmonic.
33. Rich
As it relates to music, a rich melody is one that captivates listeners because of its high-quality sound and complex composition.
E.g. “Whenever I walk into my tutor’s house, the halls are filled with rich melodies that he has manufactured with his piano and skilled fingertips.”
34. Tuneful
Tuneful is a word that is used to describe music which has been well put together and is agreeable to hear.
E.g. “I bought my tickets after reading the reviews about how tuneful the melodies are in this musical.”
35. Upbeat
Something upbeat is optimistic in nature and cheerful. It brings good energy and good vibes.
E.g. “His audience prefers when his songs have an upbeat tempo and a lively feel to it.”
Get used to using these words in your writing to describe beautiful music. These words will act as a great resource to pen-down your creative writing skills.
Keep exploring more EnglishBix blogs to improve your vocabulary.
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