Characteristics of pop music

• It aims to appeal to a general audience, rather than a particular sub-culture or ideology.
• It has an emphasis on recording, production & technology over live performance.
• It has a tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments.
• Much of pop music is intended to encourage dancing, or uses a dance-orientated beat or rhythm.
• The main medium of pop is the song which is often between 2.5-3.5 minutes long.
• Is is generally marked by a consistent & noticeable rhythmic element.
• It has a mainstream style but traditional structure.
• Common variants include the verse-chorus form & the thirty-two-bar form.
• It features a noticeable rhythmic element, melodies or hooks.
• The lyrics of modern pop songs typically focus on simple themes such as love & romantic relationships.
• It has a focus on the individual song or singles, rather than on albums.
• The typical instruments used in pop music are guitars, drums, piano, keyboard, drum machine, sequencer etc.
• It usually is recorded & listened to on the radio or at home.
• The song lyrics often deal with social & young peoples problems.
• Pop music varies according to fashion.