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A Genre Analysis on Music Learning Systems
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SOPHIA CURY
Produced in Heather Vazquez’s Spring 2021 ENC1102

Introduction

Ever since the Medieval times, music has been a big aspect of people’s daily lives.

Throughout centuries, styles of music and musical techniques has progressed and changed

according to the corresponding era. A way that this progression of information and change has

been captured is through genres. Genres have played and continue to play a major role in the

music community. Genres enable music theory to be passed down for future generations to use.

Therefore, music genres are important sources of information for music teachers as well as

learners. Genres provide valuable knowledge for people to learn from. Each genre is different

and unique, and therefore valuable in its own way. Researcher Amy Devitt states that each genre

is created in “a unique moment in a unique rhetorical situation” (45). Since each genre is

different from the others, it can be a huge asset to a music learner, providing one with unique

information.

Music has played a big role throughout my life. As an eight year piano player, I have used

music genres such as sheet music and youtube videos to learn songs and music theory. Genres

are the basis of knowledge in the music community. Communities, as stated by Ken Hyland,

“can be seen as sites of engagement rather than of commitment, providing a shorthand for the
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practices and discourses routinely used by a particular group” (33). Hyland describes genres as

“oil which keep disciplines running” (34). Therefore, genres play a very important role in

keeping a community together and “producing agreement” (34). Furthermore, they provide a

sense of purpose and serve as a means of communication. Amy Devitt adds on to the importance

of genres by using swale’s definition that “genre grounds its rhetorical communication with

shared communicative purpose, purpose that is recognized and rationalized by community” (46).

Genres are what unite a community and allow them to have a shared purpose and goal.

An important trend throughout the years is that music genres have changed with the rise

of technology. When I first started playing piano, sheet music was the common method of

learning how to play an instrument. With the advancement of smartphones and newer cloud

based technology, the method of learning music through sheet music has become less popular.

There has been a shift to a more technological way of learning, where Youtube is now prevalent.

Researcher Peter R. Webster states how with the rise of technology, students and teachers have to

respond to this change by adapting and “broadening our conceptions of musical

understanding” (Webster). Webster acknowledges how these smartphones and tablets to create

and learn music “are now a common place.” Researchers Marina All and Nick Breeze further

speak on this topic and conclude that with this technological rise, “technology can present a

series of trade offs where assets are offset by deficits, or, in other words, technological gain is

often balanced against possible unforeseen problems in its use” (417).

Just as genres are related in a community, genres are also related to each other. There is a

great amount of research done on the transfer of music information from one genre to another.

Tardy describes recontextualization as “a process through which writers draw on and adapt
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existing genre knowledge each time that perform a genre” (300). This is important when

analyzing how a genre can be created from another genre. An example of this is taking sheet

music and turning it into a youtube video where you can visually see what note is being played

and at what time. Researches Marina Gall and Nick Breeze discuss how “modes can ‘work

together’ and that there can be a process of ‘transduction or transcoding between modes.” They

state how “multimodality consists of different “modes of meaning within multimodal texts,” the

five being audio, linguistic, visual, gestural, and spatial (M. Gall and N. Breeze). Researcher

Meinard Muller describes the three main types of music representations that are popular

nowadays. These types are sheet music, symbolic score data, and audio recordings. He describes

symbolic score data as being “typically used for triggering synthesizers to create music

performances” (Muller). He expounds further the process of music synchronization which entails

the transfer of information from one source to another “thus coordinating the multiple

information sources related to a musical work” (Muller). While the transfer of information from

one genre to another is useful, there is a trade off as a result of the process. Researcher Pao-Ta Yu

analyzed the positive effects of multimodal teaching and how these methods aid learners of

music. Yu states that “according to the cognitive theory of multimodal learning, the synchronized

mechanisms of 155 multimodal presenting approach plays an important role in helping learners

build referential connections.” The idea behind this is so that learners can “infer the music

elements” instead of simply memorizing them (Yu).

Research has also been done on different multimodal platforms that are used for learning

an instrument. These platforms are the Synthesia application and the P.I.A.N.O application. This

research is useful but there is a gap in research of genres such as learning through sheet music or
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youtube videos. Researcher Julia J. studied how the application Synthesia worked when teaching

students how to play an instrument. Julia states how in a report that she looked into on analyzing

different methods for learning how to play an instrument, “synthesia was more useful than the

other three learning methods at allowing scholars to quickly master beginning grade songs.”

Another researcher, Matthias Weing, studies how the P.I.A.N.O system is effective when

teaching students how to play the piano. He states that the system “offers an alternative sheet

representation to each the introduction to piano playing.” This system offers a detailed way to

learn the piano than a synthesia video without having to learn complex sheet music. While

research has been done on analyzing different genres of music, there is rarely any research done

on a learner’s perspective of learning how to play an instrument through these various genres. In

this paper, I will look at two genres used for learning how to play the piano from a learner’s

perspective. This includes theory that a student can learn from different genres and the level of

efficiency that these genres have on a beginner student. I will also analyze how piano music

theory is transferred between genres, such as which aspects of music theory are similar and how

they are presented in different ways.

Methods

Two interviews were conducted for this paper. The first person I interviewed is Julia, a

piano player since she was 7 years old. The second candidate is Alden, another piano player who

has been playing since he was 8 years old. The interviewees were selected based on multiple

factors. The first factor is age. The interviewees that were chosen are close in age and are both

teenagers in college. Julia is 18 years old and Alden is 19 years old. Another reason for my

selection of these two candidates is because of their different preferred methods of learning how
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to play a song on the piano. Julia prefers to use sheet music as a genre for learning how to play a

song while Alden prefers piano synthesia YouTube videos. These two different perspectives were

an important factor to consider when I conducted my research and answered my research

questions. The last factor taken into account for choosing the interviewees is the amount of time

that they have been playing piano for. I chose two candidates that have both been playing for

about 10 years so that their experience levels were similar. They both classify themselves as

expert levels of piano playing.

I created a list of questions for the interviewees to answer and sent it to them via text

message. They got back to me within a day with their responses. Questions that were asked

included difficulties and benefits, time, level of remembrance, skills needed, accessibility of

genre, identification of notes and chords, and identification of key signature and dynamics when

learning how to play a song through their preferred genre. The same questions were asked to

both interviewees so the responses were easy to compare. The method of interview was chosen

because it allowed me to retrieve exact and straightforward answers to my questions.

Interviewing these two candidates allowed me to easily see and compare the differences and

similarities between learning how to play a song on the piano though the two different genres in

question.

Textual analysis of sheet music of “Fur Elise” and a YouTube synthesia video of “Fur

Elise” by Rousseau was conducted. Aspects of music theory were analyzed such as key

signature, time signature, dynamics, chords, the use of the pedal, and notes were analyzed

between the two genres. Data was collected by looking at different sections of the piece and

comparing and contrasting the music theory from each genre and looking and the pros and cons
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of learning this song through each genre. The method of textual analysis was chosen because it

answers my question of how are concepts of music theory transferred between genres and helps

me look into the similarities and differences of learning a song through the different genres of

music. Textual analysis gives me a deeper insight on the answers from the interviews I

conducted.

Results

Results show that the two interviewees answered most of the questions very differently.

When asked “what is your preferred method of how to play a song on the piano,” Alden said he

would rather use Youtube synthesia videos because it helps him visualize what he is supposed to

play. In contrast, Julia answered that her preferred method is sheet music because this is how she

learned how to play growing up. Next, I asked both interviewees what are some difficulties that

they have when learning a song though their preferred genre. Alden said that sometimes with

synthesia there are no exact finger placements so you have to figure it out on your own.

Moreover, he struggles with playing a song on beat and to the correct tempo. Julia claimed that

learning a song by sheet music can take a lot of time and unless you know what the song sounds

like, you really don’t know if you’re playing it right. When asked what are some of the benefits

as a player learning through your preferred method, Alden responded with how it allows him to

memorize the song easier. Julia explained how learning through sheet music “is an important

skill to have as a musician as once you know how to read sheet music for piano, you know how

to play it for any other instrument. By knowing how to read sheet music you could also compose

songs of your own.” The interviewees were also asked what are some of the skills they think they

need to be able to learn a song through their method. Alden suggested that a key skill to have is
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patience because it could take a while to get used to playing a certain song. He further adds how

good listening skills are needed as well. Julia reported how a skill you may need to read sheet

music would be to have good hand eye coordination as you have to play according to what you

see.

Next, I asked the interviewees approximately how long does it take for them to learn a

song. Alden said how it usually takes him about 3-5 days. Julia said how depending on the length

of the song learning one by sheet music can take about a week to learn but mastering a song can

take up to two months. The interviewees were asked if it was easy to go back and play a song

after some time. They were asked to describe the process of relearning a song and what they do

to relearn it. Alden explained how after a while of not playing a song, it becomes difficult for

him to remember how to play it. His process of learning a song consists of listening to the song

and trying to play it at the same time. Julia’s response was a little different from Alden’s. She

noted how “after learning a song, especially after memorizing it, it can be easy to recall after

some time because of muscle memory. After over a year of not playing a song it may not catch

on as quickly and for me, reading sheet music and playing the song again can help remind my

muscles how to play the song.” When asked how easy is it for them to access the genre, Alden

responded with saying how “it is relatively easy. A quick search online can lead to multiple

tutorials.” Julia’s response differed a little from his. In her opinion, sometimes finding sheet

music requires some more work. She said that “it is very easy to find sheet music online but for

difficult high quality pieces you may need to pay for it as a PDF to download it. You could also

buy a book of a couple hundred songs you are interested in off of Amazon. Youtube is definitely

cheaper and more accessible but it is fairly easy to access sheet music.” Lastly, the interviewees
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were asked if they could easily identify notes and chords, the key signature of a song, and

different playing dynamics through their preferred method. Alden asserted how he can identify

notes and chords because after a while of practicing, you start to pick up on different chords and

note combinations. However, he explained how learning through his preferred method doesn’t

teach him how to identify key signatures. On the other hand, he can identify different dynamics

in a piece, because different videos can lead to different dynamics and play styles. He concludes

that the problem with synthesia is that dynamics, notes, chords, and key signatures aren’t

explicitly written on the video, so most of the time the learner has to be able to identify these

things by themselves. Julia reveals how “after playing for several years like I have it is easy for

me to identify notes and chords when learning how to play a song. I think it would be more

difficult for beginners especially when learning it off of Youtube.” She states how is is also easy

for her to identify the key signature through sheet music but it would be difficult as it doesn’t

show it on YouTube as it does written on paper. It is also easy for her to identify dynamics

because keywords are used to tell the player whether to speed up, slow down, or play louder or

quieter.

Figure 1: “Fur Elise” sheet music

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Figure 2: “Fur Elise” piano synthesia Youtube video

After analyzing “Fur Elise” sheet music and Youtube synthesia video, results show that

many aspects of music theory are different between the two. First, youtube synthesia has an

auditory aspect that sheet music doesn’t have. Figure 1 and 2 show the introduction of “Fur

Elise” in sheet music versus piano synthesia, respectively. Certain aspects that are missing from

the youtube video but are present in the sheet music can be pointed out. The first aspect is the

time signature and key signature of the piece. The sheet music explicitly tells the player that this

piece is in time signature 3/8 and the key signature is in the key of C major. The youtube

synthesia video doesn’t explicitly state this, but a player may be able to identify the key signature

by noticing the notes played throughout the piece. Another important aspect that you can easily

identify in the introduction through the sheet music is the pianissimo dynamic level of the first

few notes. The reader of sheet music can easily know right away from the start that the

introduction is played very quietly. A learner through the youtube video may not be able to easily

identify this. Results from the textual analysis also show that the pedal is easy to identify with
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the notations in the sheet music at the very bottom. The use of pedal markings are absent in

youtube videos. Dynamic markings such as diminuendo, crescendo, piano, and mezzoforte are

present in the sheet music and absent in the youtube video.

Discussion

Genres for learning how to play the piano such as Youtube synthesia videos and sheet

music can be compared and contrasted by looking at various aspects that are important when

learning how to play an instrument. The first idea to consider is finger placement. Finger

placement is a key aspect of playing the piano. Youtube synthesia videos generally fail to include

finger placement markings for the song. Although it is visible to see what finger the player uses

to strike a key, it is sometimes difficult to see. In contrast, a lot of sheet music has finger

markings above notes to help a sight reader know what finger is best to play a certain note. The

first interviewee, Alden, agreed with this when asked what are some difficulties he has with

piano synthesia videos. On the other hand, a helpful aspect of Youtube synthesia videos is the

auditory aspect. Julia stated that she struggles sometimes when reading sheet music because she

doesn’t know how some of the songs sound like. Youtube videos give you that aspect of hearing

a song that sheet music can’t provide you with. Although being able to hear a song is an

advantage when learning how to play it, playing it to tempo may be difficult through the youtube

video. This is because sometimes the player in the Youtube video might go too fast for a

beginner. This may mess up the beginner player. Sometimes the key to learning a song is

practicing it slow and building up to the correct tempo. Learning through a Youtube video makes

this process difficult for many. However, through sheet music, the tempo is marked at the top of
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the page. A learner can use a metronome while reading sheet music to practice playing to the

correct tempo.

According to the interviewees, different skills are needed to be able to learn a song by

their preferred method. Alden stated how patience and listening skills are needed when learning

from a youtube video. Julia said how good hand eye coordination is needed to read sheet music. I

believe both patience and hand eye coordination are needed when learning through both

methods. Patience is required when learning how to play any song that may be difficult. Hand

eye coordination is a key skill when learning how to play a song. When using piano synthesia

videos, the learner must look at the video while coordinating with their hands which notes to

play. The same goes for sheet music. The learner must look at the notes on the paper and match it

up with the notes their fingers have to press on the keyboard. The process of relearning a song

also varied between the interviewees. While Alden finds it harder to go back and relearn a song

from a YouTube video, Julia finds it easier because her muscle memory allows her to remember

songs easily. However, reading the sheet music comes naturally to her so the process overall is

easy. I believe that the process of remembering and replaying a song depends on the piano

player, not the genre itself. Some piano players may recall a song faster than others. The ease of

accessing the two genres also differs. Youtube videos are always free so accessing synthesia

videos only requires a quick search. In contrast, sheet music may be more costly and harder to

find on the internet. While some sheet music is free, harder and more elaborate pieces usually are

costly.

Music theory varies between the two genres. Notes, chords, key signatures, dynamics, the

use of the pedal, and time signature are overall easier to identify through sheet music because of
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the explicit ways they are presented. For a beginner learning through piano synthesia videos,

identifying these things notes may be more difficult since it is not explicitly written. An

advantage of learning through youtube videos is that a piano player doesn’t have to know how to

read sheet music. Learning how to read sheet music is a skill that requires years of practice to

learn. Not everyone has the ability or chance to learn how to read sheet music, so youtube videos

offer a good alternative.

An important benefit of learning through sheet music is how the song is open to

interpretation by the player. The player can decide which parts they want to slow down, speed

up, play louder, or play softer. The dynamic markings give suggestions on when this should be

done, but it is ultimately down to the interpretation of the player. Through YouTube videos,

however, the learner is watching another player play the song that is their own interpretation.

Therefore, it is difficult to take the piece and change it depending on how the learner wants to

play it. Furthermore, sheet music is like a blue print for a player. A Youtube video is like a copy

of the original song. Youtube videos therefore might limit a player when learning how to play a

song. Sheet music allows for more variations and interpretations of the original piece.

My research agrees with Gall and Breeze’s research when they state that “technology can

present a series of trade offs where assets are offset by deficits” (M. Gall and N. Breeze).

Conducting textual analysis of the two genres, sheet music and Youtube synthesia videos, has

showed me that there is a trade off between technological assets and music theory. Learning how

to play the piano through newer technology and applications comes with a trade off. Sheet music

contains more information on music theory than a youtube synthesia video does. My research

further agrees with Gall and Breeze’s research when they explain how “modes can ‘work
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together’ and there can be a process of ‘transduction or transcoding between modes’” (M. Gall

and N. Breeze). This idea of modes working together is seen between sheet music and youtube

synthesia videos. Youtube synthesia videos are created by taking sheet music and transcoding it

to create a visual moving image with audio that sheet music does not provide. Yu’s research is

supported by Alden’s perspective of learning how to play the piano through YouTube synthesia.

Yu”s research states that learners remember visual images better than they remember notations.

This can be applied to the two genres I analyzed. Alden finds it easier to learn songs on the piano

from youtube videos because he doesn’t find it easy to read musical notations. The visual aspect

of the youtube videos aid him in his learning process.

Conclusion

Research design limitations include analyzing the time it takes to learn a song through the

different genres. Time of learning a song through each genre is difficult to measure. This is

because every piano player is different and takes different times to learn a song. Both

interviewees agreed that the time to learn a song through their preferred method varies depending

on the song they are learning. Alden said that easier songs take him 3-5 days to learn, and Julia

learns a song in approximately a week to a couple months. However, the length of time to learn a

song depends more on the difficulty of the song and the player instead of the method they are

learning it from. Another limitation was measuring the level of remembrance of the piano player

and how it is connected to learning through their preferred method. This is another concept that

is difficult to measure. The findings from my conducted research address the gaps in previous

research by giving me insight of learning the piano through sheet music versus YouTube videos.

Learning piano through these two genres has never been analyzed and compared to each other.
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Interviewing piano players and conducting textual analysis gave me a new insight on a learner’s

perspective of learning how to play piano through different genres. It allowed me to see how

many aspects differ between the two and how different the two processes are. Overall, sheet

music offers more information in terms of music theory than a synthesia video does. Sheet music

is the better option when learning how to play the piano for a more in depth learning of song.

Sheet music teaches more than just what notes are needed to play a song. It gives you more

insight and knowledge of a song and specifics of how to play it on the piano. The findings from

my research is important information to consider for beginner learners when deciding what

method to choose for learning how to play an instrument. Learning from sheet music provides a

learner with different knowledge than a youtube synthesia video. Being aware of the differences

is useful to beginners to achieve what they want to accomplish when learning an instrument.
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Works Cited

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Genre Studies.” Journal of English for Academic Purposes 19 (2015), pp. 44-51.

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(2015), pp. 32-43.

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