Sound Atlas声音世界地图

A field guide to musical styles For listeners & music makers

244 styles
5 styles
Music family

Folk

Acoustic guitar and voice: from singer-songwriters to Celtic pubs and sea songs.

Folk/acoustic is the basic form, indie folk adds harmonies and atmosphere, Celtic is Irish and Scottish dance tradition, and sea shanties are group-shouted work songs.

A wooden cabin porch at autumn dusk, an acoustic guitar beside a rocking chair, wheat fields and rolling hills beyond.
A cabin in an autumn forest at dusk, an original singer with acoustic guitar on the porch, a lantern and a dog.
Outside a small tavern on an old city street on a winter night, light snow under streetlights, a young person with a guitar on their back walking over the flagstones.
Green rolling hills by a stone cottage pub on a misty coast, original musicians with fiddle, whistle and bodhrán at the door.

What they share

  • Acoustic guitar or folk instruments
  • Warm and earthy
  • Singalong-friendly

How to choose

Starter prompt

Acoustic folk, 95 BPM, fingerpicked acoustic guitar, warm harmonies, light percussion, gentle fiddle, heartfelt storytelling vocals, earthy and warm

A general starting point for this family; swap in a specific style’s keywords for sharper results.

Side by side

StyleEraBPMMoodGood for
Folk / Acoustic1950s–60s revival70–120Warm & intimateCalm & focusedNostalgicHealingMemories & farewells · Everyday & school
Indie Folk2000s–present70–120Warm & intimateMelancholy & lonelyCalm & focusedHealingMemories & farewells · Night drives & city walks
Chinese FolkFrom the 1970s70–110NostalgicWarm & intimateMelancholy & lonelyHealingMemories & farewells · Everyday & school
Celtic / Irish FolkTraditional–present100–180Bright & sweetWarm & intimateMystic & ritualHealingFantasy adventure · Party & dance floor
Sea Shanty19th century–present90–120Epic & vastGroove & energyNostalgicHype & thrillFantasy adventure · Party & dance floor

All styles