<P> According to Frith, characteristics of pop music include an aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a particular sub-culture or ideology, and an emphasis on craftsmanship rather than formal "artistic" qualities . Music scholar Timothy Warner said it typically has an emphasis on recording, production, and technology, rather than live performance; a tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments; and aims to encourage dancing or uses dance - oriented rhythms . </P> <P> The main medium of pop music is the song, often between two and a half and three and a half minutes in length, generally marked by a consistent and noticeable rhythmic element, a mainstream style and a simple traditional structure . Common variants include the verse - chorus form and the thirty - two - bar form, with a focus on melodies and catchy hooks, and a chorus that contrasts melodically, rhythmically and harmonically with the verse . The beat and the melodies tend to be simple, with limited harmonic accompaniment . The lyrics of modern pop songs typically focus on simple themes--often love and romantic relationships--although there are notable exceptions . </P> <P> Harmony and chord progressions in pop music are often "that of classical European tonality, only more simple - minded ." Clichés include the barbershop quartet - style harmony (i.e. ii--V--I) and blues scale - influenced harmony . There was a lessening of the influence of traditional views of the circle of fifths between the mid-1950s and the late 1970s, including less predominance for the dominant function . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section is missing information about the 1980s--2000s . Please expand the section to include this information . Further details may exist on the talk page . (October 2017) </Td> </Tr> </Table>

What links does blues music have to the pop music we listen to today