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Adult contemporary music (AC) is a style of music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music〔(Adult Contemporary Music ). ''about.com''. Retrieved August 4, 2008.〕 to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, rhythm and blues, quiet storm, and rock influence.〔(Musical Terms ). ''American Popular Music''. Oxford University Press. Retrieved August 4, 2008.〕 Adult contemporary is rather a continuation of the easy listening and soft rock style that became popular in the 1960s and 1970s with some adjustments that reflect the evolution of pop/rock music.〔R. B. Browne and P. Browne, eds, ''The Guide to United States Popular Culture'' (Popular Press, 2001), ISBN 0-87972-821-3, p. 687.〕 Adult contemporary tends to have lush, soothing and highly polished qualities where emphasis on melody and harmonies is accentuated. It is usually melodic enough to get a listener's attention, and is inoffensive and pleasurable enough to work well as background music. Like most of pop music, its songs tend to be written in a basic format employing a verse–chorus structure. Adult contemporary is heavy on romantic sentimental ballads which mostly use acoustic instruments (though bass guitar is usually used) such as acoustic guitars, pianos, saxophones, and sometimes an orchestral set. The electric guitars are normally faint and high-pitched. However, recent adult contemporary music may usually feature synthesizers (and other electronics, such as drum machines).〔J. M. Curtis, ''Rock eras: interpretations of music and society, 1954-1984'' (Popular Press, 1987), p. 236.〕 AC radio may play mainstream music, but they will exclude hip hop, dance tracks, hard rock, and some forms of teen pop, as they are less popular amongst the target demographic of these radio stations, which is intended for an adult audience. The AC Radio stations will often target the 25–44 age group,〔(Adult Contemporary's Demographic Fault Line Is Now 45 ). AllAccess.com (August 3, 2012). Retrieved on September 29, 2013.〕 the demographic that has received the most attention from advertisers since the 1960s. A common practice in recent years is that many adult contemporary stations play less newer music because they also give ample airtime to hits of the past, so the de-emphasis on new songs slows the progression of the AC chart. Over the years, AC has spawned numerous subgenres: "hot AC", "soft AC" (also known as "lite AC"), "urban AC", "rhythmic AC", and "Christian AC" (i.e., a softer type of contemporary Christian music). Some radio stations play only "hot AC", "soft AC", or only one of the variety of subgenres. Therefore, it is not usually considered a specific genre of music; it is merely an assemblage of selected tracks from musicians of many different genres. ==History== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Adult contemporary music」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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