Instrumental Pop / Easy Covers
This family turns familiar songs into polished, melody-forward instrumentals built from strings, pianos, guitars, saxophones, light rhythm sections, and soft studio ambience, usually at unhurried adult-listening tempos from about 60 to 120 BPM. The emphasis is clarity, warmth, and immediate recognizability rather than virtuoso improvisation, with arrangements designed for radio friendliness, home hi-fi, dinner settings, weddings, and background elegance.
History
Instrumental pop and easy-cover recording grew out of postwar studio-orchestra culture, expanded with LP-era hi-fi listening and FM easy-listening programming, and flourished through labels such as Columbia, RCA Victor, Decca/London, and later budget-cover imprints; its repertoire moved from standards and film themes to Beatles songs, soft rock, and wedding staples, while arrangers, house orchestras, and specialist performers kept the style alive well beyond its chart peak in hotel lounges, string-quartet services, adult-contemporary crossover releases, and streaming-era relaxation playlists.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Joseph Lanza, *Elevator Music*
- Library of Congress, "Elevator Music"
- Smithsonian Libraries, "Popular instrumental music"
- Mood Media, "History of Muzak." citeturn7search21turn7search11turn7search13turn7search28