How to Use Blues Vocabulary in Your Music

Learn about the blues scale, chord progression, and how to use blues vocabulary in your own music.

The Basics of the Blues

The blues is a genre of music that covers a wide range of emotions, from happiness and love to sadness and despair. The blues has its own unique vocabulary that can be used to express these emotions in your music. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the basic blues vocabulary and how you can use it in your own music.

What is the blues?

The blues is a type of music that evolved fromungospel and spirituals music sung by African Americans in the late 1800s. The style is characterized by lyrics that relate the singer’s personal feelings of sadness, despair, or frustration. The music usually has a 12-bar chord progression and is accompanied by instruments such as the guitar, piano, harmonica, or saxophone.

The first recorded use of the word “blues” was in 1908, when W.C. Handy published his song “The Memphis Blues.” The popularity of the blues grew in the 1910s and 1920s with the rise of performers such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Louis Armstrong. In the 1930s and 1940s, the blues became more electrified with the advent of artists such as Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. The genre began to cross over into popular music in the 1950s with artists such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard.

The blues has had a significant impact on many other genres of music, including rock and roll, jazz, rhythm and blues, and country. Many modern musicians have been influenced by the blues, including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Where did the blues come from?

The blues is a style of music that originated in the African-American communities of the southern United States around the end of the 19th century. The first appearance of the blues is often dated back to 1901, when W.C. Handy published his famous “The Memphis Blues” song. However, the genre really began to gain popularity in the 1920s, when it became known as jazz.

The blues has a deep history and has had a profound influence on many other genres of music, including rock and roll, country, and hip hop. The blues is characterized by its unique chord progressions, basic 12-bar structure, and call-and-response vocal patterns. It is also known for its use of blue notes, which are notes that are played or sung at a slightly lower pitch than usual.

What are the characteristics of the blues?

The blues is a type of music that originated in the United States in the early 1900s. It is characterized by a simple but catchy melody, often accompanied by instruments such as guitars, pianos, and saxophones. The lyrics usually reflect the emotions of the singer, often telling stories about personal struggles and heartache.

The blues has been influential in many other genres of music, including rock and roll, jazz, and country. Many popular musicians have credited the blues as an important influence on their own work.

Using Blues Vocabulary in Your Music

The blues is a music genre that has its origins in African-American culture. The genre is characterized by its use of blue notes, which are notes that are played at a slightly lower pitch than usual. The blues vocabulary can be used in your music to give it a more authentic feel.

What are some common blues chord progressions?

The blues chord progressions are what gives the music its distinctive sound. The following are some common progressions that you will find in blues songs.

-I-IV-V: The most common progression in blues music, it consists of the tonic (I), subdominant (IV), and dominant (V) chords.

-I-VII-III-VI: This progression is also common, and adding the VII chord gives it a more dissonant feel.

-II-V-I: This is a classic jazz progression that is often used in blues as well. It consists of the supertonic (II), dominant (V), and tonic (I) chords.

How can you use blues licks in your solos?

One way to make your solos sound more like the blues is to incorporate some of the same vocabulary that blues players have used for decades. This doesn’t mean that you need to copy someone else’s solo, but learning some of the common licks and phrases that have been used in blues can give your playing more of a “bluesy” feel.

Here are some ideas for incorporating blues licks into your playing:

-Use the minor pentatonic scale: The minor pentatonic scale is one of the most commonly used scales in blues. If you’re not familiar with this scale, it’s simply a minor scale with the 2nd and 6th degrees (i.e., the 2nd and 6th notes) left out. For example, in the key of A, the minor pentatonic scale would be A-C-D-E-G.

– Use the blues scale: The blues scale is similar to the minor pentatonic scale, but it also includes the flattened 5th degree (i.e., the 5th note played one half step lower). In the key of A, this would give you a blues scale of A-C-D-Eb-E-G.

– Use bends: Bends are a great way to add expression to your playing and they are often used in blues solos. To bend a note, simply push or pull on your guitar string so that the pitch goes up or down. For example, if you were bending up to the note C from B, you would start on B and then push up on the string until it reached C. Bends can be small (a half step) or large (a whole step or more).

– Use vibrato: Vibrato is another great way to add expression to your playing. To do vibrato, simply quickly move your finger back and forth on the string while depressing it with enough pressure to create a “wobbling” sound. Vibrato can be done on any note, but it is often used on long notes or bends for added effect.

What are some common blues turnaround progressions?

The blues turnaround is a musical phrase that typically lasts between two and four measures and functions as a ending to a particular section of the blues. A lot of the time, turnarounds will contain what’s called a “pivot chord”—a chord that helps lead from the end of the turnaround back to the beginning of the next section.

One of the most common turnaround progressions is known as a “quick four” which contains four chords that resolve to the tonic (the first chord of a progression). A quick four turnaround might look like this:
I7 – IV7 – I7 – V7 – I
Another common type of turnaround progression is called a “slow four” which contains two measures of two chords each. A slow four might look like this:
I7 – VII7b9 – I7 – VI7

And finally, one last common type of turnaround progression is called an “eight bar blues” which contains eight chords that resolve back to the tonic. An eight bar blues might look like this:
I7 – IV7 – I7b5 – V7 – IV7 – I7b5 – V7/V – I

Advanced Topics

Music is a universal language. To truly make your mark as a musician, it’s important to understand the building blocks of music and how to use them to create your own sound. In this section, we’ll be discussing some advanced topics in music theory, specifically how to use blues vocabulary in your music.

What are some other ways to use the blues in your music?

In addition to the basic 12-bar blues form, there are a number of other ways that you can use the blues in your music. Here are just a few examples:

8-Bar Blues: The 8-bar blues is a variation of the 12-bar form that is popular in jazz and rockabilly music. It consists of eight bars of music, typically divided into two4-bar phrases.

16-Bar Blues: The 16-bar blues is another variation of the 12-bar form. It consists of 16 bars of music, typically divided into four 4-bar phrases.

24-Bar Blues: The 24-bar blues is a longer form of the blues that is often used in jazz and gospel music. It consists of 24 bars of music, typically divided into six 4-bar phrases.

Blues Ballad: A blues ballad is a slow, soulful style of blues that often tells a story or expresses emotions such as love, sadness, or yearning. Blues ballads are usually 8 or 16 bars in length.

What are some advanced blues chord progressions?

One of the defining characteristics of blues music is its use of the blues scale. This scale is made up of the following notes: root, flat third, fourth, flat fifth, fifth, and flat seventh. The flat third, flat fifth, and flat seventh are also known as blue notes. These notes give blues its distinctive sound.

In addition to the blues scale, another important element of blues music is the 12-bar chord progression. This progression is made up of three chords: the tonic (I), subdominant (IV), and dominant (V). The tonic chord is typically played for four bars, followed by the subdominant chord for two bars, and then the dominant chord for one bar. This progression is then repeated for the duration of the song.

There are many variations on this basic 12-bar progression, but all must include at least those three chords. Some common variations include adding additional chords in between the tonic and subdominant or between the subdominant and dominant. Others involve changing the order of the chords or extending certain chords for longer periods of time. Experimentation is key to creating your own unique sound.

How can you use blues scales in your solos?

The blues scale is one of the most important scales in all of music. It’s the basis for Blues, Rock, Jazz, and even some forms of metal. If you want to play any of those genres of music, you need to be familiar with the blues scale.

The blues scale is made up of six notes. The root (or starting note), flat third, fourth, flat fifth, fifth, and flat seventh. That might look like this in C: C-Eb-F-Gb-G-Bb.

You can use the blues scale to solo over any blues progression, or any progression that contains chords built off of the root, fourth, and fifth notes of the scale. So in the key of C, that would be any progression that uses C, F, and G chords.

There are endless ways to use the blues scale in your solos. You can play it straight up and down, use it for improvised licks and runs, or combine it with other scales to create your own unique sound. There are no rules when it comes to using the blues scale, so experiment and have fun!