Music 26AC Homework: The Blues

This week in music 26AC we’re learning about the blues! The blues is a genre of music that originated in the African-American community in the southern United States. It is a style of music that is characterized by its use of the blue note, and its focus on the expression of emotions such as sadness, loneliness, and joy.

The Birth of the Blues

The blues is a genre of music that originated in the African-American communities of the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The style developed from and incorporated elements of gospel music, ragtime, and jazz. The blues is characterized by call-and-response patterns, blue notes, and 12-bar blues progressions.

The Mississippi Delta

The roots of the blues can be traced back to the American South, specifically the Mississippi Delta. This area was home to a large population of African Americans who were involved in the plantation economy. They worked long hours in the fields and often desired a form of music that could reflect their experiences and convey their emotions.

The blues emerged in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and it quickly became popular among African Americans. The genre is characterized by its use of blue notes, which are notes that are played at a slightly lower pitch than usual. This gives the music a distinctive sound that is both sad and sensual.

The blues continued to evolve throughout the 20th century, and it eventually gave birth to other genres such as jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, and hip hop. Today, the blues is still enjoyed by millions of people around the world, and it continues to influence popular culture.

The first blues recordings

The first blues recordings were made by black musicians in the 1920s. These recordings were not commercially successful, but they did influence the development of the blues genre.

The first commercially successful blues recordings were made by white musicians in the early 1920s. These recordings were very popular, and they helped to make the blues genre more mainstream.

The first black musician to have a commercially successful blues recording was Bessie Smith, who recorded “Downhearted Blues” in 1923. This record was a huge hit, and it helped to make the blues genre more mainstream.

The Elements of the Blues

The blues is a type of music that developed in the United States in the early twentieth century. It is characterized by a unique chord progression, as well as a specific form and content. The blues has been a major influence on subsequent genres of music, including jazz, rock and roll, and country.

The twelve-bar blues

The twelve-bar blues is one of the most important progressions in all of music. It’s the basic building block for countless songs in dozens of genres, from rock to jazz to country to pop.

The blues progression is usually made up of three chords: the tonic (the “home” chord, typically I), the subdominant (typically IV), and the dominant (typically V). These chords are played in a particular order, and each chord is usually played for four “bars” or measures. This gives the twelve-bar blues its name.

There are many variations on the twelve-bar blues progression, but the most common one looks like this:

I I I I
IV IV I I
V IV I I
I I I I

As you can see, this progression uses only three chords, but it repeats several times throughout the song. This repetition is another important characteristic of the blues.

The twelve-bar blues is a great starting point for learning about chord progressions. Once you mastered this progression, you can start experimenting with different chord substitutions and other variations.

The blues scale

The blues scale is a minor pentatonic scale with an added flat 5th, or blue note. This gives the scale a bluesy sound when played.

The notes of the blues scale are:

Root
flat 3rd
4th
flat 5th (or blue note)
5th
7th

The blue note

The blue note is a flatted third, fifth, or seventh degree of a major scale, creating a minor chord. When played in a twelve-bar blues progression, the third, fifth, and seventh degrees of the scale are all flatted (either lowered by a half step or lowered one whole step). This creates a minor chord sound. The third, fifth, and seventh degrees of the scale are all flatted (either lowered by a half step or lowered one whole step).

The Influence of the Blues

The blues is a type of music that originated in the African-American communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term “blues” refers to the blue notes in a musical scale, which are usually darker and sadder sounding than the other notes in the scale. The blues has been a major influence on many other genres of music, including jazz, rock and roll, and country.

The blues and rock and roll

The blues had a profound influence on the development of rock and roll. Early rock and roll was strongly influenced by rhythm and blues, and it is often referred to as “rock and roll” because of its debt to the blues. The classic rock sound emerged in the 1950s, when artists such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, and Elvis Presley combined jazz, R&B, country, and gospel influences to create a new style of music.

The blues and jazz

The blues is a style of music that was created by African Americans in the southern United States at the end of the 19th century. It is a type of music that is very important to jazz. Many people think that the blues is very sad, but it can also be happy and full of energy. The blues often has a strong beat that makes people want to dance.

The blues influenced jazz in many ways. For example, the way that jazz musicians improvise (make up their own music as they play) comes from the way that blues musicians improvise. Also, the way that jazz musicians use “swing” (a type of rhythm that makes you want to move your body) comes from the blues. Finally, many jazz musicians got their start playing the blues.