What is the Form of Blues Music?

The form of blues music is based on the call-and-response pattern and the 12-bar blues progression. The 12-bar blues is a chord progression that uses the I, IV, and V chords of a major key.

Origins of the Blues

It is generally accepted that the Blues began in the deep south of America sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The exact origins of the Blues are, however, unclear and much debated. There are many stories and theories about how the Blues began. What is certain is that the Blues is a uniquely American form of music that has gone on to influence virtually every other form of popular music.

The African American experience

The term “The Blues” was first used in print by Johannesburg writer H.C. Wolpe in his 1925 work “Hello, Baby!” to describe a type of music he heard while living in Durban, South Africa. The first known use of the phrase “the blues” in American popular music occurred in 1912 when Hart Atherton started using it to describe a type of music he heard from black musicians living along the Mississippi River.

The form of Blues music is deeply rooted in the African American experience and can be seen as a direct reflection of the hardships faced by blacks in America, both before and after emancipation. The original blues were spirituals, work songs, and field hollers sung by slaves during their long days working on plantations. Once emancipation was granted, these songs took on a new meaning and became an expression of freedom and a way to communicate the struggles faced by newly freed blacks.

The blues continued to evolve throughout the early 20th century, becoming increasingly popular as it was adapted by musicians from different regions and backgrounds. The introduction of electric instruments and amplification in the 1920s gave rise to a new style of blues known as “Chicago Blues” which quickly became famous around the world. In the 1940s and 50s, artists like Muddy Waters and BB King brought the blues to a whole new audience with their soulful performances that combined elements of gospel, jazz, and R&B.

Today, the blues can be heard in many different genres of music and continues to be an important influence on American culture.

The influence of African music

The influence of African music on the development of the blues is widely accepted and uncontroversial. The earliest blues recordings, made in the 1920s, were labeled “race records” and were intended for black audiences. These two factors – commercial and racial – helped to establish the blues as a distinct genre of music, apart from other genres such as gospel or jazz.

African American work songs, spirituals, and field hollerswere early sources for the blues. Work songs were often chants or call-and-response songs that were sung while performing tasks such as chopping wood or cotton picking. Spirituals were religious songs that were oftensung in a call-and-response format. Field hollers were shouts or cries that were uttered by workers in the fields. All of these African American musical traditions share common characteristics with the blues, including call-and-response singing, a heavy use of blue notes, and a focus on personal expression.

The Elements of the Blues

The blues is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities in the Deep South of the United States around the end of the 19th century. The style has been adopted by white musicians and has become one of the most significant musical styles in the United States.

The 12-bar blues

One of the most important aspects of the blues is its form, or the overall structure of the song. The vast majority of blues songs are built using a simple three-chord progression known as the 12-bar blues. This form consists of 12 measures, or bars, each of which contains four beats. The first two bars are spent on a I chord, the next two on a IV chord, and the last eight on a V chord. This basic progression can be seen in countless blues songs, including “Sweet Home Chicago” by Robert Johnson and “Crossroads” by Cream.

The blues scale

The blues scale is a six-note scale with a flattened third, fifth and seventh. This flattened quality gives the blues its characteristic “soulful” sound. The minor third interval is what gives the blues its sad, melancholy feeling, while the flat fifth interval ( called a “blue note”) adds to the disconcerting, jarring effect.

There are three basic chord types in blues: major, minor and dominant seventh. These chords are usually played in a 12-bar chord progression, which is a repeating pattern of chords that creates the harmonic structure of a song. The most common 12-bar blues progression uses the I, IV and V chords of a major key (for example, in the key of C: C, F and G). This progression can be varied in many ways, but the basic idea is always the same: to create tension and release by moving between different harmonic areas.

The blue note

One of the defining features of blues music is the “blue note,” a melancholy-sounding pitch that is slightly lower than what is considered “normal.” Blue notes are often used to create a sense of longing or sadness, and they are an important part of the characteristic blues sound.

While most music is based on a major or minor scale, the blues scale contains additional notes (often called “chromatic” notes) that gives it a slightly different sound. The precise pitches of these blue notes can vary depending on the region or style of music, but they typically fall between the third and fifth degrees of the scale.

For example, in the key of C, the third degree would be an E, and the fifth degree would be a G. The blue note falling between these two pitches would be Eb (slightly lower than E) or D# (slightly higher than D). These two pitches are known as “flat third” and “sharp fifth,” respectively.

The use of blue notes is one of the defining elements of blues music, and it gives the genre its characteristic sound. This sound is often described as “sad” or “melancholy,” and it can be used to create a sense of longing or sadness in the listener.

While blue notes are found in other genres of music (such as jazz), they are most commonly associated with blues. If you’re looking to add some blues flavor to your playing, experiment with incorporating some flat third and sharp fifth into your scales and chord progressions.

The Styles of the Blues

In its broadest sense, the form of blues music is simply the twelve-bar blues. This consists of three four-bar phrases, with each phrase having its own unique melody, harmony, and rhythm. However, there are many different styles of the blues, each with its own history and tradition.

Country blues

The first blues recordings were made in the 1920s by male artists from the deep south who sang about their hard lives working in the fields and factories. These country blues artists used simple guitar and banjo accompaniments and sang in a raw, unrefined style. The best known of these early performers are Robert Johnson and Charley Patton.

Chicago blues

Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier foundation styles, such as Delta blues and urban blues, and is characterized by the use of electric guitars, amplified harmonicas, and dynamic harmonization between multiple instruments. Chicago blues often features a band with a horn section complementing the electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums.

The first recordings of Chicago blues were made in the 1920s by artists such as Papa Charlie Jackson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. In the 1930s, members of the Bluebird record label’s “race records” roster such as Roosevelt Sykes, Big Bill Broonzy, and Leroy Carr helped to popularize the style. In the 1940s and 1950s, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon developed the sound of the Chicago electric blues while working for Chess Records. Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf,Chuck Berry expanded on this approach in the late 1950s and early 1960s with songs such as “I’m a Man” and “Little Red Rooster”.

Electric blues

The first style of blues to move away from the Delta and into the cities was Chicago blues. This style was played on electric guitars, drums, and pianos and was often accompanied by horns. Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Willie Dixon were all influential Chicago blues musicians.

The next style of blues was urban blues. This style developed in the late 1940s and early 1950s and combined elements of both the Chicago and Delta blues. Artists like B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Bobby Bland, and Junior Parker were all influential in the development of urban blues.

Electric blues is a type of urban blues that uses electric guitars, amplifiers, drums, and sometimes horns. Electric blues often has a morevigorous sound than other types of urban blues. Artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Bobby Bland, and Junior Parker were all influential in the development of electric blues.

The Legacy of the Blues

The blues is a genre of music that is rooted in the African-American experience. The earliest blues music was created by African-American musicians in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term “blues” was first used to describe this new style of music in a magazine article written in 1893.

The influence of the blues on other genres

The blues has been a major influence on later American and Western popular music, finding its way into jazz, big band, country, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and even pop music. All of these genres have used some element of the blues in their music; sometimes it’s just a single guitar riff or a short melody, while other times it’s the entire basis for a song or even an entire album. The blues has also been an important influence on world music, with many non-Western musicians incorporating elements of the blues into their own traditions.

The blues today

The blues today is a vital, ever-changing music that continues to evolve and grow. It has been influenced by a wide range of musical styles, from rock and roll to jazz and country. The blues today is a blend of all these different elements, making it one of the most diverse and interesting genres of music.

The blues today is also a very personal music, with each artist putting their own spin on the genre. This makes for a very unique listening experience, as each artist has their own take on the blues.

If you’re looking to get into the blues, there’s no better place to start than with the greats. Check out some of the most influential artists in the history of the blues, such as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, and B.B. King. These artists laid the foundation for the genre and continue to influence artists today.