What is the blues?

Introduction to Blues

Blues (English: Blues, meaning "blue", also transliterated as blues) is a kind of vocal and instrumental music based on the pentatonic scale. Another feature is its special harmonies. Blues originated from the soul music, hymns, labor songs, shouts and hymns of African American slaves in the past. The "blues sound" used in the blues and the way it is sung show its West African origins. Blues had a great influence on later American and Western pop music. Ragtime, jazz, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, rock music, country music and ordinary pop songs, and even modern classical music all contain blues elements or elements. Developed from the blues. [1] In poetry, this word is often used to describe melancholy. The word blues has the same meaning as "Blue devils", which means low-key mood, sadness and melancholy. As early as 1798, George Corman wrote a farce called "The Blue Devil, a Farce." In the 19th century the word was used to refer to delirium tremens and police. The use of the term in African American music may be older. "Memphis Blues" by William Christopher Handy in Memphis in 1912 is the earliest written record of the term in music.

Blues music began in the American South at the beginning of the 20th century. It is also mixed with the rhythm and rhyme similar to the recital form in the church.

This kind of music has an obvious special style, which is to use the "call and response" form similar to Chinese folk songs, which is called "Call and Response" in English. At first, the musical phrase will give people a feeling of tension, crying, and helplessness, and then the subsequent musical phrase will seem to comfort and relieve the suffering people. It’s like a suffering person crying to God, and then receiving God’s comfort and response!

Therefore, blues music places great emphasis on the catharsis of self-emotions and originality or improvisation. This improvisational playing method later slowly evolved into various types of music, such as Rock and Roll, Swing, Jazz...so blues is also the root of modern pop music.

The harmonica has been widely used in blues music since about the mid-1920s. At that time, there were many street performers in the United States performing music. Their common instruments were banjo, drums, and one. A type of wind instrument called "pan quill pipes". Since guitars and harmonicas have better performance than these traditional instruments and are more suitable for performing in rough places, harmonicas are gradually used to play blues music.

Around the 1930s, many black people moved to the big city of Chicago. Blues music and blues harmonica also spread in Chicago, and later formed a genre of their own called Chicago Blues.

When listening to blues music, you will find that they all seem to follow the same musical form. The reason is because a standard form of music commonly used in blues concerts is called 12 Bar Blues.

Origins of the Blues

Because the blues are shaped by individual performances, it is difficult to pinpoint the unique characteristics of all blues. But before the emergence of modern blues, all African American music had certain similarities. The earliest blues-style music was a "functional expression, and its response singing had no accompaniment, harmony, was not restricted to any form, and did not have any special musical structure." These shouts and calls originated from slaves working in the fields. The pre-blues music gradually expanded into "simple, single-vocal songs with emotional content." Today's blues can be seen as music based on European chord structures and the alternating playing of singing and guitar developed from African inspiration traditions.

Many blues elements, such as the form of echoes and the use of blues sounds, can be traced to African music. Sylviane Diouf points out certain features - such as the use of melisma and light, nasal tones - that seem to indicate the blues' connection with the music of Central and West Africa. Ethnomusicologist Gerhard Kubik was probably the first to point out that certain elements of the blues came from Africa. For example, Kubik points out that the Mississippian technique of using a blade to play the guitar, which Handy describes in his autobiography, is very common in West and Central African cultures, where the guitar-like twenty-one-string harp (kora) is the most commonly used. Singing accompanied by string instruments. This technique involves the guitarist pressing a knife against the strings of the guitar and may be the origin of the slide guitar technique.

Later, blues absorbed the minstrel show and black spiritual songs in black music, including their instruments and chord accompaniment. Blues is also closely related to ragtime, but blues better preserves "the melodic structure of original African music." [5] The structure of the early songs was very different. Songs from this period can be found on recordings by Leadbelly and Henry Thomas. But later the blues form based on tonic harmony, secondary dominant harmony and all-orange fifth note harmony became the most popular form.

What is considered today the quintessential 12-bar blues emerged in the black communities of the lower Mississippi River in the early 1900s, a process documented both in oral history and in musical notation. Beale Street in Memphis was one of the places where the early blues was formed.

Blues Lyrics

Early blues were often loose narrative songs in which the singer recounted his or her personal experience in "a harsh reality: lost love, police brutality" , White Man's Persecution, Hard Days and Moons." [6] Many of the earliest blues records contained gritty, honest lyrics compared to other musical records of the time. One of the most extreme examples is Memphis Minnie's "Down in the Alley," whose lyrics describe a prostitute having sex with a man in an alley. Such music is known as "gut-bucket" blues, named after a homemade bass instrument made from iron buckets used to clean pig intestines, a food often associated with poverty and slave life. Come together. Hanging blues generally describe love and hate, misfortune and hard life between men and women. Hanging Blues and the rough taverns that typically played this music gave the blues music its unpleasant reputation. Devout Christians avoid it, and some preachers even call it sinful. Because its lyrics are generally about the hardships and injustices of life, some people associate the blues with poverty and oppression. But blues lyrics aren't just about hardship, some are also very witty and obscene.

The original blues may have had only one verse, repeated three times, but the now common structure of one verse, repeated once, and then followed by a single verse ending was developed later.

Some believe that Yoruba mythology played a role in early blues. But most blues artists were primarily influenced by Christianity.

Musical Form

Blues chords were not clearly defined in the early 20th century, but in the 1930s 12-bar blues became the standard. But in addition to the typical 12-bar blues, there are also 8-bar blues forms and 16-bar blues forms. Basic 12-bar blues reflects standard 12-bar harmony and is rhythmically in 4/4 or 2/4 time. The blues chords of the 12-bar blues are generally a set of three different chords played on the 12-bar combination:

I I or IV I I

IV IV I I

The Roman numerals here represent the harmoniously progressing scale. For example, if you play the key of F major, the chord sequence is:

F F or Bb F F

Bb Bb F F

C Bb F F or C

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In this example F is the harmony and Bb is the secondary dominant. It should be noted that in most cases the chord is a dominant seventh chord. Typically the last chord is the tonic chord of the next harmonic in the progression (in this case C major).

The lyrics usually end on the last beat of the tenth measure or the first beat of the eleventh measure. The last two measures serve as a transition for the instrumentalist. The chords in these two measures can be very complex, and sometimes the chords Unable to analyze. But the last beat is almost always based on a dominant seventh chord to enhance the power of the next verse.

Melodically, blues uses the flat three, five, and seven semitones of the major key. The 12-bar harmonic progression remained in use for centuries, but a revolutionary improvement in blues was the use of flat thirds, flat sevenths, and even flat fifths in the melody, plus simultaneous direct playing of adjacent notes and "tear notes" (as in the lead). sound). A classical musician usually plays the leading note first, while a blues singer or harmonica player will adjust the pitch, and a blues pianist or guitarist will play both notes at the same time and then play them in advance. Turn on the pilot tone. Blues chords also use subdominant major and minor seventh chords and tonic major and minor seventh chords instead of the dominant key. Occasionally blues also uses the minor key. The minor key of blues is not much different from the traditional minor key. Occasionally, a flat fifth is used in the main key, and often the singer or the main instrument will play the major fifth in the chord at the same time. In addition, minor blues generally have 16 bars instead of 12, and are often influenced by gospel religious music.

The rock rhythm of blues is also a characteristic of it. Its use enhances the effects of rhythm and response. Much of postwar electronic blues and rock music used the simpler of these rhythms. Early bebop was a basic three-note riff based on guitar strings. This sound group, combined with the bass and drums, creates a walking bass-like technique that gives blues its quintessential feel. The last measure of a harmonic progression generally transitions to the beginning of the next harmonic progression. Rock rhythms often use the sound of "doo, dadoo, dadoo, da" or "dong, dadong, dadong, da" when singing. On the guitar it could be a simple, constant bass or a stepwise quarter-tone progression from the dominant fifth to the dominant seventh and back again.

The chart notation below is an example of the first four bars using the blues progression in the key of E major:

E7 A7 E7 E7

E |-------- ----------|-------------------|------------------ -|-------------------|

B |------------------- |-------------------|-------------------|--------- ----------|

G |-------------------|---------- ----------|-------------------|-------------------|

D |------------------|2--2-4--4-2--2-4--4|- ------------------|-------------------|

A |2- -2-4--4-2--2-4--4|0--0-0--0-0--0-0--0|2--2-4--4-2- -2-4--4|2--2-4--4-2--2-4--4|

E |0--0-0--0-0-- 0-0--0|-------------------|0--0-0--0-0--0-0--0|0-- 0-0--0-0--0-0--0|

[Edit this paragraph] Classification of blues

Modern Blues (Modern Blues)

Harmonica Blues

Electric Blues

Delta Blues

Country Blues

Classic Female Blues

Vandeville

Urban Blues

Texas Blues

Swamp Blues

Soul Blues

Piano Blues (Piano Blues)

New York Blues (NY Blues)

New Orleans Blues (New Orlean Blues)

Memphis Blues (Memphis Blues)

Jazz Blues

Folk Blues

Rhythm and Blues (R&B)

Etc.

[Edit this paragraph] Modern Blues

Modern Blues is a broad concept that includes all modern blues artists. Although they did not meet the legendary old-school blues masters, they followed the their steps. Modern blues uses both acoustic and electric guitars, combining elements from rock to pop to folk. Some blues purists or closed-minded music critics will say that modern blues is just simple imitation; but they actually combine creativity, talent and more modern sensibilities with respect for the artists of the past. Stevie Ray Vaugan was considered a unique blues revivalist during his lifetime (he died in a helicopter crash in 1990), followed by Robert Cray and Keb' Mo'.

[Edit this paragraph] Jump Blues (Jump Blues)

In the swing era, big band jazz, blues, gospel music and "Boogie-Woogie" all Combined, it became "Jump Blues." Cab Calloway puts an emphasis on melody as he sings fresh and interesting songs. Slim Gaillard "speaks" and sings hilariously surreal songs (usually about food), while his band shouts in response. Louis Jordan also mastered this high-energy jump blues, while Louis Prima combined Louis Armstrong's vocal inflections and trumpet skills. The West Coast version of jump blues was heavily influenced by the more relaxed Nat Cole's jazz trio, substituting sophistication in the music and lyrics for driving energy.

Charles Brown, a singer and pianist with formal classical training, is the best representative of the West Coast. Jump blues influenced rhythm and blues (R&B) and rock and roll, which became mainstream American party music, and later became a major element of the swing revival in the 1990s.

[Edit this paragraph] Harmonica Blues

Initiated by Sonny Boy Williamson II, Lazy Lester and Jimmy Reed - then brought into the 20th century by Little Walter and Junior Wells Later - Harmonica Blues takes the blues harmonica as its core. Little Walter developed an electronic version of the style in Chicago, while Slim Harpo played harmonica in Louisiana. In later years, Paul Butterfield and Bob Dylan incorporated the harmonica into folk, rock and blues retro.

[Edit this paragraph]Electric Blues

As long as it is plugged in, it is electronic. While electric blues is marked by the use of electric guitars, it is also marked by the electric bass - pickups (a device used to amplify acoustic instruments) are incorporated into double basses and acoustic guitars. From post-war pathos master Little Walter to electric guitarists Smokey Wilson and Eddie Kirkland, there are exponents of the electric blues tradition.

[Edit this paragraph] Delta Blues (Delta Blues)

Delta blues is mostly played with an acoustic guitar and is a prototype of blues. Representatives include the legendary Robert Johnson, Chicago blues creator Muddy Waters, harmonica player Sonny Boy Wilson II and the king of the blues, John Lee Hooker. The Delta Blues, with their passionate lyrics and vocals, were often recorded solo, but also in smaller groups, such as Williamson's various groups.

[Edit this paragraph] Classic Female Blues

Women began to play the blues in the 1920s. There were singers like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, who wrote a lot of sharp and confident material. Later musicians such as Billie Holiday were less edgy but equally honest about their lives and relationships.

[Edit this paragraph] Country Blues

It is a blues that originated in the South and Midwest of the United States and is mostly played on acoustic guitar. Country blues utilizes solos, duos, and string ensembles from early slide guitar to fingerpicking. Pioneers Skip James, Brownie McGhee, Lead Belly and Lightnin' Hopkins pioneered the now-defunct style. Later electric guitars transitioned smoothly into electronic and modern country blues.

[Edit this paragraph] Variety Blues (Vandeville)

In the early days of variety shows, many theaters favored white plays and ignored black performances (ironically, they In fact, some parodies that imitate the stereotypes of black people are often staged). Because of mainstream rejection, black artists formed their own circles and performed plays exclusively for black audiences in the few venues in the United States. These variety shows often included burlesque, magic, dancing, etc., but the most notable were the blues singing performances - featuring singers such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. Variety performances require performers to go beyond singing to please the audience, so drama and dance elements are added to make black variety performances more attractive to the audience. Variety show kingpins Butterbeans and Susie are renowned for their exceptional comedy routines and virtuosic blues duets. Variety blues was at its peak in the 1920s.

[Edit this paragraph] Urban Blues (Urban Blues)

The lyrics of Urban Blues fully reflect urban life. The term "urban blues" was originally used to distinguish it from country blues, and by the 1940s it gradually formed its own style. Urban Blues encompasses Louis Jordan's jump blues to the latest in jazz, including the urban-feeling crooning of Percy Mayfield and Ray Charles.

[Edit this paragraph] Texas Blues (Texas Blues)

Texas blues developed in the 1920s and largely evolved from country music. Filter out the nasal sounds. It has a loose rhythm, also known as "Texas drag", which drags a little behind the beat.

In terms of lyrics, it gets rid of the theme of "forced sorrow". Texas blues often uses traditional melodies and a single guitar rather than an ensemble of guitars. However, Texas blues became more electronic after World War II, largely influenced by Clarence "Gotamonth" Brown, who performed solo with electric guitar in the wind section. Later, T-Bone Walker and Stevie Ray Vanghan continued the drag beat and relaxed Texas tradition.

[Edit this paragraph] Swamp Blues

Named after the swamps in Louisiana. Slow swamp blues, harmonica, guitar, the great Slim Harpo. Infused with New Orleans rhythm and blues grooves, plus echo and delayed electric guitar effects, swamp blues can be melodious like Lonesome Sundown and Lightnin' Slim, lively like Lazy Lester's harmonica.

[Edit this paragraph]Soul Blues

A fusion of traditional blues and the fast melodies of 1960s soul music, soul blues is an artist who encompasses both traditions. . Based on a standard blues band—piano, guitar, bass, harmonica, and percussion—sometimes adding rhythm and blues-inflected horns, soul blues musicians stretched the boundaries of tradition while staying true to the roots of soul music. Etta James, Bobby "Blues" Bland and Jonnie Taylor were among the greats of soul blues.

[Edit this paragraph] Piano Blues

Jazz, blues music, and improvisational performances of various periods, as long as it is blues played on the piano, that is Piano Blues. Piano blues ranges from Count Basie and Rossevelt Sykes to Ray Charles, Dr. John and even the grandfather of gospel music, Thomas A. Dorsey.

[Edit this paragraph] New York Blues (NY Blues)

Mature New York blues absorbs the essence of jump blues, swing, bebop and early rhythm and blues. It bloomed during the swing era of the 1940s, when Lionel Hampton's big bands employed blues singers and driving rhythms. Right Scream's Big Joe Turner influenced rock and roll, and Erskine Hawkins and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson bridged popular blues with the highly respected swing jazz.

[Edit this paragraph] New Orleans Blues (New Orlean Blues)

As the name suggests, blues is by no means about having fun with a smile (blues in English has a sad meaning ). But this - and not uniquely - New Orleans blues is slightly different. It has Caribbean rhythms (especially rumba) and some Southern American music that would only be useful at a party. This category can range from relaxed and casual to chest-thumping and bold, with great artists like Fats Domino and Professor Longhair using horns and improvised piano accompaniment.

[Edit this paragraph]Memphis Blues

When W.C. Handy wrote "Memphis Blues (Memphis Blues)," he had no idea of ??the far-reaching impact of the word. The first of the two major factions of Memphis blues was born on Beale Street in the 1920s, derived from the numerous "jug bands" and variety shows, the string style of the Memphis Jug Band and the Memphis Minnie and Frank Stokes' rough and often hilarious style. This early form of Memphis blues invented a method in which the lead guitar had a special "bit" in a song - a method that has become standard today. The latter Memphis blues, an electronic style that began in the early 1950s, is a louder and more aggressive blues. The players adopted expanded, distorted guitars and heavier drum sounds, which had a more direct influence on most blues artists today.

[Edit this paragraph] Jazz Blues (Jazz Blues)

Jazz Blues has a solid blues foundation, but also absorbs the varied and slightly faster jazz music. These musicians often incorporate jazz improvisational features into the classic blues three-chord structure. Jazz blues ranges from the jazz-based compositions of pianist Mose Allison, to the solid blues of guitarist Lonnie Johnson, to the passionate and eclectic piano blues of Ray Charles.

[Edit this paragraph] Folk Blues (Folk Blues)

Folk Blues can be traced back to the acoustic style of small bar music and evening small celebrations at the junction of the 19th and 20th centuries. It grew out of Southern influences from Texas to the Delta and is considered by many to be America's most original music. Although early American blues was also popular among the public, it was folk blues that really brought people into honky-tonk dancing. It was Lead Belly, followed by Sony Terry and Brownie McGhee, who perpetuated the folk-blues style, and 1990s guitarist Ben Harper managed to recreate it without being considered retro.

[Edit this paragraph]Acoustic Blues (Acoustic Blues)

Unplugged is the original sound. Acoustic does not necessarily mean exclusively acoustic guitar. This type of blues refers to all blues played on non-electronic instruments - from guitars and banjos to harmonicas and tin cans. There are different music styles in different places - Chicago, Delta, New Orleans, Texas, etc.; there are also various musical styles - slide type, jazz type, fingerpicking type, etc. Masters of the first half of the 20th century Big Bill Broonzy, Lead Belly and Blind Lemon Jefferson are considered acoustic, along with more modern ones like Keb' Mo', Taj Mahal and John Lee Hooker.

[Edit this paragraph] Early American Blues (Early American Blues)

This category includes the earliest recordings of blues. From W.C. Handy to Robert Johnson. The quality of this kind of record is usually not that ideal, but it is full of deep emotions and lingers for three days.