| The blues is a style of music that was formed by combining the styles of music of many different cultures. Music from all around the world was brought together in the mid 1800's when people immigrated into the United States. One of the largest influences on the Blues was work songs of the slaves in the United States. These work songs were often about the suffering of the slaves which influenced the common suffering theme heard in a lot of Blues songs. |
| The Blues style is often defined by the melody and form of the song. Blues musicians used notes and melodies in their songs that were different from much of the music that was being played at the time. Over time, the musicians started using the same notes which became the standard "Blues scale" that can be seen below. The form of the Blues is AAB. There are 3 line verses to the song in which the words for the first 2 lines are usually the same and then the 3rd line is different. The first 2 lines are usually the beginning of an event and the third line is what happens because the first line. |
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EXAMPLE: My teacher took my drum away. My teacher took my drum away. Now I don't have anything to play. |
| MUDDY WATERS (April 15, 1915-April 30(1983) | |
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Muddy Waters (born as McKinley A.
Morganfield) is considered by many as the greatest blues artist.
Born in a small town in Mississippi, he learned the harmonica and the
accordion. When he was 15, he got his first guitar and learned how
to play. When he was 28, he went to Chicago, got an electric guitar
and started playing at parties which boosted his popularity until he grew
to the legend he is today.
Muddy Waters is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is credited with starting what is known as the "Electric Blues" movement in Chicago because of his electric guitar. |
| B. B. KING (1925-???) | |
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Riley B. King was born in a small
town in Mississippi, just like Muddy Waters. He started singing in
church at just 4 years old and the gospel style he learned there
influenced much of his music throughout life. In the mid-1940's, he
started as a DJ on the radio and was nicknamed "Blues Boy King" or B. B.
King for short. In 1949, he entered his first recording studio which
started a series of an incredible 75 albums to his name.
His style is described as how he can use "Lucille" (his guitar's nickname) to play the melody that he sings with his voice. |
| Diatonic Scale | |||||||||
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| DO | RE | MI | FA | SOL | LA | TI | DO | ||
 HEAR
DIATONIC SCALE |
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| Pentatonic Scale | |||||
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| DO | RE | MI | SOL | LA | |
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12-bar Blues progression played on guitar by Mr. Massi. There is a 10 second intro that plays the 5, 4, 1, 1 chords before it starts over at the beginning of the 12-bar pattern | BACK To Top |