Musical Style: The Blues
Blues is a genre[2] and musical form that originated in African-American
communities in the "Deep South" of the United States around the end of the 19th
century. The genre developed from a fusion of traditional African music and
European folk music,[1] that incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers,
shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads.[3] The blues form,
ubiquitous in jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll, is characterized by the
call-and-response pattern, the blues scale and specific chord progressions, of
which the twelve-bar blues is the most common. The blue notes (or "worried
notes") which are often thirds or fifths which are flatter in pitch than in other music
styles, are also an important part of the sound. Blues shuffles or walking bass
reinforce the trance-like rhythm and form a repetitive effect called a groove.
Blues as a genre possesses other characteristics such as lyrics, bass lines, and
instruments. The lyrics of early traditional blues verses consisted of a single line
repeated four times. It was only in the first decades of the 20th century that the
most common current structure became standard: the so-called AAB pattern,
consisting of a line sung over the four first bars, its repetition over the next four,
and then a longer concluding line over the last bars. Early blues frequently took
the form of a loose narrative, often relating troubles experienced within African
American society.
Many elements, such as the call-and-response format and the use of blue notes,
can be traced back to the music of Africa. The origins of the blues are also
closely related to the religious music of the Afro-American community, the
spirituals. The first appearance of the blues is often dated to after emancipation
of slavery and, later, the development of juke joints. It is associated with the
newly acquired freedom of the former slaves. Chroniclers began to report about
blues music at the dawn of the 20th century. The first publication of blues sheet
music was in 1908. Blues has since evolved from unaccompanied vocal music
and oral traditions of slaves into a wide variety of styles and subgenres. Blues
subgenres include country blues, such as Delta and Piedmont, as well as urban
blues styles such as Chicago and West Coast blues. World War II marked the
transition from acoustic to electric blues and the progressive opening of blues
music to a wider audience, especially white listeners. In the 1960s and 1970s, a
hybrid form called blues rock evolved.
Assignment #2 – Go to youtube and watch/listen to “BB King – Everyday I
Have The Blues (Live)” and answer the questions for Thinking About Songs as
Historical Artifacts
THINKING ABOUT SONGS As Historical Artifacts
I. Looking at the Song:
Lyrics: 1. What people, places, and event(s) are mentioned?
2. What do you “see?”
Music: 3. What do you notice about this music?
(fast, slow, catchy, dull, etc.?)
4. What instruments are used in the song?
II. Responding to the Song:
Lyrics: 1. What are your personal reactions to the lyrics?
Music: 2. What emotions might this song produce when sung or played?
(sad, happy, anger, longing, etc.)
III. Thinking about History:
1. Why do you think the artist(s) wrote this song?
2. What clues do you find to suggest this?
3. For what audience was this song written?
4. Why is the music important to this song?
5. What does the song tell you about what life was like for the artist(s) during this period
in history?
Lyrics to: Everyday I Have The Blues
By B.B. King
Everyday, everyday I have the blues
Ooh everyday, everyday I have the blues
When you see me worryin' baby, yeah it's you I hate to lose
Whoa nobody loves me, nobody seems to care
Whoa nobody loves me, nobody seems to care
Well worries and trouble darling, babe you know I've had my share
Everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday
Everyday, everyday I have the blues
When you see me worryin' baby, yeah it's you I hate to lose
Whoa nobody loves me, nobody seems to care
Whoa nobody loves me, nobody seems to care
Well worries and trouble darling, babe you know I've had my share
I'm gonna pack my suitcase, move on down the line,
I'm gonna pack my suitcase, move on down the line,
Where there ain't nobody worryin', and there ain't nobody cryin'
Songwriters: JULES BIHARI, RILEY B. KING
© Universal Music Publishing Group
For non-commercial use only.
Data from: LyricFind