American Blues Tradition
Chapter 5
Day 2
SIMPLE BLUES FORM
• AAB
• IVoice(2)IFill(2)IVoice(2)IFill(2)IVoice(2)IFill(2)I
• I
IV
V
• I – I –I –I –IV –IV –I –I – V –IV – I –I
Examples- Simple Blues Form
• Kansas City
http://youtu.be/vwfSSMaJSLM
• W.C.Handy St. Louis Blues
http://youtu.be/dmFUXYaZIMk
MISSISSIPPI DELTA BLUES
• Mississippi Delta - Area of flatland that
stretches from Memphis, Tennessee to
Vicksburg, Mississippi
• A number of blues styles developed in the
South, but none were more pervasive
than that of the Mississippi Delta
CHARLIE PATTON
• Charlie Patton – around 1881, near Jackson Mississippi
• Learned guitar at the age of 14, performed music around
the delta for 30 years
• Made his first recording when he was around 40 years
old
• His vocal quality was rough, growling and intense
• He often deliberately slurred his words, a practice that
became an identifying trait of the Delta blues style
• He also tended to let his voice blend into his guitar
playing, sometimes not finishing the lyrics and letting the
guitar finish it instead
Charlie Patton cont.
• Hellhound on My Tail
http://youtu.be/ZRWn3zYas_I
• Known as the “father of the Delta Blues”
• Patton's guitar accompaniment was simple, but
it created a danceable rhythm
• Patton taught and inspired a number of blues
singers, most notably Robert Johnson
• Bottleneck guitar technique – using the neck of a
glass bottle to slide up and down the neck of the
guitar, allowing it to imitate sliding of the voice;
characteristic of the Delta Blues
Robert Johnson
• 1911 Mississippi
• Took to the road to make
a living as a musician to avoid
sharecropping
• He was a small and handsome man; like
many blues musicians he had a way with
women
• He spent the rest of his short life chasing
after women and running away from their
men
Characteristics of Mississippi
Delta blues musicians
• slurred vocals
• vocals blended into guitar parts
• stronger sense of rhythm
Other Regional Blues
• Texas
• Blind Lemon Jefferson – 1893
• Black Snake Moan http://youtu.be/h3ydc91ww8
• style was close to field holler
• higher pitched singing
• lacked steady rhythm
Other Regional Blues, cont.
• Atlanta
• Blind Willie McTell – 1898
• I’ve Got to Cross That Jordan River
http://youtu.be/_4S16XoDYYg
• more pronunciation in vocals
• lighter vocal tone
• more delicate guitar playing
CLASSWORK/HOMEWORK
• Write 4 simple blues lyrics. (A, A, B
punchline) Can be same or different
topics.