| Blues | Cultural origins Early 1870s, Deep South, U.S. |
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How do you describe blues music?
The blues has a distinct melancholic and somber tone , which is achieved through vocal techniques such as melisma, rhythmic techniques such as syncopation, and instrumental techniques such as “choking” guitar strings on the neck or applying a metal slide to the guitar strings to create a whining voicelike sound.
What is the texture of blues music?
The texture of blues is usually homophonic in that a single melodic line is accompanied by a guitar or later a band. The most important instrument besides the voice is the guitar (originally acoustic then electric). Sometimes a blues player will use a “slide” on the left hand.
What is the melody of blues music?
In melody, blues is distinguished by the use of the flattened third, fifth and seventh of the associated major scale. Blues shuffles or walking bass reinforce the trance-like rhythm and call-and-response, and they form a repetitive effect called a groove.
What tempo is blues music?
Tempo Information
The Blues is generally danced to music in a 4/4 meter between 40 and 100 beats per minute (10 and 25 measures per minute).
What is difference between blues and jazz?
Blues involves guitar, bass, piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone, vocals, trumpet, trombone, and sometimes fiddle. Jazz involves a guitar, piano, bass, saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, drums, and tuba. Jazz is usually instrumental, while Blues almost always contains lyrics.
How can you tell if a song is polyphonic?
If more than one independent melody is occurring at the same time, the music is polyphonic . Rounds, canons, and fugues are all polyphonic. (Even if there is only one melody, if different people are singing or playing it at different times, the parts sound independent.)
What is unique about blues music?
The main features of blues include: specific chord progressions , a walking bass, call and response, dissonant harmonies, syncopation, melisma and flattened ‘blue’ notes. Blues is known for being microtonal, using pitches between the semitones defined by a piano keyboard. ... As a result, blues can be heavily chromatic.
Why is blues music so important?
The emergence of Blues can be considered the biggest music event in history as it crystalized emotions and creativity in a period of rapid development and economic growth. It is rooted in deep inequity and has powered liberation and emancipation efforts globally.
Why is it called blues music?
The name of this great American music probably originated with the 17th-century English expression “the blue devils,” for the intense visual hallucinations that can accompany severe alcohol withdrawal. Shortened over time to “the blues,” it came to mean a state of agitation or depression .
How do you know if a song is blues?
- it was common to include bent notes – usually the flattened third, fifth or seventh note of the scale.
- the performer often improvises over a chord progression.
- melismas are heard in many blues vocal melodies.
Which form is the most common type of blues music?
The most common musical form of blues is the 12-bar blues . The term “12-bar” refers to the number of measures, or musical bars, used to express the theme of a typical blues song.
Is blues music always sad?
A lot of people think the blues are sad. ... Other blues are angry, moody, scary, frightened, and some are bouncy, joyous, exuberant, happy. Clearly, the blues is unusually rich in emotional expression. So, no, the blues is not sad music , and they do not tend to make us sad.
What are the 3 chords used in the 12 bar blues?
Keeping all that in mind, we’ll be in the key of E blues for the rest of this lesson series. The standard 12-bar blues progression contains three chords. These three chords are the 1 chord, the 4 chord, and the 5 chord . Since we’re in the key of E blues, the 1 chord is E, the 4 chord is A, and the 5 chord is a B.
Is Adagio or Andante slower?
Adagio – slow and stately (literally, “at ease”) (55–65 BPM) Adagietto – rather slow (65–69 BPM) Andante – at a walking pace (73–77 BPM)
Who is called Father of the Blues?
Musician and composer William Christopher “W.C.” Handy was born on November 16, 1873, in Florence, Alabama. Widely known as the “Father of the Blues,” Handy is recognized as one of the leaders in popularizing blues music.
