What do you get when you combine both jazz and blues? Jazz Blues, like most other forms of music, gained its popularity in the back rooms of clubs, honky-tonks, and even in underground cultural surroundings.

With the history of blues and jazz woven together and some similarities in the styles, to this day the two still inspire each other. With the similarities in each style of music, artist began a fusion funk of the two giving birth to Jazz Blues.

At the very core of Jazz Blues, are blues songs that vocally express life felt stories of emotions bringing each verse to life. With Most blues songs include words forming a three-line stanza like in bop songs.

In the 1920’s, Harlem became the metropolis of an unprecedented creativity for the country’s best jazz musicians. The birth to many jazz players careers and several greats, got their start in the night clubs of Kansas City.

Blues music itself and the role that it plays in jazz music needs no mentioning. To this day you don’t have to look far to find melodies that have been impacted by sweet sounds of blues. If you happen your way down to New Orleans, and through the French Quarter, you can truly appreciate how a city that was once underwater after Katrina, clanged on to the hope of its revival.

Through the sweet sounds of Jazz Blues infused a belief in their culture that spirited the community to rebuild. As jazz, blues or a combination of, continues to heal and bring hope to a battered community, new incredible sounds have come to life, new artist have risen from the debris and old ones returned to bring in an era of new hope and life to this great city.

Playing the acoustic guitar and specifically the blues is one of the most enjoyable and enriching things to do.

As challenging as it may be in learning to play the guitar, once you master just a few chords, you are able to play multiple songs and as you become more comfortable and allow your creative juices start to flow you will find that picking up on some other chords is much easier.

It surprises me that with six little string and some 20 frets the infinite amount of music that can be created is infinitely abundant On top of that, playing blues music has its own subtle note changes that are separate from the conventional scale. This happens by bending the strings to adjust the pitch until it gets to the right sound.

The blues music players from the South had very inadequate means; in fact some had homemade guitars. These instruments were made from just about anything that they could find. Some were made of cigar boxes and wire for strings. One of the most notable blues music player of all time is Chuck Berry whose style was a unique as your personal signature on your check.

The point is this, if you are passionate about blues music and love the guitar. Just pick one up and start strumming a few chords. After some practice and persistence you will be on your way. Just don’t expect to be an overnight sensation or sound like Chuck Berry. Over time your skill will improve and who knows, your friends may actually stick around if you decide to burst out in to a private jam session.

No matter what level of playing you’re at now or which musical instruments you may know how to play, learn piano blues and you’ll be much better off for it regardless of the level of expertise that you are at or even if your focus is another instrument.

Playing the piano is invaluable for musical ideas, arranging for other instruments and just plain fun, relaxing and will open up opportunities when you can accompany other performers.

By learning piano blues you will have also learned many rock and roll songs as well since that technique developed out of blues music.

By simply learning some simple and easy patterns you can get in to the spirit of the blues. Before you know it, you will have mastered those patterns, develop some more complex version of those patterns and develop that are slightly more technical and before you know it you’re playing some very decent boogie woogie blues.

This style of blues with a bit of speed is very impressive. The boogie woogie style came directly out of the blues and is one of the best ways for a pianist to show off their technical ability.

If you ever get the chance, stand behind or next to a blues piano player and just watched what they do with their hands. Watching what they do will really allow you to see what’s going on with both hands and how these repetitive riffs are being implemented.

Just take it slow, analyze and study you will surprise yourself how easy things can really be. Then, like anything else, and a little commitment to some daily practice your peed and dexterity will come. Sure, kids usually pick it up quicker than adults or even easier than us boomers, but anyone who has the desire to learn can do it regardless of age.

Even if you decide to only learn to play the blues, think of the enjoyment that you can have at a jam session. Blues is the international language of music and who know learning to play blues music may spring board you in to other styles like gospel and jazz.

Ever since the 1920s, Memphis has been a Mecca for blues music lovers all over the world.  If you’ve ever been to Beale Street in downtown Memphis then you know that this is the heart of the Memphis music scene.  And it hosts every style of music from jug bands to jazz, and of course the blues.

After WWII, the electric instruments were born into the Memphis Blues.  And during this time musicians flocked to Memphis with these electric instruments.  They would all gather on Beale Street, and soon there became recording studios up and down that street.  One of the most famous studios being Sun Records, who recorded the like of Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley, just to name a few.

The Memphis Blues is so self expressive, and was an attempt to capture that sound of the singing sharecroppers and workers.  At first, the sound was nicknamed the gutbucket blues, but settled into simply the Memphis Blues.

Still today on Beale Street songs are written and recorded in small studios by artists with a dream.  And the streets of Memphis are just as alive as ever with the sound of the Memphis Blues.  Go there and you’ll see the bars and clubs filled up every night with tourists and locals who will sit and listen for hours and be touched by the music.

Why does the Memphis Blues have such staying power?  Many people believe it’s because it is so much more than just music.  It is a culture and a lifestyle that just continues to get passed down generation after generation.  And chances are it will continue to be enjoyed for many generations to come.

Buddy Guy was born in Louisiana in 1936.  He was self-taught on the guitar, using a home made 2-string “diddley bow” guitar.  He was so naturally good that he started playing with bands in Baton Rouge in the 1950s and learned how to play the blues by the likes of Muddy Waters.

Early on, Guy began to record with such labels as Chess Records.  He would later claim that such labels actually held him back from playing his signature style which was passionate and electrifying, often with dazzling guitar solos.  His record labels thought he was just noisy.  Eventually he broke free from these restraints and came to be the performer that we know today- full of life.

Buddy Guy was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame particularly for his signature style, which influenced many musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Rod Stewart.  Guy and Hendrix became friends and hung out together during the 60s.  Hendrix would even leave his own shows early so that he could go catch Guy performing at a club.  He would record his performances so he could study them and learn from them.

Although Buddy Guy is in his 70s, he still delivers high-energy shows.  He is known for wandering around stage during his shows.  He even will wander into the restroom doing a guitar solo and visit with guests.  He is known for playing his guitar with things such as drumsticks and beer bottles.  He would play the guitar behind his back, or even while tied up by his ankles in the rafters.

Buddy Guy owns a popular club in Chicago; Buddy Guy’s Legends.  He is known to still show up from time to time.  He loves to find and promote up and coming talent.