The beloved harmonica has such a history with blues music.  Originally this instrument was only associated with the poor and was simply considered a toy instrument.  But if you know anything about the harmonica and blues music you know that it has become a huge player over the years in this genre.  The first recordings of the harmonica were actually in the 1920s and were intended for the black markets of the South.  And as it became more and more popular musicians began to experiment with different techniques such as tongue-blocking, hand effects, and the most important innovation of all, the 2^nd position or cross-harp.

During the 1950s, the harmonica sound began to make its way North to Chicago with the blues and black migrants.  As the blues sound became more amplified, so did the harmonica.  One of the greatest harmonica players of the time was Sonny Boy Williamson II.  He helped make popular the cross-harp technique, opening the possibilities of the harmonica technique up to greater and greater heights.  Many other artists during this time began to experiment with techniques and the harmonica sound took off.

During the 60s and 70s the harmonica sound began to wane, due to the popularity of the electric lead guitar.  However, during this era many artists who had been influenced by Sonny Boy Williamson II began to emerge. Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood , and Bob Dylan also famously played their harmonica to add a touch of blues to their folk and rock sound during this era. Dylan was known for placing his harmonicas in a brace so that he could simultaneously blow the harp and play his guitar.

The harmonica sound lives on today in current music.  Blues Traveler, Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine, and Blackfoot are just a few examples of the modernization of the harmonica.

The women of blues love life.  They are liberated and, confident, smart, and sexy.  Want to embrace life with less worry and more fun?  Follow these tips of the feminine women of blues, and you’ll soon be adding a little blues flavor to your life!

1. Embrace your problems and quit stressing about all the negative in your life.  The Blues simply glamorizes the negative in a way that turns our problems around.  Recognize that your problems only make you a deeper, more thoughtful person.
2. Improvise. Blues artists are all about improvisation. This helps them to develop an in control frame of mind. Even when the unexpected happes, they know how to improvise and roll with the punches.  Trust yourself to get through any jam you may be in.
3. Dance to your own beat. The women of blues have always been ahead of their time. The earliest artists were sassy, the leaders in their relationships, they weren’t afraid to get into fights. Stay in control but don’t be afraid to stick up for yourself. Do what you feel is right, then you‘ll never need to make apologies. Always be yourself and be honest
4. Be independent. In the early days of blues, the female vocalists often made more money and had more fame than the men in their lives. If you’re in a relationship, only keep a man around if you have good times together, not because you need him for money or for a confidence boost or any other reason.

Are you a musician and have that urge to tap into the Blues?  This challenging and deep-hearted genre can be really fulfilling.  Here are some tips to get you started.

Listen to some of the “greats”. These include Robert Johnson, Albert King, Willie Dixon, John Ledbetter, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Junior Wells, Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Lonnie Johnson and many more. Look for the “Best Of” compilations at your music store or online!

Learn the basic “twelve bar blues” chord progression. In degrees of scale, the first four bars stick to the first degree. The next two bars are the fourth degree, and then two bars of the first degree. The last four bars are the fifth degree, fourth degree, first degree, and fifth degree, respectively, and then the progression repeats. Blues can be played in any key but the most common keys are A, E, D, C, and G.

Learn to play a few different songs that use the 12 bar blues progression. Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” is a blues in Bflat, Tracy Chapman’s “Gimme One Reason” is a blues in C, and Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Pride and Joy” is a blues in Eflat. These songs all song unique because of their tempo, but are based on the same chord progression. Playing a variety of blues will help you understand what they have in common and how they differ, which will in turn help you build a solid foundation in blues while still encouraging your own creativity.

Learn the “Blues Scale”. This scale is based on the minor pentatonic and consists of 1,2,flat3,4,flat5,5,flat7,octave. Most blues solos fall within this scale. Improvisation is a very important part of the blues and nearly every song will devote at least one pass through the twelve bar progression to an instrumental solo. Many blues players alternate between the minor pentatonic and the major scale, incorporating major and minor thirds into their solos.

Jam the blues with other musicians and experiment with the style.

The blues have always had a tendency of being very sad. In many cases, the artist is painting a story of what was going on in their lives at that time or something that they had experienced in their life.

If you have a true understanding of the period of time that the blues period was most recognized it came in after the ragtime period and this will also give you a feel as to where things were at in the world.

One of the most unique parts about the blues is that, unlike popular music of today, blues music does not always follow a set verse or chorus.

Blues music uses musical element by the use of “Blues Notes,” making the music maintain a sad tone and feel to it. Another piece that is drastically different about the blues is that the artist tend to be gifted more as musicians than vocalist.

Although you may feel that in many genres today, several of the artists have less than acceptable voices, for the most part they still make the grade. Having said that, and focusing back to the blues, you will find that part of the appeal with blues music is that they simply tell a story about where they were in life, economic hardship, women, slavery, and cheating.

So the next time you hear a great blues song, take it in for all it has to offer. If you listen closely, you will hear exactly what challenges faced that artist and society in that period of time. Let me know what you thought of this post by leaving a comment.