In the early 1900s is when the Blues as we know it today took shape in this country.  But if you have studied the Blues you know that it’s roots stem back hundreds of years and many miles across the Atlantic Ocean to both Africa and Europe before taking root in the American South.

It was actually the blending and clashing of African and European music where it all started.  Add to that the spice of the American South and you have the Blues as it is today.

The use of flatted notes (the 3^rd, 5^th, and 7^th) come from the indigenous music of West Africa, therefore the Blues have mostly been influenced by African-American culture.  And interestingly enough the lyrics of Blues stem from the “field hollers” of slaves. The instruments most associated with the Blues are guitar, harmonica, and piano, which are not African in origin but they come from Europe.

Then during the Reconstruction Era in America (post Civil War period), proto-blues music began to develop due to dance halls and bars that were frequented by the rural working class.  These “Juke Joints” began to sprout up all over the South.

The music created and listened to in these joints was made for dancing, and in time a shuffling beat similar to the “ragtime beat” became popular.  This rhythm would soon become well known and associated with the Blues.

As the Reconstruction Era ended, African Americans were faced with much racism and poverty.  They were forced to travel from place to place to find work.  Many of them made an attempt to make a living with their music, and so they traveled with guitar in hand via train.  No wonder trains are such a common symbol in Blues music.  As these musicians traveled, the incredible music and lyrics of the Blues was spread and is now a world wide passion.

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.