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Blues Guitar - A Brief History Of Blues Music

Before you spend some time learning how to play blues guitar, it is worth to know a brief history of such first. By doing so, it will help you to have a much better connection with the piece you're creating from your guitar. Visit homepage to get started.

 

Well, some blues artists who artists succeeded in establishing a name for themselves either by creating songs or performing new styles that that later made a lasting influence on following generations of blues artists. These early success has resulted in set of important characteristics that has now been known as blues music.

 

Actually, blues music is cyclical music that forming meaning that musical lyric, pattern or even chord progression and then repeated throughout the song whether you believe it or not. In regards to the basic structure and form, it is commonly thought to be a reflection of call and response format of the African music that was introduced first by slaves and several other field workers.

 

What's more, early examples of blues forms were not standardized whether you believe it or not. Truth is, it depends on the performer to decide on the chord progressions, patterns and forms as well. But as time goes by, some forms emerged to be a favorite among artists. There are some performers who've garnered enough popularity to be influential within ranks of blues musicians. Because of this, 12 bar blues has spread widely across the music industry during the period of 1920s to 30s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_npavuc98fs

 

Some other chord progressions of course are still deemed as blues including the 8 and 16 bar forms. Early blues musicians oftentimes are making use of odd numbered bars similar to 9 or 11 bar structures but not as standardized forms. Rather these odd measured forms were used as an improvisational manner since the music or lyrics dictated.

 

The dominant chords are used extensively making it a major characteristic of mctell blues song and music. Most of the time, blues melodies are distinguished by the use of blues notes the flattened third, fifth as well as seventh of diatonic major scale of keys. The combination of harmonic structures and major chords at the same time together with minor scale notes as melodic and ornamentations are creating iconic and distinctive sounds of the blues. There are instances that blues notes are bent or slid into, instrumentally or vocally and specific rhythm or phrasing of this movement sets a distinctive individuals aspect of the blues style.

 

The real purpose of blues notes is to create artistic expression and create interesting variations that's away from the standard scale degrees and not to mention, to have a dramatic flourishes at the important parts of the song.

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