Ask a blues fan who's a better guitarist -- B. King or Steve Vai -- and stand back. Master African drummers collect the sticks of students who showoff, and don't give them back until the students prove they can "cool" their hearts, and play with maturity. Because if you don't have space, you don't allow time for the listener to feel what has been said.
The blues invigorated American popular music with African musical techniques and values -- and rock and roll and jazz were born. Country blues evolved into the classic blues of the s and s, sung by stars like Bessie Smith in front of a big band or piano-led combo.
The blues gave options to women like Smith and Memphis Minnie, who might have spent their lives scrubbing white peoples' floors. It made legends of plantation workers like Son House and Charlie Patton. As Africans became African Americans, they maintained their ethics and aesthetics -- even as they were stripped of their languages and religions. What a great cultural achievement that they transferred these values to an alien world and created a new music that transcends racial and cultural boundaries, such that today blues artists can fly to Japan or Poland and be met by hordes of screaming fans who may not speak their language -- yet feel their music.
As guitarist Robben Ford likes to say, "The blues is a big house. For a longer exploration of this subject, please check out my column on American Blues Scene , and pick up a copy of my award-winning book The Language of the Blues!
News U. Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. Follow Us. Terms Privacy Policy. Part of HuffPost Entertainment. All rights reserved. I got the blues so bad, it hurts my feet to walk I got the blues so bad, it hurts my feet to walk This house is on my brain, it hurts my tongue to talk -- "Lonesome House Blues", Blind Lemon Jefferson.
Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:. Email required Address never made public. Name required. Follow Following. Sitting at the Foot of the Blues Join 30 other followers. Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. Log in now. Loading Comments Email Required Name Required Website. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Blues is a predecessor to and foundation of jazz.
While there are some elements that overlap, jazz and blues use similar features in different ways. Both styles of music use improvisation but in blues this is reserved for a soloist in a set number of bars and over a strict chord progression, whereas jazz ensembles often improvise together and for an unlimited amount of time. Generally, jazz is less strict and more polyphonic than blues, using a wide variety of chord progressions. There is also significant overlap in the instruments typically used in both genres, though again jazz tends to create more diverse ensembles.
More often than not, blues bands feature the following instruments: guitar usually electric , drums, double bass pizzicato , piano , saxophone and brass instruments often with mutes.
This ensemble usually accompanies a leading vocalist, but they also have the opportunity for instrumental solos. What is a Requiem in music? What is the difference between a musical and an opera?
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