The Blues
When you hear musicians talking about “the blues” they are referring to a style of music that is characterized by certain musical forms, progressions and sounds, but where did “the blues” really come from? Most people know that the blues, as we know them today, originated in the late 1800’s from African-Americans that lived in the far south of the USA. The phrase “ the blues” often refers to a kind of sadness or sense of being down and out. Considering the horrors of slaver, it is no wonder that the music that was born out of the every day lives of late 19th century African-American communities would reflect such sad or “bluesy” emotions.
The most common form of the blues is called the 12 bar blues but you will also see 8 bar, 9 bar and 16 bar blues as well as several other common blues forms. The chords used in the 12 bar blues progression are usually the 1, 4 and 5 chords. It is quite common for the 1, 4 and 5 chords in the any blues progression to be dominant 7th chords. The flatted 7th in dominant 7th chords, along with the flatted 3rd and flatted 5th, give the blues it’s unique “bluesy” sound. It is almost like the blues is a cross between a major and a minor key. That is one of the things that gives the blues is soulful, moaning sound.
The lyrics of early blues songs were mostly about people expressing the trouble of their souls. Just go read some lyrics to an older blues song and you will see that it is no wonder why the melancholy state that most of these songwriters were in became to be know as “the blues”. The typical form for blues lyrics in a 12 bar blues song is AAB. Sing the first A over the first four bars, the second A over the second four bars and the B over the last four bars. This lyrical influence has carried over into the phrasing and playing of modern day blues guitar players.
Blues guitar players throughout the years seem to have a huge influence on guitar players as a whole. Players such as Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page all had a heavy background in the blues and have all had a monumental amount of influence on the guitar players of today. Robert Johnson was so good that legend has it that he sold his soul to the devil at "The Crossroads" to acquire his blues abilities.
The blues has evolved over time and has become part of the foundation for just about every style of western music out there. The blues has become a very social and self-expressive style in the modern guitar community. There are blues jams all over the country where anyone can go and start playing with fellow musicians. The fact that you can pretty much learn one simple scale on the guitar and jump right in to expressing yourself musically has made the blues very popular with guitar players of all skill levels. I encourage you to use the lessons on this site to help you find your own unique blues voice and start digging into the blues for yourself today.
There are a ton of great sites out there for great guitar lessons. Consider this one of your sources for the world of blues education and fun. You can start with the lessons below.
