| Blues music has its inclination to African-American | | | | The lyrics of the blues were based on repetition. |
| community of the USA. It is a kind of vocal or | | | | Each line was repeated four times. Currently, the |
| instrumental music which is generally based on | | | | lines are repeated once with a standard single line |
| blues notes. The concept aroused from the | | | | conclusion. They are sung in the form of rhythmic |
| spirituality, chants, work songs and ballads. The | | | | talk than a melody. The Blues music has given |
| African influence is greatly felled in the notes and | | | | great artists like Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, John |
| call-and-response patterns of music and lyrics. The | | | | Lee Hooker and Bessie Smith. The credit can be |
| American and Western music is more inclined to | | | | given to the hollers and calls without which this |
| this music genre. It became the foundation stone | | | | genre would not have evolved. It is based on the |
| for the different music forms namely jazz, | | | | changing lives of the post slavery era of |
| rhythm and blues, heavy metal, bluegrass and | | | | African-Americans. The music is quite popular |
| hip-hop. The blues mainly reflect the mood of the | | | | amongst blacks and generally reflects on the |
| singer i.e. depression, down hearted feeling or | | | | atrocities faced by the community. |
| sadness. The Blues word was used for the first | | | | More popularly considered as secular songs, the |
| time in George Colman's farce's 'Blue Devils'. It | | | | Blues lyrics highlighted singer's inner shelf. Thus it |
| was in the 1912 that Hart Wand's 'Dallas Blues' | | | | was not an innovative approach but simply a |
| came and it was the first Blues Music to describe | | | | presentation of oneself. It describes the condition |
| the depressing mood. There is common | | | | of African Americans communities. It has |
| distinctiveness in the music genre. Showing the | | | | descriptions related to slaves' freedom, Booker T. |
| individual peculiar habits, the music elements were | | | | Washington's teachings, and the famous Horatio |
| earlier call-and-response shouts. They were just | | | | Alger model, who once said that man is the |
| individual's performance with no harmony or | | | | creator of his/her destiny. Lawrence Levine |
| formal music structure. These pre-blues were | | | | stresses on the fact that national ideologies affect |
| simply a solo song with emotional touch. They | | | | the individual's behaviour and the blues music |
| were often heard in shouts and hollers. | | | | reflect this relationship. Blacks were badly treated |
| The present day music form has harmonic base | | | | during the slavery era and were socially and |
| and call-and-response format of African and | | | | economically exploited. The secular songs reflect |
| European communities which gave new structure | | | | this psychological oppression. |
| to the Blues. The voice and guitar were | | | | The music was earlier treated as folk blues and |
| incorporated in the songs. The elements reflected | | | | was sung during leisurely periods. These songs |
| the songs of Africa. The most common | | | | were mostly sung in shows and carnivals. Due to |
| instruments, Diddley bow and Banjo were used in | | | | close contact with country singers, the blacks |
| the early music. The Diddley bow belonged to | | | | learned to sing professional Blues which are often |
| South America whereas the Banjo was mostly | | | | called classic blues. In the 20th century, African |
| used in Africa to increase the instrumental | | | | Americans migrated and played the songs in |
| vocabulary. With each passing days it adopted | | | | Texas, Chicago, Louisiana, New York, Arkansas |
| Ethiopian airs, Negro spirituality and minstrel shows | | | | and Detroit. Later the classic blues singers |
| together with instruments and rhythmic | | | | introduced this genre to clubs, vaudeville halls, and |
| supplements. The blues are rewarded for | | | | theaters with the help of New Orleans and Fast |
| preserving the melodic patterns of African music. | | | | Western musicians. It was in 1895 when George |
| The songs from this genre have distinct musical | | | | W. Johnson recorded the first blues song called |
| structure. The songs recorded by Lead Belly's and | | | | "Laughing Song". The genre gained popularity in |
| Henry Thomas reflected twelve- and sixteen-bar | | | | 1920 with Mamie Smith's evergreen songs namely |
| structure with tonic, sub-dominant and dominant | | | | "Crazy Blues" and "It's Right Here for You". Online |
| chords. The modern form has 12-bar structure | | | | music shop have varied array of latest blues |
| with influence of sheet music. | | | | music for the fans. |