Blues music (Blues) is a musical style created by black people living in the United States in the poor lower-class life. It originated in the Mississippi River Delta in the early 20th century. The chant later gradually influenced the development trajectory of world pop music. Now words like ROCK'NROLL (rock) and R'NB (rhythm and blues) are already familiar to you, right? The Blues scale used in these two types of music It's something you can't learn in music classes at school, but every day when you walk down the street, the sound coming from the video store has already made it deep into your heart...

In the 1920s, Blues gradually emerged to cater to some people with its unique lyrics, harmonious rhythms and melancholic melodies. Blues music contains a lot of poetic language that is repeated over and over again, and then ends with a decisive line. The progression of the melody is based on chords, with three chords of I, IV, and V as the main chords, and a 12-bar pattern is repeated. In the melody, the 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes on the main key are lowered by a semitone, giving people a bittersweet and sentimental feeling.

Although the lead singer is the focus in Blues music, the improvisation of guitar-based instruments is also very exciting. Instrumental players can transcend the boundaries of chords and play at will. In addition to the melancholy and beautiful melody, it also includes knife scraping. The sounds of scratches and slides being used, as well as imitating the lead singer's humming. In the process of popularizing Blues music, Eric Clapton was a successful musician and songwriter.

Blues music has developed to this day and has been included in the ranks of mainstream music, and many of its elements are being used more in rock and pop music. But traditional Blues music still has strong strength. Musicians in this field include B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Etta Baker, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy, etc.

Types of blues music

Modern Blues

Modern blues is a broad concept that includes all modern blues artists. Meet the legendary masters of old school blues, but follow in their footsteps. Modern blues uses both acoustic and electric guitars, combining elements from rock to pop to folk. Some blues purists or closed-minded music critics will say that modern blues is just simple imitation; but they actually combine creativity, talent and more modern sensibilities with respect for the artists of the past. Stevie Ray Vaugan has always been considered a unique blues revivalist during his lifetime (he died in a helicopter crash in 1990), followed by Robert Cray and Keb 'Mo'.

JumpBlues

In the early 1990s, big band jazz, blues, gospel music and "Boogie-Woogie piano" all combined to become "Jump Blues" ". Cab Calloway emphasizes the melody when singing fresh and interesting songs. SlimGaillard "speaks" and sings hilariously surreal songs (usually about food), while his band shouts in response. Louis Jordan also mastered this high-energy jump blues, while Louis Prima combined Louis Armstrong's vocal changes and trumpet skills. The West Coast version of jump blues was heavily influenced by Nat Cole's more relaxed jazz trio, replacing strong energy with sophisticated music and lyrics. Charles Brown, a singer and pianist with formal classical music training, is the best representative of the West Coast. Jump blues influenced rhythm and blues (R&B) and rock and roll, making it the mainstream music of American parties, and later became a major element of the swing revival in the 1990s.

Harmonica Blues

Initiated by onny Boy Williamson II, Lazy Lester and Jimmy Reed - and then carried into the late 20th century by Little Walter and Junior Wells - Harmonica Blues has the blues harmonica at its core.

Little Walter developed the electronic version of the style in Chicago, while Slim Harpo played harmonica in Louisiana. In the following years, Paul Butterfield and Bob Dylan integrated the harmonica into folk, rock and blues retro.

ElectricBlues

When it is plugged in, it becomes electronic. While electric blues is marked by the use of electric guitars, it is also marked by the electric bass - pickups (a device used to amplify acoustic instruments) are incorporated into double basses and acoustic guitars. From post-war tragic master Little Walter to electric guitarists Smokey Wilson and Eddie Kirkland, they are all spokespersons for the electronic blues tradition.

Delta Blues

Albanian blues is mostly played with an acoustic guitar and is a prototype of blues. Its representatives include the legendary Robert Johnson, the founder of Chicago blues Muddy Waters, harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson II and the king of blues John Lee Hooker. Delta blues uses passionate lyrics and vocals, usually solo, and there are also some small combinations, such as Williamson Various combinations have also been recorded.

ClassicFemaleBlues

Began to come into contact with blues in 1920. There are singers such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, who create many sharp and confident works. Later musicians such as Billie Holiday reduced the sharpness, but still reflected their lives and relationships realistically.

Country Blues

A blues style mostly played on acoustic guitar that originated in the South and Midwest of the United States. Country blues utilizes solos, duos, and string ensembles from early slide guitar to fingerpicking. Pioneers Skip James, Brownie McGhee, Lead Belly and Lightnin' Hopkins created a style that no longer exists. Later electric guitars transitioned smoothly into electronic and modern country blues.

Variety Blues (Vandeville)

In the early days of the Variety Show, many theaters favored white plays and ignored black performances (ironically, they actually often performed some A parody of black stereotypes). Because of mainstream rejection, black artists formed their own circles and performed plays exclusively for black audiences in the few venues in the United States. These variety shows usually include burlesque, magic, dance, etc., but the most eye-catching is the blues singing performance - a group of singers such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith appeared. Variety performances require performers to go beyond singing to please the audience, so drama and dance elements are added to make black variety performances more attractive to the audience. Variety show leaders Butterbeans and Susie are renowned for their unique comedy performances and superb blues duets. Variety blues was at its peak in the 1920s.

Urban Blues

Blues lyrics fully reflect urban life. The term "urban blues" was originally used to distinguish it from country blues, and by the 1940s it gradually formed its own style. Urban blues includes the latest tricks from Louis Jordan's jump blues to jazz, including the crooning of Percy Mayfield and Ray Charles with an urban feel.

Texas Blues

Saxophone blues developed in the 1920s and was largely derived from country music, except that the twang was filtered out. It has a loose rhythm, also known as "Texas drag", which drags a little behind the beat. In terms of lyrics, it gets rid of the theme of "forced sorrow". Texas blues often uses traditional melodies and a single guitar rather than an ensemble of guitars. However, Texas blues became more electronic after World War II, largely influenced by Clarence "Gotamonth" Brown, who performed solo with electric guitar in the wind section.

Afterwards, T-Bone Walker and Stevie Ray Vanghan continued to maintain the drag rhythm and relaxed Texas tradition.

SwampBlues

It is named after the swamps in Louisiana. Swamp blues is slow and slow, played with harmonica and guitar, and the great Slim Harpo has appeared. By incorporating the rhythm of New Orleans rhythm and blues, adding echo and delayed electric guitar effects, swamp blues can be melodious, such as Lonesome Sundown and Lightnin' Slim. Lively like LazyLester's harmonica.

Soul Blues

A fusion of traditional blues and the fast melodies of 1960s soul music, soul blues are artists who embrace both traditions. Based on a standard blues band—piano, guitar, bass, harmonica, and percussion—sometimes adding rhythm and blues-inflected horns, soul blues musicians stretched the boundaries of tradition while staying true to the roots of soul music. Etta James, Bobby "Blues" Bland and Jonnie Taylor were all leaders in soul blues.

Piano Blues (PianoBlues)

The jazz-type, blues-type music and improvisational performances of the period, as long as it is blues played on the piano, it is piano blues. The scope of piano blues includes from Count Basie and Rossevelt Sykes to Ray Charles, Dr. John and even Thomas A. Dorsey, the ancestor of gospel music.

New York Blues (NYBlues)

The New York blues absorb the jump The best of blues, swing, bebop and early rhythm and blues. It bloomed during the swing period of the 1940s, when Lionel Hampton's big bands used blues singers and strong rhythms. Right Scream's Big Joe Turner influenced rock music, and Erskine Hawkins and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson connected the popular blues with the highly respected swing jazz.

New Orleans Blues (NewOrleanBlues)

If you think about the meaning, you will know that blues is by no means about having fun with a smile (English "blues" blues has a sad meaning). But this - and not uniquely - New Orleans blues is a little different. It has Caribbean rhythms (especially rumba) and some Southern American music that would only be useful at a party. This category can be relaxed and casual, or it can be bold and bold, with outstanding artists such as Fats Domino and Professor Longhair using horns and improvised piano accompaniments.

Memphis Blues (Memphis Blues)

. When C. Handy wrote "Memphis Blues (Memphis Blues)", he had no idea of ??the far-reaching influence of this word. The first of the two major factions of Memphis blues was born on Beale Street in the 1920s. It was derived from many "jugbands" and variety shows, the string style of Memphis Jug Band and the rough and rough style of Memphis Minnie and Frank Stokes. He is popular for his often comical style. This early form of Memphis blues invented a method in which the lead guitar had a special "bit" in a song - a method that has become standard today. The latter type of Memphis blues is an electronic style that began in the early 1950s and is a louder and more aggressive blues. The players adopted expanded, distorted guitars and heavier drum sounds, which had a more direct influence on most blues artists today.

JazzBlues

Blues has a solid blues foundation, but also absorbs the varied and slightly faster jazz music. These musicians often incorporate jazz improvisational features into the classic blues three-chord structure. Jazz blues includes pianist Mose Allison's jazz-based works, guitarist Lonnie Johnson's solid blues, and Ray Charles' passionate and eclectic piano blues.

Folk Blues (FolkBlues)

Blues can be traced back to the acoustic style of small bar music and evening small celebrations at the junction of the 19th and 20th centuries. It grew out of Southern influences from Texas to the Delta and is considered by many to be America's most original music. Although early American blues was also popular among the public, it was folk blues that really brought people into honky-tonk dancing. It was Lead Belly and later Sony Terry and Brownie McGhee who passed down the folk blues style, and guitarist Ben Harper in the 1990s successfully reproduced this style without being considered a retro element.

Early American Blues

The category includes the earliest recordings of blues. From W.C. Handy to Robert Johnson. The quality of this kind of record is usually not so ideal, but it is full of deep emotions and lingers for three days.

Acoustic Blues

Electricity is acoustic. Acoustic does not necessarily mean exclusively acoustic guitar. This type of blues refers to blues played on all non-electronic instruments—from guitars and banjos to harmonicas and tin cans. Every place has its own style - Chicago, the Delta! Alta), New Orleans, Texas, etc.; there are also various musical styles - portamento, jazz, fingerpicking, etc. The masters of the first half of the 20th century Big Bill Broonzy, Lead Belly and Blind Lemon Jefferson are considered original, as well as more modern types Keb 'Mo', Taj Mahal and John Lee Hooker.