Blues

Blues music began in the South of the United States in the early twentieth century. It was originally a short song shouted by poor black people while working, and it also mixed the rhythm and rhyme similar to the recital form in the church.

This kind of music has an obvious special style, which is to use the "call and response" form similar to Chinese folk songs, which is called "Call and Response" in English. At first, the musical phrase will give people a feeling of tension, crying, and helplessness, and then the subsequent musical phrase will seem to comfort and relieve the suffering people. It’s like a suffering person crying to God, and then receiving God’s comfort and response!

So blues music places great emphasis on the catharsis of self-emotions and originality or improvisation. This improvisational playing method later slowly evolved into various types of music, such as Rock and Roll, Swing, Jazz...so blues is also the root of modern pop music.

The harmonica has been widely used in blues music since about the mid-1920s. At that time, many street performers performed music in the United States. Their commonly used instruments were banjo, drums, and one. A type of wind instrument called "pan quill pipes". Since the performance of the guitar and harmonica are better than these traditional instruments and are more suitable for performing in rough places, the harmonica is gradually used to play blues music.

In the 1930s, many black people moved to the big city of Chicago. Blues music and blues harmonica also spread in Chicago, and later formed a genre of their own called Chicago Blues.

When listening to blues music, you will find that they all seem to follow the same musical form. The reason is because a standard form of music commonly used in blues concerts is called 12 Bar Blues.

Classification of Blues

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 was considered a unique blues revivalist during his lifetime (he died in a helicopter crash in 1990), followed by Robert Cray and Keb' Mo'.

Jump Blues

During the Swing Era, big band jazz, blues, gospel and "Boogie-Woogie" all combined to become " Jump Blues”. Cab Calloway puts an emphasis on melody as he sings fresh and interesting songs. Slim Gaillard "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 inflections and trumpet skills. The West Coast version of jump blues was heavily influenced by the more relaxed Nat Cole's jazz trio, substituting sophistication in the music and lyrics for driving energy. Charles Brown, a singer and pianist with formal classical training, is the best representative of the West Coast. Jump blues influenced rhythm and blues (R&B) and rock and roll, which became mainstream American party music, and later became a major element of the swing revival in the 1990s.

Harmonica Blues

Pioneering by Sonny Boy Williamson II, Lazy Lester and Jimmy Reed - and then brought into the late 20th century by Little Walter and Junior Wells - Harmonica Blues With blues harmonica at its core. Little Walter developed an electronic version of the style in Chicago, while Slim Harpo played harmonica in Louisiana. In later years, Paul Butterfield and Bob Dylan incorporated the harmonica into folk, rock and blues retro.

Electric Blues

As long as it is plugged in, it is 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 pathos master Little Walter to electric guitarists Smokey Wilson and Eddie Kirkland, there are exponents of the electric blues tradition.

Delta Blues (Delta Blues)

Delta Blues is mostly played with an acoustic guitar and is a prototype of blues. Representatives include the legendary Robert Johnson, Chicago blues creator Muddy Waters, harmonica player Sonny Boy Wilson II and the king of the blues, John Lee Hooker. The Delta Blues, with their passionate lyrics and vocals, were often recorded solo, but also in smaller groups, such as Williamson's various groups.

Classic Female Blues

Women were introduced to the blues in the 1920s. There were singers like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, who wrote a lot of sharp and confident material. Later musicians such as Billie Holiday were less edgy but equally honest about their lives and relationships.

Country Blues

Is a blues style that originated in the South and Midwest of the United States and is played mostly on acoustic guitars. Country blues utilizes solos, duos, and string ensembles from early slide guitar to fingerpicking. Pioneers Skip James, Brownie McGhee, Lead Belly and Lightnin' Hopkins pioneered the now-defunct style. Later electric guitars transitioned smoothly into electronic and modern country blues.

Variety Blues (Vandeville)

In the early days of variety shows, many theaters favored white plays and ignored black performances (ironically, they actually often performed Some parodies 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 often included burlesque, magic, dancing, etc., but the most notable were the blues singing performances - featuring singers such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. 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 kingpins Butterbeans and Susie are renowned for their exceptional comedy routines and virtuosic blues duets. Variety blues was at its peak in the 1920s.

Urban Blues (Urban Blues)

The lyrics of Urban Blues 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 encompasses Louis Jordan's jump blues to the latest in jazz, including the urban-feeling crooning of Percy Mayfield and Ray Charles.

Texas Blues

Texas blues developed in the 1920s and was largely derived from country music, minus the twang. 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. Later, T-Bone Walker and Stevie Ray Vanghan continued the drag beat and relaxed Texas tradition.

Swamp Blues

Named after the swamps in Louisiana. Slow swamp blues, harmonica, guitar, the great Slim Harpo. Infused with New Orleans rhythm and blues grooves, plus echo and delayed electric guitar effects, swamp blues can be melodious like Lonesome Sundown and Lightnin' Slim, lively like Lazy Lester's harmonica.

Soul Blues

A fusion of traditional blues and the uptempo 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

Jazz, blues music, and improvisational performances of various periods, as long as it is blues played on the piano, it is piano blues. Piano blues ranges from Count Basie and Rossevelt Sykes to Ray Charles, Dr. John and even the patriarch of gospel music, Thomas A. Dorsey.

New York Blues (NY Blues)

Mature New York blues absorbs the essence of jump blues, swing, bebop and early rhythm and blues. It bloomed during the swing era of the 1940s, when Lionel Hampton's big bands employed blues singers and driving rhythms. Right Scream's Big Joe Turner influenced rock and roll, and Erskine Hawkins and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson bridged popular blues with the highly respected swing jazz.

New Orleans Blues (New Orleans Blues)

As the name suggests, blues is by no means about having fun (English "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 range from relaxed and casual to chest-thumping and bold, with great artists like Fats Domino and Professor Longhair using horns and improvised piano accompaniment.

Memphis Blues

When W.C. Handy wrote "Memphis Blues," he had no idea of ??the far-reaching impact of the word. The first of the two major factions of Memphis blues was born on Beale Street in the 1920s, derived from the numerous "jug bands" and variety shows, the string style of the Memphis Jug Band and the Memphis Minnie and Frank Stokes' rough and often hilarious 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 Memphis blues, an electronic style that began in the early 1950s, 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.

Jazz Blues

Jazz 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 ranges from the jazz-based compositions of pianist Mose Allison, to the solid blues of guitarist Lonnie Johnson, to the passionate and eclectic piano blues of Ray Charles.

Folk Blues (Folk Blues)

Folk Blues can be traced back to the acoustic style of honky-tonk 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, followed by Sony Terry and Brownie McGhee, who perpetuated the folk-blues style, and 1990s guitarist Ben Harper managed to recreate it without being considered retro.

Acoustic Blues

Unplugged 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. There are different music styles in different places - Chicago, Delta, New Orleans, Texas, etc.; there are also various musical styles - slide type, jazz type, fingerpicking type, etc. Masters of the first half of the 20th century Big Bill Broonzy, Lead Belly and Blind Lemon Jefferson are considered acoustic, as are more modern versions of Keb' Mo', Taj Mahal and John Lee Hooker.

Early American Blues

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