What are the defining characteristics of blues music?

Answer 1

Many are based on the 12 bar blues (I-I-I-I-IV-IV-I-I-V-IV-I-I, with each being for one bar), although a16 bar blues has also been developed. Some more modern blues music, such as rock and roll, will use the 7ths of each of these chords. The harmony of traditional blues music tended towards plagal, or the sub-dominant. Listen to Muddy Waters or Jimmy Reed. Some however, drone on the tonic (I) while the singer changes inflection to make it appear as the song is moving to IV and V. Example would be Robert Johnson.

The tonality of the blues is predominantly major, with the inclusion of blues notes (flattened (not flatted) 3rds and 7ths (a little jazzy)). Technically, this really isn't correct, as the Blues is a descendant of African music, and that isn't built around the major and minor scales. It can also use the Western adaption, the 'blues scale'; this explanation assumes 'tonic' as the tonic of a Western major scale: the tonic, flattened 3rd, 4th, sharpened 4th/flattened 5th, natural 5th and flattened 7th. Therefore, the blues scale on c will use the noted C, E flat, F, F sharp/G flat, G, B flat.

It's based on an oral tradition, meaning that it is not passed down to the next generation on paper, but by mouth. The (almost entirely black American) history of the blues can be orally traced back as far as 1860, but the form was popularized during the 1910s. The composer W.C. Handy ('St. Louis Blues', 'Basin Street Blues') was particularly influential.

One of the most important features of the Blues is called "call and response." This is directly from African music tradition. The singer sings a line, pauses, and repeats the line, with subtle changes (it's the best description I could write). This can also occur between a singer and instrumentalist, with either, or both improvising. If the singer improvises, they may often employ a technique called scat singing (Louis Armstrong had a particularly exceptionable ability to do this) in which the pitch and rhythm were improvised and the lyrics were random syllables such as 'Doo-dy doo-da yay'.

Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday are notable examples of blues artists. Blues is, and was, often incorporated into jazz as a system of improvisation. In more modern times, composers such as George Gershwin and the awesome British composer Michael Tippett have used the blues, or variations on it, but these works often use 'blues' in the sense of a 'bluesy mood' - sad or melancholy - incorporating some aspects of traditional blues rather than adhering strictly to the 'blues rules'.

Answer 2

Blues Music is a combination of African and western cultures in the southern part of the United States. The elements of blues music are:?æmelody, harmony, rhythm, lyrics, and the sounds of different Musical Instruments.

Answer 3

· Blues Music is polyrhythmic and has its roots in the West African musical tradition.

· Polyrhythmic is a simultaneous combination of contrasting rhymes in music. Where two rhythms or sounds are simultaneously playing together.

· The lyrics of the songs reflected daily themes of their lives including: sex, drinking, railroads, jail, murder, poverty, hard labor and love lost.

· There are four types of blues: delta blues, Chicago blues, Texas blues, blues rock.

· Blues music is known for repetitious verses, with lyrics typically ending on the last beat.

· Traditional blues verses consist of a single line that is repeated four times in AAB form. The initial phrase is sung on the first three lines and then a new statement or resolution is sung on the last line of the verse. Most blues songs feature loose narratives with the vocalist recounting their personal woes or the harsh realities of the world through gritty lyrics.

• Blues music is also known for its unique way of call and response. In blues, call and response lacks an accompanying harmony and is unbounded by the formality of any musical arrangement. It is characterized by a highly emotional, simple solo chant of a phrase that is then repeated back. The solo chant is sung and often repeated back on the guitar, giving the song an emotionally charged atmosphere that is heightened by the repetition of the lyrics.

sorry it's sort of in dot points hope that covers it.

Answer 4

Happiness and joy death and disacters..............x

^Worst answer ever...............^disaster

Answer 5

Blues is a style of music developed by African-Americans. Feature include three-line verse structure (AAB), short instrumental break, and a 12-bar form.

Answer 6

the third,fifth and seventh notes in a major scale is flattened. It is usually about depression love or bad moments.