Genre Analysis Brief History of Blues The Blues The term refers to - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Genre Analysis

Brief History of Blues

“The Blues”

— The term refers to the "blue devils”

— Melancholy — sadness — depressed mood

— the term is found in George Colman's one-act farce “Blue Devils”

(1798).

Blues origins

— African-American slave communities — Late 1800’s/ Early 1900’s development — "Deep South" of the United States

Blues origins

— Spirituals — Work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants — Rhymed simple narrative ballads.

African Influence - “Griots”

— Oral poets called “Griots” have spread the history of

the people through music for centuries.

— Some characteristics were carried though to the earliest

blues music including:

— Rhythm patterns — Expressive but rough vocal production — Call and answer between vocal and insrtument — Very little if any harmonic change

African Influence – “Instruments”

— African-Americans largely in slave communities

from 1700 – 1900 continued to express themselves though music with whatever instrumentation they could.

— Being poor, western instruments were often

unobtainable; leading to self-made instruments such as a Diddley-Bow or an instrument you already had, such as the body (stomping and clapping) or voice.

— Many home-made instruments derived from

African string instruments

“Diddley-Bow” & “Cigar-box Guitar”

— The Diddley-Bow continued to act mainly as an entry-

level instrument in the 1900s for youth who may later graduate to a guitar.

— Electric Blues guitar great, Buddy Guy learned on a

home-made 2-string Diddley-Bow — The Cigar-Box Guitar became another affordable option

with extended possibilities

— The use of a glass or metal object as slide to alter the

pitch is commonly used

— Some artists have forged a career using a Diddley-Bow

• r Cigar box guitar as part of their repertoire such as:

—

Lonnie Pitchford

—

Seasick Steve

Blues Form develops

— The African characteristics were combined with the

influences drawn from the introduction to Western European/ White music:

— hymns sung in churches — influence of 3 chords into blues music — short verses equal in length

Cyclic Form

— Repeating progression of chords

— (eventually certain common progressions found)

— Call and response scheme commonly found in

African and African-American music.

Form: progressions

— Popular performer Bessie Smith, helped the widespread

use of the 12-bar blues form during the 1920s and 30s.

— 8 and 16-bar forms are also popular

— Eg. Ray Charles’ "Sweet 16 Bars.”

— Odd-bar numbers are found occasionally

— Eg. Walter Vinson’s "Sitting on Top of the World” is a 9-bar

progression

Form: The 12-Bar Blues framework

— Harmonic progression of 12 bars in a 4/4 or 12/8 time

signature.

— 3 different chords played over a 12-bar scheme.

— I - Tonic Chord — IV - Sub-Dominant — V – Dominant (turnaround)

— AAB Vocal (Question, Question, Answer) over the top.

12 Bar form

— Two of the first published blues songs,

— "Dallas Blues" (1912) – Hart Wand — "Saint Louis Blues" (1914) – WC Handy,

were 12-bar blues featuring the AAB structure.

Pentatonic & Blues Scales

— Blues often uses notes from the Pentatonic scale: — Frequent use of the:

— flattened third — flattened seventh — Even including the flattened fifth or tritone (between

Perfect 4th & 5th) in the melody. (Blues Scale).

Style

— The Shuffle rhythm combined with Walking bass and Call &

Response scheme creates a trance-like rhythm and groove.

— Many songs can even center around one chord or be based

around one main riff.

— Use of bent notes is also popular. — Lines are often sung following a pattern closer to a rhythmic

talk than to a melody.

Lyrics

— Often a ‘loose narrative’. — About personal woes in a world of harsh reality:

— a lost love — the cruelty of police officers — oppression at the hands of white folk — Troubles & hard times.

— Often contain elements of hope and the prospect of better

times ahead.

Lyrics

— Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Rising High Water

Blues" (1927) tells about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927:

"Backwater rising, Southern peoples can't make no time I said, backwater rising, Southern peoples can't make no time And I can't get no hearing from that Memphis girl of mine."

Lyrics

— Although not typically, lyrics could also be humorous

and raunchy as well: "Rebecca, Rebecca, get your big legs off of me,

Rebecca, Rebecca, get your big legs off of me, It may be sending you baby, but it's worrying the hell out

• f me."

From Big Joe Turner's "Rebecca”

Larger Influence

— The Blues form, progressions, scales, lyrical and

musical characteristics and ideas would influence many genres including;

— Jazz — Country — Rhythm and Blues — Rock ‘N’ Roll

Country Blues styles

— Hill-country and Piedmont Blues

— Less harmonic change, more percussive and drone heavy — Influence from and to European Folk and Country styles

— Delta Blues

— Greater harmonic change and rhythmic variation inc. the

shuffle beat

— Most influential on later Urban Blues styles and

Rock’N’Roll

— Common use of slide and rough and expressive vocals

Country Blues styles

— Hill-country and Piedmont Blues

— Sonny Terry — Brownie McGhee — Blind Willie McTell — Mississippi Fred McDowell — Mississippi John Hurt (Fingerpicking) — R.L. Burnside

— Delta Blues

— Charley Patton — Son House — Leadbelly — Robert Johnson — Memphis Minnie — Bukka White

Alan Lomax – Southern Prison music and Leadbelly

The Great MigraOon

1910-1940’s

— African-American southerners move to Northern

cities and Western cities including:

— Chicago — Detroit — New York — Kansas City — Los Angeles

— Formerly rural living communities have become

urbanised

The Great MigraOon

1910-1940’s

Post WW2:

Blues becomes Urban/Electric

— Former acoustic solo performers from the South gradually

become accompanied by other like-minded and influenced musicians in new tight knight communities in the big cities such as Chicago

— Amplification enters first as a requirement to help guitars and

vocals to be heard above drums and a busier environment

— A progressive opening of blues music

to a wider audience, especially white listeners follows

TransiOon to Urban Blues

(Chicago/ Electric Blues) 1940’s – 1960’s

— Developmental artists

— Muddy Waters — Howlin’ Wolf — John Lee Hooker — B.B. King — Buddy Guy — Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Sister Rose\a Tharpe

Howlin’ Wolf – Smokestack Lightning - Live

B.B. King - Live @ Sing Sing Prison, N.Y., 1972

Late 60’s – 70’s: Blues “Rocks”

— In the 1960s and 1970s, a hybrid form of Blues-Rock

evolved.

— Ironically, the Blues influence was brought back to the

USA after a host of bands from the “British Invasion” found inspiration in Chicago Blues as well as earlier, lesser known Delta musicians including;

— Robert Johnson — Mississippi John Hurt — Skip James — Son House — J.B. Lenoir

Late 60’s – 70’s: Blues “Rocks”

BriOsh Invasion bands

— Influence eminent with bands including:

— The Rolling Stones — The Beatles — The Animals — The Kinks — The Yardbirds — Led Zeppelin — Cream

— Eric Clapton was a catalyst

Cream – Live @ Royal Albert Hall

Reunion Concert - 2005

Late 60’s – 70’s: Blues “Rocks”

American Blues & Blues-Rock arOsts

— Influenced by the Original &British versions:

— Freddie King — Albert King — Johnny Winter — Bonnie Raitt — Ry Cooder — Janis Joplin — Jimi Hendrix — Aerosmith

Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company

Live at Monterey Pop FesOval 1967

Prominent arOsts: 80’s & 90’s

— Stevie Ray Vaughan — George Thorogood & the Destroyers — Gary Moore — Charlie Musselwhite — Corey Harris — Keb’ Mo — R.L. Burnside — Jon Spencer Blues Explosion — Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Live

Prominent Blues arOsts today

— Buddy Guy (80) — Joe Bonamassa — Beth Hart — Derek Trucks — Eric Gales — Ana Popovic — Seasick Steve — Jeff Lang (Aus) — Geoff Achison (Aus) — Ash Grunwald (Aus)

Seasick Steve - Live

Blues influenced Rock & Pop acts today

— The Rolling Stones (again) — Gary Clark Jnr. — The Black Keys — Jack White

— The White Stipes — The Racontuers — The Dead Weather

— John Mayer — Ben Harper — John Butler Trio (Aus)

The Rolling Stones – Blue & Lonesome – In the studio

Gary Clark Jnr. - Live

Instruments

Instruments

ProducOon

— Documenting what is already there as best as possible

• pposed to building the performance from behind the

desk.

— It is about the “musicians performance”. It is about

capturing:

— The interaction between musicians — The interaction between musicians and their instruments — The “feel”, “passion”, “emotion” — The magic in the room.

ProducOon

— Little use of effects and processing. — Capturing the sound of the instrument in that room. — Recording “Live” in the room. — Visual communication between musicians and even

engineer.

— Getting the performance out of the artist.

Joe Bonamassa Live in N.Y.