The Blues

John Grealish

Early Blues

Discussion
Where does Blues music
come from?
Who are some great blues
musicians you know of?

Origins of
the Blues
Blues music was born
in the American South
in the late 1800s. It
was originally conceived as work songs
and chants made up
on plantations by
slaves. Each different
area had a specific
style of blues music
that was unique to it.
Such styles include
the Mississippi Delta
blues, Texas blues,
and Louisiana jazz
blues.

G ALLERY 1.1

Some of the most famous blues

musicians include:
Robert Johnson: considered the
father of blues music, came from
Mississippi and took blues music
into the mainstream.
Blind Lemon Jefferson: Came
from Texas and is a pioneer of
Texas Blues
John Lee Hooker: Mississippi
Blues guitarist who moves to Detroit and achieved huge success.

Robert Johnson

Muddy Waters: Born in Mississippi and moved to Chicago and

became a pioneer of Chicago
Blues which was very similar to
Delta Blues.

Section 2

Instrumentation

would create a call and response between their singing and playing a line on the harmonica.

One way that different styles of blues are defined is the various
instruments that are unique to each style.

Later blues styles such as the Boogie-Woogie and cool blues incorporated the piano into their songs, which is also a characteristic of Jazz music.

The most important and most common part of all blues music is
the vocals, as early styles didnt have any instrumentation at all
mostly because there were no instruments available to them.
Blues music is defined by the character and content of the
words, and the emotions and stories told within them. Most
blues songs tell stories of heartbreak and hard times, and quite
literally having the blues.

I NTERACTIVE 1.1 Guitar

Sound Hole

Neck

Guitar is the most common instrument in blues music and is

characteristic of blues in almost every style. Many blues musicians were actually solo artists that sang and accompanied
themselves on guitar. Early Mississippi blues used the acoustic
guitar exclusively, but later on in Chicago and Texas blues the
electric guitar was introduced. This led to artists like Stevie Ray
Vaughn to demonstrate solo technique and take the music to a
different level.
In Texas blues, a common thing to find was the incorporation of
the harmonica to accompany the guitar and voice. Harmonica
is a huge part of the characteristic blues sound, as singers

Body

Musical Form

Discussion
What does Blues music
Sound like?
What chords are used in
blues music?

Section 1

12 Bar Blues

G ALLERY 2.1

The most common form used in blues music is the

12 bar blues. This is a simple musical form that usually only uses 3 different chords, the I, IV and V.
The majority of blues songs ever written, especially
early blues music is created using this musical form.
This form is ideal for the guitar, which makes a lot of
sense because of the guitars status as the predominant instrument in the style. It allows guitarists to
use open voicings, which is more accessible for
less skilled guitarists.
Whatd I Say by Ray Charles is a great example of a
12 bar blues.

The 12 Bar Blues form.

A UDIO 2.1 Whatd I Say

Stormy Monday
T Bone Walker
G ALLERY 2.2 T Bone Walker

Click on the link and listen to the song, Stormy Monday by T-Bone Walker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAPDJheC0Jk
T-Bone Walkers song, Stormy Monday is one of the most well known
blues songs ever written. It is a great example of blues music, as it is great
example of 12 bar blues song form and blues lyrics.
The lyrics have many components of a blues song such as repetition, love,
and everyday troubles. Most blues songs like this are written about tough
times and struggles with love.
Lyrics:
They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad
They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad
Wednesday's worse, and Thursday's also sad
Yes the eagle flies on Friday, and Saturday I go out to play
Eagle flies on Friday, and Saturday I go out to play
Sunday I go to church, then I kneel down and pray

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do
tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Lord have mercy, my heart's in misery

Crazy about my baby, yes, send her back to me
7

R EVIEW 2.1
Question 1 of 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=99&v=VAPDJheC0Jk
Which of the following musicians is considered the father of Blues Music?

Listen to the Song, Stormy Monday by T-Bone Walker, and

listen for things such as lyrics in the blues style and blues form.

A. Robert Johnson
B. Muddy Waters
C. Blind Lemon Jeerson
D. John Lee Hooker

Check Answer

Works Cited

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-brief-history-of-the-blues-by-ed-kopp.php
http://www.robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org/biography
http://www.biography.com/people/blind-lemon-jefferson-41017#!
http://www.johnleehooker.com/
http://www.biography.com/people/muddy-waters-9525002#synopsis
Whatd I Say - Ray Charles
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/t/t+bone+walker/call+it+stormy+monday_20169179.html

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