| Blues music has its inclination to African-American | | | | The lyrics of the blues were based on repetition. |
| community of the USA. It is a kind of vocal or | | | | Each line was repeated four times. Currently, the lines |
| instrumental music which is generally based on blues | | | | are repeated once with a standard single line |
| notes. The concept aroused from the spirituality, | | | | conclusion. They are sung in the form of rhythmic |
| chants, work songs and ballads. The African influence | | | | talk than a melody. The Blues music has given great |
| is greatly felled in the notes and call-and-response | | | | artists like Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, John Lee |
| patterns of music and lyrics. The American and | | | | Hooker and Bessie Smith. The credit can be given to |
| Western music is more inclined to this music genre. It | | | | the hollers and calls without which this genre would |
| became the foundation stone for the different music | | | | not have evolved. It is based on the changing lives of |
| forms namely jazz, rhythm and blues, heavy metal, | | | | the post slavery era of African-Americans. The music |
| bluegrass and hip-hop. | | | | is quite popular amongst blacks and generally reflects |
| The blues mainly reflect the mood of the singer i.e. | | | | on the atrocities faced by the community. |
| depression, down hearted feeling or sadness. The | | | | More popularly considered as secular songs, the Blues |
| Blues word was used for the first time in George | | | | lyrics highlighted singer's inner shelf. Thus it was not |
| Colman's farce's 'Blue Devils'. It was in the 1912 that | | | | an innovative approach but simply a presentation of |
| Hart Wand's 'Dallas Blues' came and it was the first | | | | oneself. It describes the condition of African |
| Blues Music to describe the depressing mood. There | | | | Americans communities. It has descriptions related to |
| is common distinctiveness in the music genre. | | | | slaves' freedom, Booker T. Washington's teachings, |
| Showing the individual peculiar habits, the music | | | | and the famous Horatio Alger model, who once said |
| elements were earlier call-and-response shouts. They | | | | that man is the creator of his/her destiny. Lawrence |
| were just individual's performance with no harmony | | | | Levine stresses on the fact that national ideologies |
| or formal music structure. These pre-blues were | | | | affect the individual's behaviour and the blues music |
| simply a solo song with emotional touch. They were | | | | reflect this relationship. Blacks were badly treated |
| often heard in shouts and hollers. | | | | during the slavery era and were socially and |
| The present day music form has harmonic base and | | | | economically exploited. The secular songs reflect this |
| call-and-response format of African and European | | | | psychological oppression. |
| communities which gave new structure to the Blues. | | | | The music was earlier treated as folk blues and was |
| The voice and guitar were incorporated in the songs. | | | | sung during leisurely periods. These songs were |
| The elements reflected the songs of Africa. The | | | | mostly sung in shows and carnivals. Due to close |
| most common instruments, Diddley bow and Banjo | | | | contact with country singers, the blacks learned to |
| were used in the early music. The Diddley bow | | | | sing professional Blues which are often called classic |
| belonged to South America whereas the Banjo was | | | | blues. In the 20th century, African Americans |
| mostly used in Africa to increase the instrumental | | | | migrated and played the songs in Texas, Chicago, |
| vocabulary. | | | | Louisiana, New York, Arkansas and Detroit. Later the |
| With each passing days it adopted Ethiopian airs, | | | | classic blues singers introduced this genre to clubs, |
| Negro spirituality and minstrel shows together with | | | | vaudeville halls, and theaters with the help of New |
| instruments and rhythmic supplements. The blues are | | | | Orleans and Fast Western musicians. It was in 1895 |
| rewarded for preserving the melodic patterns of | | | | when George W. Johnson recorded the first blues |
| African music. The songs from this genre have | | | | song called "Laughing Song". The genre gained |
| distinct musical structure. The songs recorded by | | | | popularity in 1920 with Mamie Smith's evergreen |
| Lead Belly's and Henry Thomas reflected twelve- and | | | | songs namely "Crazy Blues" and "It's Right Here for |
| sixteen-bar structure with tonic, sub-dominant and | | | | You". Online music shop have varied array of latest |
| dominant chords. The modern form has 12-bar | | | | blues music for the fans. |
| structure with influence of sheet music. | | | | |