Blues is about tradition and personal expression serving as an example for feeling, mood, and musical language and phrasing. One could have the blues by feeling down or one could sing and play blues as an expression.
Blues and blues music is a musical genre that has its basis in what is called blue notes and blues chord progressions. A blue note is a note that is played or sung at a slightly lower pitch than a major scale note. Usually a semitone lower but it varies. In other words, the note is flattened. Typical blues uses flattened third notes, fifths, and seventh notes. Nearly all blues feature simple, usually three-chord, progressions and have simple structures that are open to endless improvisations, both lyrical and musically.
The blues most likely had their origin in songs of lament in the days of slavery in the south. An expression of an emotion, or of emotions in the classic blues pattern, sung with an instrumental accompaniment. This melody consists of 12 bars, usually in 4/4 time, broken up into three units of four bars each. The first phrase is built on the tonic chord, the second on the subdominant, the third on the dominant seventh. Contemporary country blues is the field holler or cry which is a bit of a yodel, half sung, half yelled.
Another element of blues music is known as call-and response or call-and answer. This is accomplished by usually playing a chord progression that has an unresolved dominant. Immediately following the unresolved dominant is the response or answer to the unresolved note.
It should be noted that this call-and response pattern can be accomplished by musical notes and sung notes, and vise-versa. For example, a lead guitar player could play a musical statement as a call and the chorus responds by singing an answer.
The blues artists we especially like include Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Lee Burnside, Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Bill Broonzy, Rev. Gary Davis, and many others from the Delta regions of the deep south.
Blues guitarists include everyone from Eric Clapton and Duane Allman to Buddy Guy and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame plus many others.
So if you are looking for Blues music, or Rock 'n' Roll, perhaps some Rhythm and Blues, or just plain Rock? Well RumbleSound has the music you're looking for.
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