Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s not long after the American Civil war, at a time when the slave trade was most prolific.
It can be defined as a somber expression of sound and was often heard in the cotton fields and workhouses of slaves. Blues music contains lyrics that express a longing for someone, sorrow and suffering, a loss of someone/something or even a desire for something.
It can be defined as a somber expression of sound and was often heard in the cotton fields and workhouses of slaves. Blues music contains lyrics that express a longing for someone, sorrow and suffering, a loss of someone/something or even a desire for something.
Blues music was popularised by African American artists such as SON HOUSE, ROBERT JOHNSON, Leadbelly, Charlie Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Big Bill Broonzy, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Blues music has since become the basis for nearly every form of American popular music over the past 120 years including jazz, swing, rock and roll, rock, R&B, rap, country and hip-hop. Blues music and musicians influenced many white American mainstream artists such as ELVIS, the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton who brought the Blues to the masses.
The formation of blues music is based off a simple 3 chord format, enabling musicians of varying abilities to perform together. There are many styles of blues depending on what region the music formed, be it the Mississippi Delta, St Louis, Chicago, New Orleans, Kansas or Texas to name but a few.
Blues music has since become the basis for nearly every form of American popular music over the past 120 years including jazz, swing, rock and roll, rock, R&B, rap, country and hip-hop. Blues music and musicians influenced many white American mainstream artists such as ELVIS, the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton who brought the Blues to the masses.
The formation of blues music is based off a simple 3 chord format, enabling musicians of varying abilities to perform together. There are many styles of blues depending on what region the music formed, be it the Mississippi Delta, St Louis, Chicago, New Orleans, Kansas or Texas to name but a few.
The blues can also be categorised in the following genres:
Whilst there are so many techniques that define each of the above styles, we will attempt to incorporate a number of styles and blues techniques that can be easily transported to the ukulele to conclude in hours of fun. This documentary will tell you all you need to know about the blues, how they originated and the impact it's had on music since.
- Boogie Woogie blues: a more upbeat sound and commonly associated with dancing, made popular in the 1920s.
- The Electric Blues: blues music distinguished by the use of electric guitars and amplification.
- Country Blues: known to have formed out of the Deltas of Mississippi in the early 20th century, and was usually played with acoustic guitars, also known as Folk Blues or Backwood Blues.
- Blues-Rock: characterized by bluesy improvisation, the twelve-bar blues, extended boogie jams, and often a heavier, riff-oriented sound and feel to the songs than might be found in traditional Chicago-style blues.
Whilst there are so many techniques that define each of the above styles, we will attempt to incorporate a number of styles and blues techniques that can be easily transported to the ukulele to conclude in hours of fun. This documentary will tell you all you need to know about the blues, how they originated and the impact it's had on music since.