by: kevin03
Total views: 1
Word Count: 584

Ah, the blues. One of the most well known forms of music. There's no other music style quite like it, that has carried such an influence on other music styles and that has such a rich heritage. Surprisingly, though, the Blues isn't that difficult to play. The Blues as an oral tradition can be traced back to the mid 1800s, and finds its roots from Europe and Africa. However, the Blues as we know it today is purely an American style of music. It first began to be popularized in the early 1900s, with guys like WC Handy writing songs such as "Memphis Blues" & "St. Louis Blues." In the 1920s and 1930s, guitarists used slides from broken bottle necks to create the slide sound (which is something any guitarist should learn when wanting to play the Blues) and in the 1940s Big Band began to take over. This meant that guitars moved primarily into the rhythm section. Then, the 1950s arrived, where piano blues and guitar blues began to develop into rock and roll and other forms of music. This is also when amplifiers and electrified guitar music became more and more common. The Blues is primarily guitar and piano focused, but it can be played on other instruments too. To play the Blues, there are a few tips and tricks that can get you started quickly. Firstly, the Blues must be played with FEELING. It's a very less technical style, which you will especially find once you get used to a few progressions, chords and scales. Secondly, get comfy with a Blues rhythm when practicing (most blues is in 4/4 time signature.) Then, learn to play the Blues Scale and a Blues Progression, and you'll find yourself soon able to play the Blues with feeling and ease. Let's look at the Blues Scale. It's actually quite easy to play and works off the major scale. All it is, really, is the major scale with an added flattened 3rd, 5th and 7th. So, if you were playing in the key of C, the Blue Scale would look like this : C D Eb E F Gb G A Bb C. That's it. The scale is ideal for improvising over a blues progression, which you should also practice and learn to play. Typically, Blues progressions are done over 12 measures (bars) - which is why it is known as 12 bar blues. If you were playing in the key of C, for instance, you would play the first 4 bars in the root chord (C), the 5th and 6th bars in the 4th interval (F), the 7th and 8th bars back to the root note (C), the 9th and 10th bars in the 5th interval (G) and end off the last two bars in the root note again (C.) If you wanted to play chords over this progression, you would stick to dominant 7th chords- and to improvise you would just play the Blues Scale as above. Guitarists can add a few tricks - using a slide, or "wriggling" notes for some extra feeling. Blues has this marvelous ability of getting you addicted to it very quickly. It really is a unique style for jamming and improvising, and one song can carry on for (literally) hours. Not only that, but since other forms of music find their roots in the blues, learning to play the blues will increase your ability in those styles as well.

About the Author

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of MusicianHome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development. http://www.musicianhome.com/

---

View PDF | Print View

---

Rating: Not yet rated

--Choose-- 0 1 2 3 4 5

Comments

No comments posted.

Add Comment

You do not have permission to comment. If you log in, you may be able to comment.
Next Article - What Constitutes a Recording Contract?
Previous Article - Music Contracts 101 Part One: The Basics

More Related Articles In This Category

1: Jazz It Up in Majorca
2: Bob Marley Posters, Music, Art, Humanity And Soul
3: News From The World Of Music Downloads
4: Ukulele Chords: Learn To Play Chord Changes
5: Hip Hop Beats Can Help An Artist Stand Out - Get Rap beats Instrumentals Like The Major Labels Do
6: Everything You Should Know About USB Turntables
7: Bob Marley Posters To Music To Artistry
8: The 14th Century Instrument The Sackbut
9: How To Make The Most Of Your Budget For DJ Equipment
10: The Sliding Jazzy Music of the Trombone
11: The Ancient Brass Instrument The Cornett
12: The Slithering Shape of the Instrument The Serpent
13: The Unsual French Instrument The Saxhorn
14: The Differences Between a Tuba and Sousaphone
15: The Foundation Of A Band, The Acoustic Bass Guitar
16: Improve Your Health Through Relaxation Music
17: 3 Tips to Consider for Hiring Piano Movers
18: Music On Your Wedding Day
19: Can You Feel the Beat of the Drum
20: The Magic Of The Rolling Stones
21: The Fantastic Music World of Stevie Wonder
22: Drums - Do You Know Everything About It?
23: The Wonders of Woodwind Instruments
24: The High Pitched Beauty of the Flute
25: The Bluesy Sounds of the Bass Saxophone

---

For WebMasters

Link This Article - HTML Code -

<a href="http://americanahost.com/articles/Music/how-to-play-the-blues.html" target=_blank>How To Play the Blues</a>

Link This Article - BBcode -

[url=http://americanahost.com/articles/Music/how-to-play-the-blues.html]How To Play the Blues[/url]

Copy This HTML Code To Put This Article In Your Web Site.

<h1>How To Play the Blues</h1><br><br> <br><br> Ah, the blues. One of the most well known forms of music. There's no other music style quite like it, that has carried such an influence on other music styles and that has such a rich heritage. Surprisingly, though, the Blues isn't that difficult to play. The Blues as an oral tradition can be traced back to the mid 1800s, and finds its roots from Europe and Africa. However, the Blues as we know it today is purely an American style of music. It first began to be popularized in the early 1900s, with guys like WC Handy writing songs such as "Memphis Blues" & "St. Louis Blues." In the 1920s and 1930s, guitarists used slides from broken bottle necks to create the slide sound (which is something any guitarist should learn when wanting to play the Blues) and in the 1940s Big Band began to take over. This meant that guitars moved primarily into the rhythm section. Then, the 1950s arrived, where piano blues and guitar blues began to develop into rock and roll and other forms of music. This is also when amplifiers and electrified guitar music became more and more common. The Blues is primarily guitar and piano focused, but it can be played on other instruments too. To play the Blues, there are a few tips and tricks that can get you started quickly. Firstly, the Blues must be played with FEELING. It's a very less technical style, which you will especially find once you get used to a few progressions, chords and scales. Secondly, get comfy with a Blues rhythm when practicing (most blues is in 4/4 time signature.) Then, learn to play the Blues Scale and a Blues Progression, and you'll find yourself soon able to play the Blues with feeling and ease. Let's look at the Blues Scale. It's actually quite easy to play and works off the major scale. All it is, really, is the major scale with an added flattened 3rd, 5th and 7th. So, if you were playing in the key of C, the Blue Scale would look like this : C D Eb E F Gb G A Bb C. That's it. The scale is ideal for improvising over a blues progression, which you should also practice and learn to play. Typically, Blues progressions are done over 12 measures (bars) - which is why it is known as 12 bar blues. If you were playing in the key of C, for instance, you would play the first 4 bars in the root chord (C), the 5th and 6th bars in the 4th interval (F), the 7th and 8th bars back to the root note (C), the 9th and 10th bars in the 5th interval (G) and end off the last two bars in the root note again (C.) If you wanted to play chords over this progression, you would stick to dominant 7th chords- and to improvise you would just play the Blues Scale as above. Guitarists can add a few tricks - using a slide, or "wriggling" notes for some extra feeling. Blues has this marvelous ability of getting you addicted to it very quickly. It really is a unique style for jamming and improvising, and one song can carry on for (literally) hours. Not only that, but since other forms of music find their roots in the blues, learning to play the blues will increase your ability in those styles as well.<br><br> <h3>About The Author</h3> Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of MusicianHome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development. http://www.musicianhome.com/<br><br> Keywords: <b>play the blues, music, musician, play music, blues scale, 12 bar blues, guitar, piano</b> <br><br>Article Source : <a href="http://americanahost.com/articles"><b>Articles Directory</b></a></br> Article URL : <a href="http://americanahost.com/articles/Music/how-to-play-the-blues.html" target=_blank>How To Play the Blues</a></br> Article Category : <a href="http://americanahost.com/articles/Music/">Music</a></br> Article Author : <a href="http://americanahost.com/articles/profile/kevin03-9.html">kevin03</a>

---

Article URL : How To Play the Blues
Article Category : Music
Article Author : kevin03