The Blues Music and Its History

1. The Blues Music and Its History By Jenell Pearson, 8X1

2. How It All Started… Lets go all the way back to 18th and 19th centuries where the slave trade was around. The slave trade is a journey of when many people in Africa had to be taken away from their families and were shipped to America or Europe to be auctioned. But that’s not all. Life on the ship was very terrible for them as they suffered abuse and had to follow any orders that they were given whether they liked it or not. If they failed to do so, then they would receive a harsh punishment.

3. Where The Music Came From… Whilst being on the ship, the slaves suffered from knowing that they were not being treated equally. They then found a way of expressing unhappiness and the way of doing that was music. The most popular instrument they played was the drums. They played it with the palm of their hands, fingertips or sticks. Jaw bones were turned into percussion instruments by scraping the teeth with keys or metal objects. The instruments that were used were; drums, shakers and tambourines.

4. The Instruments That Were Played… During the slave trade there were a few instruments that were played. The instrument that was played most frequently was the drums. It was played with the palm of their hands, fingertips or with sticks. They also played tambourines, shakers and the fiddle.

5. The Musical Chords And Elements… A chord is two or more notes played together at the same time. The 12 Bar Blues are split into 3 sections; Arpeggio chord, melody line and scale improvisation. These 3 sections then make up the 12 Bar Blues. The term improvisation means making it up as you go along. It is important in blues music because in the 18th century they did not have any equipment to use.

6. The Blues Stars… There Were 5 Famous Blues Singers! Robert Johnson: Was from Mississippi Delta and was a passionate singer and brilliant guitarist. His music inspired many blues artists. Bessie Smith: She was a fantastic female singer. Her version of “St Louis Blues” was very emotional. Muddy Waters: Was very successful with his hit “I Cant Be Satisfied.” John Lee Hooker: He reached the charts in 1962. Eric Clapton: He helped spread Blues Music with mixture of songs.