Blues guitar playing
Encyclopedia
Blues guitar playing is an instrumental technique which is used to accompany the singing of blues
music. It often incorporates the use of a slide guitar
technique
.
is based on west African tonal scales
, harmonies and rhythms, brought to America by slaves. After emancipation the former slaves and their descendants continued to improvise and build on the original style, carrying it to large urban centers of the north including New York
, Chicago
and Saint Louis
where it continued to grow and change. Around the beginning of the 20th century, a trumpeter from Alabama named W.C. Handy, now known as the "Father of the Blues", was the first to gain public attention playing it.
Guitar blues style, often known as downhome blues
, as played by Leadbelly
, R. L. Burnside
and Junior Kimbrough
, remained true to its origin as the more orchestral urban varieties blended with jazz
and R&B. Blues could be about anything: a woman, something they enjoy doing, or just, how they're feeling.
Many early guitarists such as T. Bone Walker and Robert Johnson rapidly gained popularity, and by 1920, blues became one of the most listened to musical genres. It lost audience to jazz and other styles in the 30's, returning to popular attention in the 50's and 60's with the creation of blues-rock
. Blues-rock combined old blues solos with newer popular rock elements. Some early blues-rock guitarists were Jimi Hendrix
, Lonnie Mack
, Michael Bloomfield
, Eric Clapton
and many others.
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
music. It often incorporates the use of a slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
technique
Slide (guitar technique)
A slide is a legato guitar technique where the player sounds one note, and then moves their finger up or down the fretboard to another fret. If done properly, the other note should also sound....
.
History of the blues
BluesBlues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
is based on west African tonal scales
Pentatonic scale
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave in contrast to a heptatonic scale such as the major scale and minor scale...
, harmonies and rhythms, brought to America by slaves. After emancipation the former slaves and their descendants continued to improvise and build on the original style, carrying it to large urban centers of the north including New York
New York blues
The New York blues is a type of blues music, characterized by significant jazz influences and a more modernized, urban feel than the country blues...
, Chicago
Chicago blues
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois, by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues, making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier, and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums,...
and Saint Louis
St. Louis Blues (music)
"St. Louis Blues" is an American popular song composed by W. C. Handy in the blues style. It remains a fundamental part of jazz musicians' repertoire. It was also one of the first blues songs to succeed as a pop song. It has been performed by numerous musicians of all styles from Louis Armstrong...
where it continued to grow and change. Around the beginning of the 20th century, a trumpeter from Alabama named W.C. Handy, now known as the "Father of the Blues", was the first to gain public attention playing it.
Guitar blues style, often known as downhome blues
Country blues
Country blues is a general term that refers to all the acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues. It often incorporated elements of rural gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and dixieland jazz...
, as played by Leadbelly
Leadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
, R. L. Burnside
R. L. Burnside
Not to be confused with R. H. Burnside, stage director.R. L. Burnside , born Robert Lee Burnside, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist who lived much of his life in and around Holly Springs, Mississippi. He played music for much of his life, but did not receive much attention...
and Junior Kimbrough
Junior Kimbrough
David "Junior" Kimbrough was an American blues musician. His best known work included "Keep Your Hands Off Her" and "All Night Long". Music journalist Tony Russell stated "his raw, repetitive style suggests an archaic forebear of John Lee Hooker, a character his music shares with that of fellow...
, remained true to its origin as the more orchestral urban varieties blended with jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and R&B. Blues could be about anything: a woman, something they enjoy doing, or just, how they're feeling.
Many early guitarists such as T. Bone Walker and Robert Johnson rapidly gained popularity, and by 1920, blues became one of the most listened to musical genres. It lost audience to jazz and other styles in the 30's, returning to popular attention in the 50's and 60's with the creation of blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
. Blues-rock combined old blues solos with newer popular rock elements. Some early blues-rock guitarists were Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Lonnie Mack
Lonnie Mack
Lonnie Mack is an American rock, blues and country guitarist and vocalist....
, Michael Bloomfield
Michael Bloomfield
Michael Bloomfield may refer to:* Michael J. Bloomfield, astronaut* Mike Bloomfield, guitarist...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and many others.
See also
- BluesBluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
- Folk musicFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
- Guitar tuningsGuitar tuningsGuitar tunings almost always refers to the pitch of the open string, though some tunings may only realistically be attained by the use of a capo on an unmodified instrument....
- Guitar showmanship
- Stringed instrument tuningsStringed instrument tuningsThis is a list of tunings for stringed musical instruments. Strings or courses are listed from low to high pitch, reading from left to right facing the front of the instrument standing vertically...