What makes blues different from other music?

The main features of blues include: specific chord progressions, a walking bass, call and response, dissonant harmonies, syncopation, melisma and flattened ‘blue’ notes. Blues is known for being microtonal, using pitches between the semitones defined by a piano keyboard.

What key is blues played in guitar?

The two most common keys in blues music are E and A. There are others, but these two keys are the most common.

What are some musical characteristics of the blues?

Metre, rhythm and tempo

• blues is usually in 4/4 time.
• there is syncopation to emphasise the weak beats.
• swing rhythms are heard- quavers are uneven and give a triplet feel to the beat.
• early blues music was very slow but got faster as the style developed.
• walking bass lends a steady rhythm to the music.

What type of guitar style is common in blues music?

Early blues music, as well as many subsequent styles, is often associated with acoustic guitar and vocals, with singers such as Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith widely recognised as pioneers in this style. Use of slide guitar is also synonymous with the style.

What rhythm is blues music Characterised by?

The blues form, ubiquitous in jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll, is characterized by the call-and-response pattern, the blues scale and specific chord progressions, of which the twelve-bar blues is the most common.

What key is best for blues?

The scales used most often for soloing in blues-influenced music are minor and major pentatonic. As its name implies, a pentatonic scale consists of five tones, as penta means ‘five’ and tonic means ‘tone’.

What makes a good blues guitar?

The Telecaster or Tele has more twang (high end) then the Stratocaster. It is better known as a country guitar but the Telecaster is also used as a Blues guitar. Telecasters are very bright and twangy, making them great guitars for intricate and technical licks, complex picking and country influenced Blues playing.

What guitar do most blues players play?

5 Of The Best Guitars For Blues

• Fender Strat.
• Gibson Les Paul.
• Gibson ES-335.
• PRS McCarty 594.
• Gibson SG.

What are the major elements of blues music?

Major Elements of Blues Music. Melody and Harmony. The harmony of blues music mainly focuses on the first, fourth and fifth chords of a combination. So, if the musical piece starts in the A chord, next chords will be fourth ‘D’ and fifth ‘E’ chords.

What are the basics of blues guitar chords?

As a musical form, it began and developed with little more than guitars and voices. While the blues take a lifetime to develop, the basics are simple enough for anyone to begin playing. Use the 12-bar blues chord progression as the backing of any blues song. This form is simply a guide for when to play certain chords.

How do you play a 12 bar blues guitar?

Playing the 12-Bar Blues Chords Use the 12-bar blues chord progression as the backing of any blues song. Alternate a big downstroke and a quick upstroke when strumming for a “shuffle” feel. Play an open E, the I chord, for four measures. Play open A (the IV chord) for two measures, return to then E for two measures.

What chords are in a blues shuffle?

The 12-bar blues is traditionally three chords, the I, IV, and V of a scale. In the case of the A minor blues scale, those chords are A, D, and E. However, to play a blues shuffle you won’t be strumming those chords as you know them.