The Blues: A History

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Early forms of the blues evolved in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, using simple instruments such as acoustic guitar, piano, and harmonica. Songs came with many different structures, although the twelve, eight, or four bar structure based on tonic (I), subdominant (IV), and dominant (V) chords became predominant. Melodically, blues music is marked by the use of the lowered third/fifth and dominant seventh (so-called blue notes) of the associated major scale. The following is an interview of Dr. Carl Farinelli conducted at the Farinelli-Sage Music Shop on 10-21-2004 at 11:00 CST by Michael Sage. This interview gives a great explanation of blues terminology and the notes and rhythms of the blues. Blues Third The European ear is used to hearing a major third in a major scale. To hear this, go to any instrument and play the notes C, D, and E or just sing do, re, mi. The European ear is also used to a minor third which is played the same except E is played a half step lower(Eb) or sung as me(pronounced may). On a piano this would be the black key located between the D and E notes. However, the African ear heard things a little differently than the European ear so to the African ear didn't care if it was major or minor because the afr ear would bend the minor third up to a major third or visa versa. In other ex you might even hear the second or re slurred up to the a minor or major third it is this fluidity of the blue third that often defies explaination. it would be a mistake to limit it to just the minor third. Because the African ear is much more open than that. Blues Fifth The same kind of fluidity that the Africans used with the third is also heard on the fifth tone. In a European major scale one would play/sing the following intervals. C,D,E,F,G or do re mi fa so. If you start on a C note on the Piano play five white notes in a row and you will be able to hear this. However in the blues, one might play the diminished fifth (Gb) or black note between F and G. Whether the chord being played behind it was a C,C7, Cmin, Cmin7, or even a Cdim. chord. Once again, the blues singer/player might bend or slur this note from the diminished fifth up to a perfect fifth. this fluidity could even be extended to play the fourth up to a dim. fifth or even a perfect fifth. Blues Seventh Another note that the blues singer or instrumentalist will use is the flat Seventh. For those of you with a little musical background I will give you a technical explanation but don't worry, whether you understand this explanation or not, you will be able to hear the explanation in the examples. In European music this note occurs naturally with the V chord(the dominant 7th). However, in the blues the flat Seventh is often used with the tonic (I chord), subdominant (IV), as well as the dominant (V chord). The following is a written example of the twelve bar blues. C - Woke up this morning with the F - C - C7 - blues down in my soul F - Woke up this morning with the F7 - C - - - blues down in my soul C - C7 - Woke up this morning with the blues in my soul F - Saying "My baby gone and left me, got a F7 - heart black as coal" C - Woke up this morning with the G G7 C - G7 - blues down in my soul

Click here to listen to examples of the Blue third, fifth, and seventh note.