Rhythm and Blues

Jim Bodine asked:


Beginners Blues guitar lessons are ideal, if you’re just starting out learning to play the guitar. If you are reading this article then you are proably intrested in learning blues guitar. There is nothing like being able to strum some cool Blues guitar riffs. Blues is an incredible genre of music.

At the heart and soul of most Blues songs is the guitar. If you’re just starting to learn to play, or always wanted to play the Blues, you have to remember one thing: Even the most skilled Blues guitar players were novices themselves at one time or another.

This is usually one of the simplest forms of music that has played a huge part in the evolution of other genres that are popular in today’s culture. The origin of Blues is thought to have began somewhere between 1870-1900.

The Blues peaked in popularity in the 1960’s. Back then it was one of the most cherished and loved music genres.  Blues paved the way for many other genres of music. When something becomes loved, its inevitable that it evolves and changes. Creative people, like musicians, often will take something and add their own style or flavor to it. That’s exactly what happened to the Blues.

Blues is often given credit for giving birth to the following genres of music: Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Bluegrass, and Rock and Roll. Blues is still alive and well. Blues music just doesn’t enjoy the same popularity it once did at its height. Even if Blues itself isn’t as popular, the genres that evolved from it are. You can still get a taste of Blues in some hit songs. Blues will never truly die.

Blues is mainly played with a guitar which makes the music all the more appealing to people who want to play guitar. For amateurs, there are many ways to learn how to play this type of music and one of them is by taking a beginners Blues guitar course. You will most likely learn what exactly Blues is. How it stands out from all the other genres. Most important, how it is successfully played on the guitar. 

You can try to learn Blues songs on your own. However, your time would be better spent if you had the proper instruction.  You’ll sound a lot better and learn more quickly if you take some beginners Blues guitar lessons. 

Considered as one of the most influential genres of music, Blues has contributed much to the success of most genres while retaining its identity as the one that started it all. If you’re a fan of blues who wants to relive those good old days, then a beginners Blues guitar system may just be right for you. As you can see, because Blues influenced so many other types of music, if you can master playing Blues music on your guitar, you’ll more easily be able to play other genres.



ANDREW

Christopher Buckley asked:


It is not that easy to pull out a definition of blues. You can tell that Robert Johnsons’ Rambling on My Mind or B.B. King’s Everyday I Have the Blues is definitely blues, but what about van Halen, Al Di Meola or Pavarotti’s songs?

Of course, you could define the blues by the call-response structure, the dominant 7th chords, the shuffle rhythm, the I-IV-V progression and things like these, but the most complete definition is one that Eric Clapton himself gave to blues music in an interview in 1998:

My definition of Blues is that it’s a musical form which is very disciplined and structured coupled with a state of mind, and you can have either of those things but it’s the two together that make it what it is. And you need to be a student for one, and a human being for the other, but those things alone don’t do it. (Eric Clapton, 1998)

The Blues History

There are many books on the history of blues. It was born in the 20th century’s Mississippi Delta in the U.S., short after the Civil War. This music style was played by slaves and white people referred to it as sorrow songs, plantation songs or workaday songs. The term blues was used for the first time around 1925.

It is believed that the band leader William Christopher Handy was the one to write the first blues songs in 1909, which was later printed and documented. The song was initially called Memphis Blues and got the name of Mister Crump later. He got his inspiration from a blues song he heard in the Mississippi railway station six years earlier. W.C. Handy wrote other songs too, such as Beale Street Blues or St. Louis Blues and nowadays there’s a blues award named after him - the W.C. Handy Award.

What Do You Need To Learn To Play Blues Guitar?

In order to learn to play blues guitar, there are a few things you need. First of all, you need to own an electric or acoustic guitar with strings made from other than nylon in standard tuning. You also need to know how to read tablature, as well as have some basic guitar knowledge and know how to play a few chords.

You also need some Eric Clapton CDs with blues classics, such as Blues Breakers, From the Cradle or Eric Clapton Unplugged and a good CD player with an auto-repeat shuffle. There’s also a plug-in for Winamp you can use to slow down music. A small chord book you can find in any guitar shop is also handy. But most importantly, in order to learn to play blues guitar, you need some good ears.

If you already have some basic guitar knowledge, you can learn to play blues guitar on your own, with the aid of a simple chord book. However, finding a blues guitar teacher who is willing to help you learn to play blues guitar in your area is definitely a good thing. If you have the time and money to take up private lessons, this will probably help improving your guitar playing skills.



SEAN

Kristin Gabriel asked:


A circadian clock is in every cell of the body, measuring one spin of the planet. From bacteria to blue whales, to humans, the whole universe is all about timing. The moon provides more light when it is full and when the new moon ends, every twenty-eight days females bleed with what has come to be known as their period.

Researching for her book, “Sex, Lies, and Menopause: The Shocking Truth About Synthetic Hormones and the Benefits of Natural Alternatives.S. Wiley asked a question… What if hormone replacement therapy was made of real bio-identical hormones, dosed like the ups and downs of the hormone blood levels in the menstrual cycle of a 20 year-old woman, would the disease states of aging and symptoms decline?

It was an interesting thought, and to the surprise of many, the logic makes sense. Perhaps it was the rhythm that was always missing in other hormone replacement regimens. Here’s why. Natural hormones are not bio-identical hormones unless a person’s body can recognize them as hormones. Natural hormones are not considered replacement unless you really replace what has been lost. A natural hormone can’t be bio-identical unless it replaces precisely the “natural” rhythmic levels of someone’s own estrogen and progesterone.

Doctors who want to prescribe natural hormones but who aren’t familiar with the fact that hormones should mimic natural hormone rhythms will merely prescribe natural hormones in the same way they prescribe synthetics. The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) has already found that standard to be dangerous. What if it is not just the synthetic hormone molecules that are not safe? What if it’s really the missing rhythm that matters?

All this research led to the development of a product that thousands of women are now taking. Funding for research is on the way. This multi-phasic physiologic dosing will be part of a new study called Bioidentical Hormones On Trial, or B.H.O.T., a comparison of patterns of administration and dosing of compounded bio-identical hormone therapy (BHT). It will be the first study of its kind to track and quantify outcomes based on dosing and patterns of administration of BHT. The principal objective of the study will be to examine clinical outcomes and quality of life indicators of patients receiving BHT at 10 to 12 primary care provider’s practices.

Wiley Protocol user, Caren, said this: “At the time I heard about this new protocol I was just 52, still cycling with horrendous cramps and hemmoraghing type periods. I had not slept in seven years and had gained 50 pounds since peri-menopause. I was emotionally crazed times and my knees hurt so bad that I couldn’t kneel. I was taking what’s known as homeopathic hormone creams. uly amazing resource. Susie and I talked in depth, I went to my doctor, and apparently my symptoms during my periods were that of fibroids. I started the Wiley Protocol in January of 2004, and 28 days later, I had my first “normal” period in many years. There were no more cramps, and I felt emotionally more stable, less weepy, plus I started sleeping through the night. Then my knees stopped hurting and I have since lost the weight. It has been four years and the fibroids are gone.”

There are hundreds of women who can say this now about their experiences on this protocol.



RUBY

Sam Bateman asked:


Many individuals who want to learn the guitar do so because of a guitar virtuoso they admire. Guitar enthusiasts who want to learn to play the blues often think of stars such as B.B. King. These guitar players, much like the professionals they look up to, want to play music with soul and a distinct sound that still gives room for improvisation. That’s why the blues guitar is an ever-growing and hot genre of music to learn – playing the blues gives a musician more freedom and mobility on a guitar.

Teaching yourself to play the blues guitar isn’t impossible. In fact, it is far from it. The chords involved and the styles demanded from blues players doesn’t require one to spend years in school just to master a piece. The blues guitar is derived from different cultures on different continents putting their instruments together to form an amazing mixture of soul and sound. The Latin guitar from Europe and different forms of the banjo and guitar from the Middle East and Africa gave American designers something new to work with. It allowed them to mix different types of strings on different body styles, the result being the modern blues guitar.

Learning to play this style of guitar can be done by looking at the multitude of information available online. Blues guitar software and courses designed with blues in mind are plenty. Sometimes all the advice that you gather will give you a solid foundation to actually attempt some melodies. But, finding a website or selection of software that meets your own learning needs might take some time. Look through your options carefully and decide which program or style you like best. Then, go for it. You will begin to see improvements in your playing within two weeks to a month. Just training your fingers to hold, switch, and strum to different chords each day will help significantly.

Oftentimes, those who learn to play blues on the guitar simply want to enhance their musical-playing portfolio. Famous guitarists, such as Albert Collins, and Stevie Vaughan were both able to incorporate blues music into their performances. By creating unique rhythms and sounds, they were able to keep their audience in awe of their inspirational repertoires.

When learning blues, apply many of the same rules that you would when learning any other style or genre of music. This means that you not only have to play often in order that your mind retains what you are learning, but push yourself a little further each session. Always try to get that chord progression down, switching from one to the other, even if you have to move through different frets. Try practicing a song that you enjoy and want to memorize. While you will have to first learn the chords that make up the song, give the song a try and play along. With a CD, you can always pause and replay certain sections of music without difficulty. This method can be used to keep yourself inspired. Nothing is more satisfying than finding out that you too can play great blues music on the guitar. All it takes is dedication, practice, and an open mind.



ROSANNA

Phoenix Delray asked:


Memphis blues music has a very rich and interesting history that is packed with many of the biggest names in American music. Created in the 1920s and 1930s, Memphis blues music was created by musicians that lived in the area, like Furry Lewis, Frank Stokes, John Estes and Memphis Minnie. At first, it was only popular in vaudeville and medicine shows, but soon it quickly grew to capture the interest of the entire nation.

Memphis blues music really got its start on Beale Street, the place where the nightlife and culture of Memphis was (and still is). There have been several books written, dedicated only to Memphis blues music and Beale Street, including Goin Back to Memphis by James L. Dickerson, which came out in the year 2000.

Memphis blues music gained a lot of popularity very fast, largely in part to its unique sound. Because many of the musicians were poor and could not afford to buy traditional instruments, they were forced to improvise using household items that were previously not known for their sound producing capabilities. For example, washboards, kazoos and Jews harps were all prevalent in early Memphis blues music.

Quite possibly the most unique and frequently used odd instruments found in Memphis blues music is the jug. To replace the sound that an expensive bass guitar would make, people would blow into various sized jugs to create a deep and hollow sound. Of course, some of the people in Memphis blues music were able to get their hands on traditional instruments such as violins, banjos and mandolins.

Memphis blues music never really featured any electric instruments until after World War II, when Memphis blues music musicians slowly started buying and using them. Memphis blues music also started to transform itself as new musicians came onto the Memphis scene. This is because many African Americans started to migrate away from impoverished rural areas in search of cities and good jobs. Among those making the trek to Memphis were Willie Nix, Ike Turner, Howlin Wolf and B.B. King.

Still, Memphis blues music remained confined to the area of Memphis. That is, until Sun Records took an interest in Memphis blues music and started signing local artists as fast as they could. Eventually, Memphis blues music would go on to influence rock and roll, modern jazz and rhythm and blues music, and has been cited by several famous musicians in their songs.



KRISTI

Alden Jerry asked:


Blues music has its inclination to African-American community of the USA. It is a kind of vocal or instrumental music which is generally based on blues notes. The concept aroused from the spirituality, chants, work songs and ballads. The African influence is greatly felled in the notes and call-and-response patterns of music and lyrics. The American and Western music is more inclined to this music genre. It became the foundation stone for the different music forms namely jazz, rhythm and blues, heavy metal, bluegrass and hip-hop. The blues mainly reflect the mood of the singer i.e. depression, down hearted feeling or sadness. The Blues word was used for the first time in George Colman’s farce’s ‘Blue Devils’. It was in the 1912 that Hart Wand’s ‘Dallas Blues’ came and it was the first Blues Music to describe the depressing mood. There is common distinctiveness in the music genre. Showing the individual peculiar habits, the music elements were earlier call-and-response shouts. They were just individual’s performance with no harmony or formal music structure. These pre-blues were simply a solo song with emotional touch. They were often heard in shouts and hollers.

The present day music form has harmonic base and call-and-response format of African and European communities which gave new structure to the Blues. The voice and guitar were incorporated in the songs. The elements reflected the songs of Africa. The most common instruments, Diddley bow and Banjo were used in the early music. The Diddley bow belonged to South America whereas the Banjo was mostly used in Africa to increase the instrumental vocabulary. With each passing days it adopted Ethiopian airs, Negro spirituality and minstrel shows together with instruments and rhythmic supplements. The blues are rewarded for preserving the melodic patterns of African music. The songs from this genre have distinct musical structure. The songs recorded by Lead Belly’s and Henry Thomas reflected twelve- and sixteen-bar structure with tonic, sub-dominant and dominant chords. The modern form has 12-bar structure with influence of sheet music.

The lyrics of the blues were based on repetition. Each line was repeated four times. Currently, the lines are repeated once with a standard single line conclusion. They are sung in the form of rhythmic talk than a melody. The Blues music has given great artists like Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker and Bessie Smith. The credit can be given to the hollers and calls without which this genre would not have evolved. It is based on the changing lives of the post slavery era of African-Americans. The music is quite popular amongst blacks and generally reflects on the atrocities faced by the community.

More popularly considered as secular songs, the Blues lyrics highlighted singer’s inner shelf. Thus it was not an innovative approach but simply a presentation of oneself. It describes the condition of African Americans communities. It has descriptions related to slaves’ freedom, Booker T. Washington’s teachings, and the famous Horatio Alger model, who once said that man is the creator of his/her destiny. Lawrence Levine stresses on the fact that national ideologies affect the individual’s behaviour and the blues music reflect this relationship. Blacks were badly treated during the slavery era and were socially and economically exploited. The secular songs reflect this psychological oppression.

The music was earlier treated as folk blues and was sung during leisurely periods. These songs were mostly sung in shows and carnivals. Due to close contact with country singers, the blacks learned to sing professional Blues which are often called classic blues. In the 20th century, African Americans migrated and played the songs in Texas, Chicago, Louisiana, New York, Arkansas and Detroit. Later the classic blues singers introduced this genre to clubs, vaudeville halls, and theaters with the help of New Orleans and Fast Western musicians. It was in 1895 when George W. Johnson recorded the first blues song called “Laughing Song”. The genre gained popularity in 1920 with Mamie Smith’s evergreen songs namely “Crazy Blues” and “It’s Right Here for You”. Online music shop have varied array of latest blues music for the fans.



CRISTOBAL

Jayshree Shah asked:


Rock Music enjoys continued popularity since last fifty years. It is, by far, the best selling music among all genres and forms. That clearly shows its popularity through out the world including U.S.A, U.K, Germany, France, and Australia. It enjoys great popularity in Asia, Africa and Americas as well.

It was born as Rock and Roll in 1950s. It was a fusion form of Rhythm & Blues, Country and other popular forms. It became instant hit across the United States of America. Bo Didley and Chuck Berry were the early rock artists. Little Richards and Fats Domino were also popular. It was widely accepted as popular form of music and spread to Britain and other countries.

Its spread to United Kingdom was fast and swift. Cliff Richards and John Lennon were the early artists. Both of them achieved great success. John Lennon later formed the legendary ‘The Beatles’. It enjoys great popularity even today. The Rolling Stones also achieved international success.

Cream, Judas Priest, Bon Jovi, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and Pink Floyd among many others dominated the Heavy Metal genre of rock. U2, R.E.M, Sex Pistols, Devo, and Pattie Smith served the Punk rock as well. Madonna and Mariah Carey achieved great successs in soft rock area. Songs of all famous artists are available as mp3 music downloads also.

With fusion with other forms, many sub genres became popular. Christian rock, Classic rock, Garage, Glam, Grunge rocks are the chief ones.

Dance Music also became very popular along with rock. It is electronic music with dance beats. Important forms are House, Electronica, Trance and Disco. It is usually played at discos and night clubs. Now, it is played at parties, functions and gatherings also. As the name itself implies, it creates great dancing atmosphere.

Copyright @ 2008 Jayshree Shah



DIANE

Andreas Wahlstedt asked:


So, you want to learn how to play the blues? Feeling down and out, and just want to make your guitar wail? Learning the basics of the blues is easy! You just need to understand the most common key signatures, chord progressions and riffs used in the genre.

Let’s start with key signatures. You can, of course, play blues music in any key you choose. However, the most common keys used in blues are the key of E and the key of A, both in the ‘open’ position.

Why?

Think about the stereotypical blues sound for a moment: duh-da-duh-da-duh-da-duh-da. You’ve no doubt heard it before. It’s often referred to as the ‘walking’ blues because the rhythm is similar to someone walking at a steady stride. Some historians say it’s supposed to mimic the sound of a horse trotting along.

That ‘walking blues’ rhythm is created by playing a two note progression. In the key of E, for example, you play the low, ‘open E’ note simultaneously with B and then with C# (Db) on the fifth string:

When you move through the progression to play a measure on A, you just move your index finger over one string, so that you play the ‘open A; simultaneously with E and then F# (Gb) on the fourth string.

It’s a lot like a bass line, and the open position of the root notes for two of the dominant chords in the key make it dead simple to play.

Speaking of chords and progressions, let’s talk about the common progressions used in the blues. Most blues progressions rely on 3 chords: the ‘tonic’, fourth and fifth - otherwise known as I-IV-V. In the key of E, a I-IV-V progression would use the chords E, A and B.

You’ll also hear these progressions described in terms of the number of measures, or ‘bars’, involved. You can have 8, 12, 16 and even 24 ‘bar’ blues progressions! The 12-bar blues progression has been the basis for thousands of songs.

The number of ‘bars’ refers to the number of measures within the progression when playing in regular 4/4 time. If you played a 12-bar progression in E, the chord changes would follow this pattern:

4 measures of E

2 measures of A

2 measures of E

1 measure of B

1 measure of A

1 measure of E

1 measure of B

When you reach those last measures of E and B, you usually have a special riff known as a “turn around”. Instead of playing the chords, you can play a quick scales or slide riffs which emphasize that the progression is about to cycle back to its beginning.

A lot of times, you’ll hear the ‘interval slide’ on E, which leads the listener to expect the V/Dominant or ‘B’ chord to come next and resolve the progression. The scale ‘runs’, on the other hand, are often done on the V to lead the listener from the resolution back to the root note..

Let’s look at both types of turn-around.

The scale-based turn-around is something you’ll hear guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan use frequently. One of his favorites is a 4 note run like this one: G-A-Bb-B. You can emphasize the resolution to the fifth (B) by doing vibrato on the note to hold it out to the end of the measure.

The ‘interval slide’ is a turn-around that can be played, for lack of a better description, both forwards and backwards. You can create an ‘ascending’ sound or a ‘descending’ sound that leads he ear towards the V-chord.

Starting from the fourth fret: place your middle finger on the third string at the fourth fret (¾) and your ring finger on the first string at the fourth fret (¼). The notes involved here are B (middle finger) and G# (ring finger).

Now, what you do next is slide down the neck while holding your fingers in the same pattern, until you get to the bottom (first fret). Once you reach the first fret, you’ll want to lift your ring finger so you can play that open E string. You’re simply moving the ’shape’ down the fretboard so that you play the following intervals:

B/G# to Bb/G to A/F# to G#/E

You can sound these notes simultaneously by plucking them with your thumb and index finger, or you can pick them in succession.

If you pick them, you’ll want to play around with your picking pattern to find out what sounds best to you. Many blues players pick the notes in the following pattern:

B-G#-B to Bb-G-Bb to A-F#-A to G#-E

In order to play this run in ascending fashion, just reverse the process. Start from G#-E, then slide back up the fretboard the same way..

Keep in mind there’s an almost infinite variety of ways to mix these elements. Heck, we haven’t even covered ‘blue notes’ or pentatonic scales or how to bend your strings for that bluesy sound!

The blues may appear simple on the surface, but there’s real artistry involved when it comes to combining these common motifs into new and interesting forms. Hopefully, the basics we’ve covered here will get you on the way to playing the blues like a lonesome soul on a stormy Monday!



DAPHNE

Phoenix Delray asked:


Most people do not really realize what a huge impact that music from Memphis has had on the sounds that are heard on the radio today. Although many people have heard of Jay Z, Bruce Springsteen and various rhythm and blues artists, few know that without people like W.C. Handy, B.B. King and Memphis Minnie the modern music we know today would not be nearly the same. In fact, music from Memphis has arguably had more of an impact on popular music than any other genre.

This is because the soulful sounds that define music from Memphis were created by the founding fathers of the sound. Without W.C. Handy, it is possible that the syncopated rhythms that his music was comprised of would have never been created. Out of all of the music from Memphis that was created during the early to mid 20th century, W.C. Handy probably created the most important. This is probably why Bruce Springsteen mentioned him in the song Walking in Memphis, asking him to watch out over him as he walked along Beale Street. The fact that Springsteen wrote the song nearly 30 years after his music from Memphis giant died just goes to show how influential the artist really was.

Beale Street was where most of the music from Memphis was created. The musicians of the time used to sit along Beale Street, blowing into their jugs to make a sound similar to that of a bass guitar, strumming washboards to add a unique tone to the music from Memphis. People would walk by, sometimes throwing money into the open guitar cases (when the musicians could afford one).

It was not until Sun Records took notice of the music from Memphis that it really took off and became popular throughout the United States. Instead of being confined to Beale Street and the Memphis region, music from Memphis was being played at school dances and in the kitchens of housewives as they made dinner nationwide. Soon, everyone was familiar with music from Memphis and the musicians that made the music. Today, B.B. King is still alive and touring, just as popular as he has ever been. Pop artists fight to work with him in the studio; many want him as a mentor. New music from Memphis was highly sought after by the people at Sun Records, and many of the artists began to cut albums with Sun.



LUIGI

Jim Bodine asked:


Music lovers generally learn to play at least one instrument in their lifetime. One of the most popular and the easiest to learn is the guitar. This instrument is used to play all types of music from Rock and Roll, Pop, and jazz. It is one of the more appealing musical instruments because of it is relatively easy to learn, and it doesn’t cost you a huge amount of money to buy.

When you’re just starting out to learn to play the guitar it can be a little confusing. You may already have your heart set on what type of genre of music you want to play. Whether you already know what type of genre you want to play, or you don’t,  you should consider learning how to play Blues guitar. Blues has played a huge part in the history of music and influenced many musical genres that we have today. If you learn to master playing the Blues on your guitar successfully then you will easily learn to play other genres of music too. Most other genres of music are rooted in Blues music. 

If you want to learn how to play blues guitar you’re in good company. Many people before you, and most likely, many people after you will learn to play the blues on their guitar. Blues music has a very rich and fascinating history. It is believed that blues music originated somewhere between 1870-1900. It reached its peak of popularity in the 1960’s. Because it was so popular, you had a whole generation of kids wanting to learn how to play blues guitar.

When this new generation learned how to play blues guitar, they started making some changes to it. When changes were made to Blues, it evolved. It became different types of genres of music. You can thank Blues for spawning these genres of music:

Jazz, Rock and Roll, Rhythm and Blues, etc…

Blues still lives on as a viable music genre. In fact, within recent times there has been a small resurgence of Blues, especially in the southern United States. However, most of today’s generation doesn’t really know about Blues music. Blues has been dwarfed in popularity by the other genres of music it helped to create. Even some modern hits have elements of Blues in them.

When learning music, its important to understand the origin of the genre you wish you play. Most likely, when you learn to play the guitar, the genre you play, will have its roots in Blues. When you learn how to play blues guitar, you’ll be carrying on a very long and proud history. You will find that when you learn how to play blues guitar, it will make learning other types of genres of music so much easier.



TINA